The Balloon Museum is currently using five stages at The Fields Studios. Last year, the studio hosted filming for the second season of Dark Matter, which is now available for streaming.
Sony Pictures Television produced the series for Apple TV. The company stated that managing a production like theirs — complex, large-scale and technically demanding with thousands of audiences weekly — requires a strong, reliable partner capable of working in true synergy, adding that they found exactly that with The Fields Studios.
Matt Tolmach said, "Making a show like ‘Dark Matter’ is a huge undertaking and it makes all the difference to have people around you who understand what you’re trying to do." Tolmach further noted that the studio team provided a space where the cast and crew could feel at home and focus on the show, acting as true partners throughout the process.
Robert A. Papazian opened the first studio more than 30 years ago. Papazian said, "We built this to be a home base, not just a set," and remarked that "it’s not a backlot, it’s the real thing."
Illinois has extended and enhanced its production tax credit through 2039. The sustainability uplift of this production tax credit can push total savings over 40%.
