MOVIE and TV production in Scotland can double in scale in five years with the establishment of a new dedicated film agency, it has declared.
The new Screen Unit is aiming for a 100% boost in production spend on film and TV, to £160m, by the end of 2023.
A proposal document for the unit, which will be established next spring, said that Scotland could also see up to £50m being spent on TV dramas by the end of 2022, or five to eight new TV drama series.
The Screen Unit would be the first dedicated body to boost film and TV production north of the border since Scottish Screen, which was disbanded seven year's ago when it merged with the Scottish Arts Council to form Creative Scotland.
Its budget in its first year will be £20m, and it will have up to 10 new staff, to be appointed in early 2018, as well as a new executive director role.
The Unit will not be an independent agency, but will be based within arts funder Creative Scotland.
It will hope to back new films such as Outlaw King, David Mackenzie's major new feature film about Robert the Bruce, which has just finished filming.
One of the biggest productions yet made in Scotland, it received £1m in public funding, and shot at locations including Craigmillar, Blackness and Doune Castles, Aviemore, Linlithgow Palace and Glencoe.
Produced by Glasgow-based Sigma Films it is being made for Netflix.
It stars Chris Pine and Game of Thrones actor Stephen Dillane, with Scottish actors including James Cosmo, Tony Curran and Alastair Mackenzie.
The Film Unit was created after the film world in Scotland lobbied for more resources and concentration on the film sector north of the border, with some lamenting the closure of Scottish Screen.
The document contains data from consultants Olsberg, that says by year five of the unit - in the most optimistic outcome - production spend in Scotland could be £160m.
The "lower scenario" in the proposal suggests it could be £130m in five years time.
It also aims to increase the growth of Scottish screen companies, raising the number from two to six of the top 50 companies in that sector in the UK.
The unit also will address the historically vexed issue of a purpose built film studio in Scotland.
The document says it will "seek to secure additional permanent as well as new purpose-built studio facilities in order to drive further growth in the sector through private sector-led and public/private partnerships."
A 2016 economic assessment of Scottish companies showed a screen sector of 487 separate businesses, responsible for £294min total turnover, and 2,333 people in direct employment.
The government said that the new unit will present a "more collaborative inter-agency approach and clear leadership" for the movie and TV sector in Scotland.
The proposal has been developed by Creative Scotland and Screen Unit partners, which include Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council.
Fiona Hyslop, culture secretary, said: "I am encouraged by the progress and clear partnership approach behind the Screen Unit proposals, and I recognise the significant effort that has gone into their production by our agencies, including Creative Scotland.
"I welcome the single plan which details how each agency will contribute to achieving a shared vision for the sector which is ‘more vibrant, strong and resilient, supports sustainable creative enterprises, and grows its contribution to Scotland’s social, cultural and economic success’."
John McCormick, the chair of the Screen Sector leadership group, said: "This is a significant development, strongly supported by those working across the screen industry.
"The new Screen Unit will provide the leadership, co-ordination and accountability that is essential to ensure that there is sustained economic and cultural development across the sector."
It is planned that the Screen Unit will be "fully operational" within Creative Scotland by April 2018.
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