From Avengers Assembling to getting Fast and Furious on the streets of Edinburgh, filming in Scotland’s cities is well on its way to becoming a billion-pound industry.
Our historic buildings, talented workforce and excellent support network has lured stars including Brad Pitt, Karen Gillan, Scarlett Johanssen, Chris Evans and Chris Pine in recent years.
The economic rewards have been huge with production revenue adding to benefits for hospitality and tourism.
A Screen Scotland report revealed the sector contributed £567.6million to the economy in 2019, providing 10,280 full time equivalent jobs. It’s hoped that can be doubled by 2030.
The BBC and Channel 4 were the major players, spending an estimated £196.6 million on content production in Scotland.
But the 2019 figure included blockbuster Fast & Furious 9 which filmed for 19 days in September of that year in Edinburgh, splashing out £5million in the process.
Other major productions to come to the capital have included Avengers: Infinity War which saw a major fight scene rage across the city’s old town before climaxing in Waverley Station.
At the other end of the M8 Glasgow has played host to Brad Pitt’s zombie apocalypse movie World War Z, Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, the latest instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise, Robert the Bruce epic Outlaw King and the Oscar-winning 1917.
The city has also recently provided settings for The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, as well as the forthcoming Indiana Jones 5 instalment, the largest production in the city to date. And with The Kelvin Hall Film & Studio Hub soon to open in the city’s West End, a purpose-built studio run by BBC Studioworks, there are sure to be further productions taking place in Glasgow.
But it’s not just Scotland’s two major cities which have benefitted from the silver screen boom.
Stirling has seen the hugely popular Amazon Prime fantasy comedy series Good Omens starring David Tennent and Michel Sheen filming in the city’s streets. The second series of smash hit TV series Succession saw its star, Brian Cox, return to his hometown of Dundee, and up the coast in Aberdeen a number of shows have been filmed including the BBC’s Granite Harbour.
Meanwhile, Jumanji star Karen Gillan used Inverness, where she grew up, as the location for her acclaimed directorial debut The Party’s Just Beginning.
With Hollywood’s established interest growing in our cities as a location and further investment in infrastructure, forecasts are for yet stronger growth in the sector.
In the 2019 Screen Scotland report, Executive Director, Isabel Davis, said: “This is the first true benchmark of the value of Scotland’s screen sector and it’s far larger than has been captured by previous studies. Better still, we see the potential to double GVA by 2030, if investment in local content, production skills and infrastructure continues.”
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson added:
“This report shows the exceptional growth that Scotland’s film and TV industries have experienced in recent years; generating millions for the economy, creating thousands of jobs and providing opportunities for skills and talent development in roles across the sector.
“Supporting the screen sector is a key priority for the Scottish Government and we are committed to ensuring that this growth continues to develop our sustainable creative economy, making Scotland an attractive place to live and work for people across the creative industries.”
The benefits are there for all to see, so let’s keep the cameras rolling.
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