Filming in England launches Local Economic Impact Toolkit

Today, Creative England’s Filming in England is pleased to launch the Local Economic Impact Toolkit to support continued investment in film and TV production across England, outside London. This project is funded by the BFI using National Lottery funding and was produced in collaboration with Olsberg•SPI, the leading international creative industries consultancy.

With our rich history, diverse landscapes and world-class production crew and facilities, the UK is considered one of the most attractive destinations for the film and TV industry in the world. The varied locations and astounding built heritage across the English Regions have been the backdrops to content admired around the world. Notable and popular audience favourites include The Batman (2022), shot in Liverpool, Bridgerton (2020-), shot in Bath, Peaky Blinders (2013-2022), which shot in several cities across the North and Midlands, The Outlaws (2021-) which shot in Bristol, House of the Dragon (2022-), which shot in Cornwall and Devon (the second season started production in April 2023), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) in Northumberland, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) in Birmingham, Derbyshire, and North Yorkshire. Lucasfilm’s Andor (2022-) was filmed in Derbyshire, Dorset, the Home Counties and Lancashire, while The Crown (2016-2023) made use of various locations up and down the country across its many seasons.  Some high-profile productions currently filming on location in the English regions include Amazon Studios’ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 2), Rivals for Disney+, Universal’s Wicked and A Gentleman in Moscow for Paramount+ and Alex Rider (Season 3) for Amazon Freevee.

Local authorities in eight English Regions now have access to a ground-breaking Toolkit designed to support the production of feature films and high-end television (HETV).  This first-of-its-kind resource will be invaluable in measuring and communicating the impact of the screen sector on local communities, as well as highlighting the economic benefits for the region.

With over 200 local authorities able to benefit from this Toolkit, the stage is set for a new era of collaboration between the film and television industry and local government. This is a significant step forward in ensuring that the UK’s screen sector continues to thrive, while also supporting the growth and prosperity of local communities.

Key features include:

Ripple Analysis – a process that reviews a screen production’s expenditure and categorises it according to several pre-defined business sectors to demonstrate the ripple effect that production spend can have on a local economy.

Regional Impact Tool – The economic uplifts in terms of output, the value created (GVA) and employment within screen production companies resulting from the increase in production expenditure.

Incoming production checklist – a step-by-step approach for local authorities to use when processing requests from production companies to carry out commercial filming.

Average Local Production Spend Rate Card – to calculate the average daily economic local spend of a production filming on location.

Hayley Armstrong, Head of Production Services, Creative England said: “The UK’s screen industries have bounced back faster than almost any other industry post-pandemic; with the truly unprecedented global demand for content, film and HETV production spend in the UK reached a record £6.27 billion in 2022.  This toolkit couldn’t come at a better time for our industry. Olsberg•SPI has over 31 years of industry experience that they’re plugging into the project; from the granular analysis of intricate production budgets to their extensive economic research that brings the innovation of the regional impact tool to life. We’re proud to be part of the delivery to change the face of how local authorities and our world-class screen industry work together across the regions to deliver even more economic impact and value across the country.”

Jonathan Olsberg, Executive Chair at Olsberg•SPI, shared: “We at SPI were honoured to be commissioned by Filming in England to develop this unique and valuable Local Economic Impact Toolkit. As the global screen sector continues to evolve, and audiences all over the world continue to demand engaging film and TV series content, production spend is projected to remain high, and the English Regions are well-placed to host more and more productions in the future. This Toolkit will support the accurate measuring and reporting of local economic impact, and by extension, continue to demonstrate the value of this industry.”

Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Chair of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board said: “Who could doubt the value of the screen sector after the success of Peaky Blinders and Happy Valley has brought Birmingham and Calderdale into the homes of millions of viewers?  With growing demand for English filming sites, councils recognise the opportunity to showcase our unique local places, boost tourism and support local businesses in the supply chain.  This easy-to-use toolkit will help us capture evidence of inward investment from film and TV productions; supporting the case for growth and investment in local areas; contributing to the Government’s ambitions to grow and develop the creative industries; and ensuring all communities can enjoy and celebrate the benefits that the sector can bring.”

Harriet Finney, BFI Deputy CEO/Director of Corporate & Industry Affairs, says, “We are delighted to be supporting practical screen production tools that work to help the sector’s growth and create jobs across the country.  Providing organisations with the means to demonstrate with economic evidence how screen production delivers spend and value will support local initiatives and investment to expand the sector’s infrastructure. This aim is also central to our new 10-year BFI National Lottery Strategy to help ensure that people in all parts of the UK feel the benefit of production in terms of jobs and growth. “

To access the toolkit, please visit www.filminginengland.co.uk/local-economic-impact-toolkit

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Marketing Lancashire is proud to be a Filming in England Partner, working with Creative England and the screen sector to champion and support #FilminginLancashire