Fiona Hyslop, Scottish Culture Secretary, revealed today (7th September) that film and TV producers spent an unprecedented £45.2m on filming in Scotland throughout 2014, a substantial £12m increase on 2013.

News of the increase was a welcome fillip after Creative Scotland‘s ongoing campaign to accommodate large scale productions. Projects including Sunset Song and Macbeth, The Legend of Barney Thomson, Iona, Sunshine on Leith, Under the Skin, Outlander, Tommy’s Honour and Moon Dogs have all benefitted from the recent commitment the government has had to Scotland’s burgeoning screen industry.

Speaking on the historic announcement Hyslop said: “This rise in production spend is a strong indication that film producers have a growing appetite to base their productions in Scotland.

“These productions generate significant income for Scotland through the use of Scottish talent, crews, locations, transport, and accommodation and through the impact they have on tourism.

“The Scottish government and our agencies are firmly committed to growing the economic impact of our screen sector.”
 

 

These figures that illustrate the success of the screen industry comes at a good time for Scotland as last week heralded the launch of a new Production Growth Fund, established to entice filmmakers and TV producers in to basing their major projects in Scotland.

The Culture Secretary alluded to the existing incentives in place designed to attract productions to the country: “This builds on the £2 million Tax Credit Advance Facility I announced earlier this year and the £1 million Screen Skills Fund through which we are supporting training and skills development opportunities.”

However, Hyslop has had to endure a heavy amount of scrutiny recently. Calls for the development of a Scottish studio are getting louder and the Culture Secretary, so far, over the past seven months has provided nothing more than speculation.

Natalie Usher, director, Screen, Creative Scotland, said: “Alongside our partners in government, we are firmly committed to supporting screen sector growth and promoting Scotland as a film-friendly nation.”