We are proud to announce that our custom Studio is completed and has had a busy start to the season: the studio is 30 x 15 x 7m, has direct 3 phase 100 amps per phase power so you dont even need a generator! It now had a fixed lighting grid to make life easier.

The floor slabs have drains so you can do rain and tank effects without fear of electrocuting the crew and cast.

It has a hard psych wall you can color any way you want currently chroma green, , has rear side doors to bring animals on to set without disturbing camera and crew.

There are wardrobe / office and catering spaces as well as ablutions.

Game camps are adjacent for holding working animals close to set.

There are cottages on the farm as well as many hotels and B&b's so that those who do not want to travel the 1 hr from Cape Town can be easily accommodated.

We have just aquired a futher 25 ha of adjacent river frontage land to add to our grazing as well as location options.

We look forward to seeing you on the farm.

We now have 4 resident working cheetah on the farm to add to our menagerie.

Union Pictures, a brief history:

Luke Cornell is the lead trainer and has been involved in the industry since 1987, when he was hired as a “stock smuggler” for a documentary on SWAPO. Fresh from a year in a state mental institution post military service, this was indeed a very different view on life. Within 2 months he was in the industry as the animal trainer on a B Grade action / jungle picture. Within 2 years he was headhunted by another trainer from Kenya to do a Disney Feature in Zimbabwe for 8 months. From those early days of catching snakes within a km of the set and then handling them, to 23 years down the line with 40 + feature films and 100’s of international commercials, we are a lot more professional and organized.

In addition to being a trainer Luke is also a commercials 1st Asst Director, which helps immensely in simplifying the task at hand for both the director and the animals involved. Having a strong production background is also of great help in terms of budgeting and logistics.

11 years ago Luke was accosted on the beach whilst walking his 6 dogs by a giant, who turned out to be a brother-in-law of a brother-in-law. Today this is the right hand person of Union Pictures, Garin van Munster.

Together we bring a wealth of knowledge to any set. We run multiple licensed Trainer – teams, cast, budget, handle all logistics for any production we are part of. We have our own holding and training area just outside  Cape Town , we do our own transporting. We can supply camera safety cages, fencing, all animal related props, vets on sets with us...

We have a great working relationship with the Conservation Authorities as well as the Animal Welfare Associations. We are registered members of the Animal Keepers Association of Africa as well as being registered with PAAZAB.

We also have a good relationship with other trainers nationally and internationally, so if we do not have the correct animal for the job we will source it for you. As our CV will attest, we have supplied, handled and trained an incredibly diverse menagerie in our 19 years in the Industry.

At the beginning of 2007 Luke purchased a 140 ha farm one hour from Cape Town with the vision of offering  great living conditions for both animals and family and to expand the company's services to be able to offer more animals on a location where they are settled and easy to work, giving directors more shooting time. We are able to supply tractors / trailers / 4 wheelers / 4x4's, earthmoving equipment etc. We are open to set construction on most parts of the farm and as we are rurally zoned pyrotechnics may also be used.

The farm offers 2,5km of permanently flowing wild river frontage, green irrigated flat pastures, wild renosterveld, rambling hills, ravines, streams, dams, cottages, the main house, barns, farm dressing / tractors, trailers, implements, trout dams and the full farmyard experience. We have fenced 2 large separate game enclosures, one abutting the river that holds gemsbok, eland, fallow deer, impala, and another 4sq km wild section that has  eland,, impala, springbok, ostriches, rheebok, steenbok, tortoises etc etc. Blue cranes nest on the farm, there are fish eagles, secretary birds and raptors in abundance.

 . As a location we are thus able to offer a really diverse choice.. We have 3 furnished self catering cottages either for accommodation or to use as a production office/ make-up/   wardrobe centre or just for clients to overnight / relax in.

In addition to the studio space thre are bathrooms, lounge and kitchen, wardrobe and office rooms.

The farm is surrounded by numerous wine estates , B & B's and we are a mere 15 minutes from the 6 star Arabella Hotel and the Houw Hoek Inn. hermanus is 30km away with all the restaurants and creature comforts one may need as well as the famous Whale Trail.

We are looking forward to being able to offer a world class location with animals that suit your needs.

One of our recent commercials shot here on the farm for the Australian Soccer Team for Optus has just won best commercial award in Australia!

Luke, Garin , Spud, Jesse, faizel, Jet and the Team.

Our GPS coordinates are 34 11 19 S and 19 13 49 E