If you were to build a new full function studio, what would it have? dimensions, drive in access,U shaped infinity cove with super flat seamless level floor,client areas with conference facilities, make-up/wardrobe with hair wash facilities, climate controlled production and client areas,bathrooms,kitchen area,remote control floating ceilings, suspended PA system,c-form - 63 and 32 amp outlets,200 amps per phase, both wet and dry shooting area's?

All that plus a big tank for shooting models underwater? Because why not.

You're out of control - lol

You are asking a tough question.  You can look at my website:  www.gpsstudioservices.com

The problem is, no matter what you have, it isn't enough.  There is always a need for more.  From a practical standpoint, most commercial studios have one or two shooting spaces.  Many have a cyclorama.  A good one will have a dressing room, a place for clients to sit down and adequate equipment.  Mine is unusual.  It is designed to be heavily rented (I have four distinctly rentable spaces) and also to run events on top of the normal things.  We do commercial shoots a couple times a week.  Every month somebody comes into shoot a music video.  We do a lot of web testimonials for companies, etc, etc, etc.  We don't do a lot of magazine work here, but there are a couple of local publications that use our studio fairly regularly.

I have over 5,000 square feet of space.  That breaks down into about 3,000 square feet of studio, 1,400 square feet of office space and another 1,000 square feet of storage.  It is all full.  With all that space, I am longing for another 1,500 square feet of studio.  I almost expanded last year but the unit next to me was rented before I made up my mind.

My studio is broken down into about 20 static sets that we re-paint and redecorate often.  There are some sets, like the shower, bathtub, Jacuzzi and bed, which get used mostly by Glamour Photographers.  I have a permanent green screen.  It gets used very little by still photographers, but some of the commercial video people use it often.  Most of the rest gets used pretty universally.

The cyclorama is used by everyone from fine art photographers to commercial clients to the amateurs that come to my events.  For my events, I typically set aside 2-6 sets to be used, depending on the number  of photographers and models.  I generally try to keep it to five sets or less so I can limit it to four Pocket Wizard channels.  A lot of people are still limited to four.  I do have ways to go to more sets than I need to. 

The availability of so many practical sets has made putting on events easy.  They get used a lot for rentals.  Commercial clients will often come in, repaint a set, furnish and dress it and then knock out a shoot.  The studio rents a lot because there is enough flexibility that small commercial clients can come in and do in a few hours what would take them longer elsewhere.  Except for painting and dressing the sets, they don't often need to do any set construction.  There are enough different things that they can often use something there.

My studio is also very well equipped.  It is probably too well equipped.  I currently own about 60 lights, for example.  I have Dynalite, Norman, Photogenic, Arri, Lowell, Quantum and Mole Richardson lighting.  It ranges from strobes to a variety of motion lighting gear.  As an example, I have a wide variety of halogen/tungsten lighting, both open face and fresnels.  I also own HMI's for the light quality.  We have the normal things such as soft boxes, flags, silks and a lot of grip gear.

We do a lot of video in the studio.  The rental department has the normal stuff along with some things you normally find only in larger studios.  As an example, we have a doorway dolly and forty feet of track.  The truth is I am better equipped than you would expect from a studio my size.  I could probably make due with a lot less, but I never regret having what I've got.  I always want more.

You've asked a question that isn't easily answered.  I'm in a market that has room to support what I do.  A lot will depend on where you are and what you can reasonably support.  I couldn't have a studio like mine in Little Rock Arkansas.  It couldn't pay for itself.  If I was in L.A., my studio would be inadequate to compete for the kinds of things that we do.  The reason is that most production is bigger there than what we do here.  There are also a lot of resources there which changes the equation.

Come up with a marketing plan and then you need to fit your physical plan to the business you will reasonably be able to generate.