“Dazed and Confused” may be Austin’s claim to movie fame, but that doesn’t mean filmmaking in the Capital City peaked in the ‘90s.
Central Texas will become home to three new studios this year, signaling the city’s growing popularity among filmmakers. Austin’s sunny weather and creative scene are part of what make the region a desirable location for moviemaking, but the Capital City also already has a strong film culture.
This is supported in part by the Austin Film Society, which was founded in 1985 by director Richard Linklater. AFS operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production complex that houses several local production companies and vendors.
And, as Austinites are well aware, movies and television shows are filmed here all the time — but the city doesn’t exactly have the studio space to support it. Crews (including for HBO’s recent “Love & Death” series) often work out of unused warehouse space.
Cue: three new Austin-area film studios. These include:
Stray Vista Studios | Dripping Springs
- Opened in February
- 10,000 sqft
- Stray Vista Studios operates the biggest “Volume” soundstage in the state. What’s that? Essentially, it’s a room of LED screens — developed for Disney’s “The Mandalorian” — that allows filmmakers to create an immersive environment with the snap of their fingers.
Hill Country Studios | San Marcos
- Groundbreaking in 2023
- $267 million project
- This studio is expected to have a 15 acre-backlot, 12 stages and 310,000 sqft of offices.
- Former Netflix executive Kevin Bar was tapped last fall as the studio’s Chief Operations Officer.
Bastrop 552 | Bastrop
- Opening August 2023
- 546 acres
- On completion, this development is set to have ~500,000 sqft of studio space, a three-story office building, and warehouse and storage space. It may also have “recreational accommodations” like a golf course, private club, and drive-in movie theater.
