The 6^th of October city-based Media Production city ( MPC) is the biggest ever built information and media complex, which, together with the Egyptian Satellite "Nile Sat", will allow Egypt to step into the new world of the 21st century. Thereby, Egypt will be well-qualified and well-equipped to maintain its pioneering role in the field of satellite television and to provide television and film production facilities that can support the information breakthrough. 

 

Project Goals:

 

 

· Provide television production of a competitive nature. 

· Achieve 3,500 hours of indoor studio production 5,000 hours of programmes and outdoor production 

· Provide miscellaneous production including drama, cultural, educational features and children programmes to meet local and foreign market requirements. 

· Provide film production, with a basic capacity of 100 long films per year. 

· Provide wood and metal works at the services complex. 

· Use the MPC as a tourist attraction for interested citizens and tourists alike. 

· Utilize on an economic basis, training centre surplus production on both domestic and external levels. 

· Use the MPC surplus hotel capacity to provide accommodation services to visitors and tourists staying at the 6th of October City, as well as artists, agents and other members of the public, dealing with MPC. The MPC comprises the following: 

· Studios Complex: comprises 14 high technological studios of various sizes, together with annexes and utilities. 

· Open-air shooting areas ranging from 600sq.m to 2,500 square meters each, equipped with film shooting and tourist services. 

· Covered Theatre Hall:

· The 2500-seat hall serves television production of dramatic performances and concerts. It can be also used as an auditorium for conferences and festivals as well as for the 6th of October city community purposes. 

· Open-air Theatres: serve summer variety / musical / show performances and lyric concerts for television production purposes. The grand theatre accommodates 1,500 persons and the mini-theatre accommodates 1000 children. 

· Services Complex: Provides fabricating and processing works for the Studios Complex and outdoor shooting areas. 

· Film Laboratory: Provides film processing services for 16 mm and 35 mm films. Color correction, editing (montage), final sound recording and dubbing and final version printing are also provided. The laboratory production capacity is estimated at 100 films per year, apart from short materials. 

· Hotel: contains 250 rooms, in addition to all other amenities, offering a high-quality, 4-star hotel service. 

· Training centre: contains all facilities necessary to train 3,000 persons per year. The centre provides training to staff members of the Radio and Television Union, in various fields of specialization. 

· Staff Club: Provides social and sporting activities to the project staff as well as staff members of the Radio and Television Union. 

 

MPC Construction Phases:

 

 

· Construction of this national project was started in 1992. Phase I was completed in 1992. President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak laid the foundation stone for MPC phase II on May 29, 1994. 

· Phase II was inaugurated by President Mubarak in June 1996. The MPC components already completed are as follows: 

· The Pharaonic city: (Tel El Amarna), which simulates the ancient capital of Egypt Pharoah Akhnaton, the first to advocate monotheism, enlightenment, science and peace in the world. Architectural designs, drawings, specifications and construction were completed under the supervision of archaeologist. The city comprises about 40 simulated statues of Akhnaton and Nefertiti. 

· The Islamic Village: is built over an area of 60,000 sq.m. The architectural style of the village buildings belongs mainly to the Fatimide and Memeluke periods, in addition to other styles. The village was designed by specialists in Islamic architecture. 

· Magic Land (children’s village), covers an area of 15,000 sq.m, within the Integrated Activity Area. A 230 m. long entrance gate (Egypt’s Gate) was built showing models of most renowned tourist attractions and monuments of Egypt, such as Pharaonic temples, Bibliotica Alexandrina, Giza Pyramids, citadels and fortresses, Saladin’s Citadel etc..... This area also contains the Magic Land, and the Dino Jungle, with life-size models of pre-historic monsters such as electronically animated dinasours, moving amidst dazzling audio-visual effects, as well as the ancient ape-man and birds. 

· Underwater film shooting area. 

· The dolphin area contains a pool, where dolphin and water ballet shows are performed as well as an amphitheatre to accommodate 1.300 spectators. 

 

Open Air Shooting Areas

Provide locations for various places, eras and styles witin MPC. They consist of ten outdoor TV and movie shooting areas.

Facilities available in various areas can be used as service elements for filming and tourist purposes such as:

 

Alexandria Area:

 

Islamic Area:

Bedouin Area:

It is an area specially designed for shooting scenes from the desert and bedouin environment. It covers 230,000-sq. m of which only 5% are used. It represents several models of Bedouin and Arabian life with tents, water wells, mountains and valleys.

