ST. GEORGE, Utah — In an area bordered by hills and a creek, construction is well underway on a home to film sets, lights, camera and action... but it’s not in Hollywood.
Near St. George Regional Airport is the site of a film studio under construction. This unlikely location is set to become the home of Territory Film Studios, a project spearheaded by local land developer Brett Burgess and somebody who knows something about building dreams for people to come: Kevin Costner.
"It's like a dream. It's been like a dream," said Burgess, a seventh-generation southern Utahn.
And the dream was sparked after Burgess wanted to keep his son Carson, a film major at the University of Utah, in town.
The dream became a reality when Costner, who was filming chapters one and two of his "Horizon: An American Saga" in the St. George area, happened to also be seeking studio space in nearby.
"Kevin had been here and he'd been looking for a space, obviously, and he decided, you know, he's like, 'I would like to build a soundstage in southern Utah,'" Burgess recalled.
Despite the setback of Costner's first "Horizon" chapter flopping at the box office, Burgess said the film studio project is forging ahead. The first phase, including a 37,500-square-foot warehouse for set storage, is nearly complete, and construction on the initial 30,000-square-foot soundstage is set to begin this week.
VIDEO BELOW: Territory Studios partner Brett Burgess talks about some of the features
Ultimately, Territory Film Studios will encompass 70,000 square feet of soundstages and a backlot on 3,000 acres, with plans for a restaurant open to the public and even the possibility of a future studio tour for visitors.
For Burgess, the goal is not only to keep his son in town, but to create opportunities for the local filmmaking community.
"I wanted to keep so many kids here that end up leaving the state. I wanted to try to build an industry and have something to do in the arts, to be able to tell stories of what we've done. And I think that we have the opportunity to do that in Utah," he says.
While some in the community are concerned about the influx of Hollywood productions, Adam Mast, co-founder of the Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah, believes the studio will open doors for local filmmakers.
"I am personally very excited for this studio because I think it's going to open doors for everybody. I think there's the trickle effect," Mast said.
For filmmakers like Torsten Bangerter, who currently makes commercials, the prospect of working on "awesome movies" at the new studio is a dream come true.
"I mean, as exciting as it is to make little commercials about supplements, I'd way rather be making awesome movies," Bangerter said.
