FILM industry insiders have welcomed new figures that reveal the number of Scottish film companies has risen by 66% in the last decade, claiming there has “never been a better time” for film-making in Scotland.
According to numbers released by the Scottish Parliament yesterday, there are now 400 film and video companies registered in Scotland, up from 240 in 2008. Recent major productions include the Avengers: Infinity War and T2 Trainspotting. It is claimed Fast and Furious spin-off Hobbs and Shaw, starring Idris Elba, brought just over £19 million to Glasgow’s economy last year.
Other high-profile productions have used Scotland as a location including the Cumbernauld-based Sony Pictures Television TV drama Outlander, which first started filming in 2013. The worldwide hit, starring Scots actor Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser and developed at the Wardpark Studios, has shot on locations across the country and runs a training scheme for new talent. Netflix’s Outlaw King about the life of Robert the Bruce also used Scotland as a background. It was produced by Glasgow-based Sigma Films, who also co-produced the award-winning Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson. Mary Queen of Scots, staring Saoirse Ronan, is another major production shot in Scottish locations.
Other Scottish companies such as Hopscotch Films have gone from strength-to-strength and are joined by a growing crop of new talent.
READ MORE: How the "Outlander effect" has impacted Scotland
Gillian Berrie, film producer and Sigma Films co-founder – along with Scottish director David Mackenzie – said the new figures were the pay-off of years of dedicated work by Scottish based producers, who lobbied the Scottish Government to increase funding. It was eventually doubled.
She said: “It’s fantastic and I can see only growth on the horizon. There’s never been a better time for the industry. We’re not quite there yet, but opportunities are only growing. It’s lovely to see the next generation of producers coming through.”
She claimed the appointment of Isabel Davis as executive director for Scotland’s Screen Unit last June, along with Screen Scotland plans for major film and television studios, were key. “It’s been hard work but I could not be happier about it at the moment,” she added.
Gillian Martin, SNP MSP for Aberdeenshire East also warmly welcomed the figures. She said: “The film industry employs thousands of people in Scotland and we’re increasingly seen as a destination location for major productions.
“As well as the direct economic impact of the industry, there’s no greater advert for Scotland as a tourist destination than our cities and landscapes being shown on the big screen.”
Recent figures show a 17% rise in the number of overseas visitors to 3.2m, dubbed the Outlander effect.
However, Martin voiced concerns that the ongoing uncertainty of Brexit could curb future growth in the industry. “The SNP in government is committed to supporting our screen sector but, like all creative industries, there are serious concerns over the impact of Brexit,” she said. “It’s shameful that businesses and workers still have absolutely no clarity on what Brexit will look like.”
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