 

The lakes are surrounded by artificial rocks and waterfalls and have a floating cafeteria and a 100-seat restaurant as well as a number of villas around the lakes to be developed later into a motel.

Rural Area:

 It comprises simulated models of Egyptian countryside with fields, houses, etc.. Design allows for using decor materials that can be adjusted to various dramatic works. The rural area consists of the following:

Village A 

It represents a model of a modernized village comprising, a cafe, rural houses, police station, mausoleum, mayor’s house, rural landlord’s house, dovecote and mosque.

Village B 

Represents a model of a traditional village comprising rural houses, rural sitting room, rural fence, bridge, canal, railway and rail station.

Zifta Provincial Town:

Represents a section of Zifta Provincial Town with houses, rural police station, cafe, printing press, cotton gin, post office, etc..

Pharaonic Area:

Tel-el-Amarna town comprises walls and gates of the King’s palace, walls and gates of the political palace, a bridge between the palaces, army and police buildings and political palace buildings.

It was taken into consideration that all the decor materials used in designing such an area should be liable to any modification that would suit the dramatic works.

Popular Area 

Covering 6, 500 sq.m, of which only 5% are used, it comprises models of traditional and modern district lanes and alleys such as Khan Al-Khalili, Al-Gamalia, etc… The area can be also used for in-door shooting.

 

Production Support Services Centers

Control centers and various utilities:

The Open Theatre:

Egypt’s Gate:

It provides information for children and families who visit the city through the Internet, multimedia and database programs.

Dolphin and Seal Show Complex and Underwater Shooting Area:

Dinosaur Jungle:

Traffic City: 

This is a mini-city, covering 6,500 sq. m, to help children learn traffic rules. It comprises of roads, pavements, public buildings, a bank, a gas station and shops. The city teaches children how to deal with these utilities.

Outdoor Game Park: 

It is comprised of a number of interesting and exciting games that suit all age groups such as Ali Baba Cave, Carousel, Butterfly, Amour Express, Flying Whale, Rotating Pineapple, Mad Mouse, etc... The area also comprises of a number of shops and restaurants of specific international kitchens (Japanese, French, English, Polish, Arabian, etc..) surrounded by green areas.

Indoor Games Building (Magic Plateau): 

Time Gate (Simulator): 

A mobile theatre which is a part of the facade of Egypt’s Gate. Through it, the viewer can pass to the exciting world of outer space.

Rapid River: 

This game is composed of two integrated parts. The first part is an artificial 500-m-long stream where boats move at the speed of water pouring down through the jungles, waterfalls and mountains. The second part is a jumbo waterwheel that lifts boats to a height of 14 meters then drops them to rush freely to the water stream then to the river.

Bumping Boats: 

This is an exciting game where boats collide on an area of 2,000 square meters.

 

Ice Skating Hall:

American West Show Area (Stunt Show): 

A finely designed hotel, built to international specifications and equipped with the latest technological systems, high-quality management and hotel services. It can accommodate artists as well as Egyptian, Arab or foreign tourists . The hotel consists of 200 rooms, ceremony halls, restaurants, cafeterias, swimming pools, outdoor playgrounds, gardens .etc.

Shopping Center:

Covering about 30,000 sq. m, the center comprises shops, cafeterias, 2 movie-theaters with a capacity of 2500 seats.

Conference Center:

It is the latest conference center in the Middle-East for holding exhibitions, international and regional conferences as well as ceremonies. It consists of a main auditorium that can accommodate 1,000 people and is equipped with necessary technical facilities to serve as a theatre. The center also comprises a large ceremonial hall that can accommodate 1,200 people. This hall can be divided into smaller halls of different sizes suitable for various exhibitions.

Moreover, the centre is supplied with all necessary technical services for international communications, press and interpretation in addition to restaurants and cafeterias.

Movie-Theater Complex: 

The complex contains two movie-theaters equipped with the latest technological systems and technical facilities to serve as theatres with a capacity of 500 seats each.

 

Components:

Blacksmithing and carpentry workshops. Workshop building comprises:

Gypsum and sculpture workshops.

Thermoplastics workshop.

Sewing and drapery workshop.

A separate workshop for polyester fibers .

Decor assembly halls.

Storage rooms ( for decoration items, wood, accessories etc..). Garages.