The British Film Commission:
London and the south of England are
in the midst of a film and television
production boom. But there’s no
question that the North West of
England and Yorkshire have also
established themselves as production
powerhouses in their own right.
Samantha Perahia, senior production
executive at the British Film
Commission says: “The North West
and Yorkshire both have excellent
TV production capabilities that have
been built up over many years. But
they are also attracting attention from
international filmmakers looking for
interesting locations.”
A good case in point, says Perahia,
was Marvel movie Captain America:
The First Avengers which based itself
at Shepperton Studios but used
Manchester’s Northern Quarter and
Liverpool’s historic docks to recreate
1940s New York. More recently,
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit staged a
high-speed Manhattan car chase in
Liverpool’s Birkenhead Tunnel. “The
point about the North West is that it
has very good crews and infrastructure
in Manchester and Liverpool. There is
such a high volume of quality drama
being produced in the region every
year that it’s not difficult for them to
take on film work. In addition to this,
there is a lot of support on the ground
from Creative England and local film
offices.”
Both Manchester and Liverpool have
been growing in popularity for the last
few years. But they also seem to have
benefited from the fact that London
hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics,
adds Perahia. With the capital
occupied throughout the summer
months, the Olympic period was an
opportunity for both cities to showcase
their skills to international clients.
While these two are the urban centres
of the region, there are also some
excellent locations outside the cities,
adds Perahia. “The west coast of
England, the Lake District and the
Peak District are all superb options for
producers. Details on what is available
across the region can be provided by
our colleagues at Creative England.”
Yorkshire tends not to get as much
international film work as the North
West but it has been very successful
wooing domestic film and high-end TV
drama. Recent examples include The
Great Train Robbery, 1066 and Girls’
Night Out, a new movie from Ecosse
Films that uses Hull to double for
1940s London.
Like the North West, part of Yorkshire’s
appeal is the depth of talent and
diversity of locations. But in addition,
says Perahia, local film agency Screen
Yorkshire has a fund that incentivises
productions to come to the region.
Since it launched in February 2012, the
fund has backed more than 20 film and
TV projects including The Great Train
Robbery, Peaky Blinders, Jonathan
Strange and Mr Norrell, Testament Of
Youth, Girls’ Night Out, Death Comes
to Pemberley and Jamaica Inn. The
fact that the latter story is closely
associated with Cornwall didn’t stop
Yorkshire taking on the lion’s share of
the work.
Manchester, home to MediaCityUK, the
Salford Quays complex owned by Peel
Media is an example of how the region
is changing. With Peel also the prime
backer of Pinewood, there is clearly
scope for the North to step up. Perahia
says: “The talent and the track record
is certainly there. A lot of international
clients aren’t familiar with what is
outside London and the South East but
that is starting to change.”
TheNorthhas loads to
offer the international
film& TV scene
The British Film Commission (BFC) and Creative England ensure that the media industry in the UK’s regions and
nations benefit from the opportunities on offer. Both have their own remit: Creative England funds and facilitates
productions in all areas outside of London and the BFC is there to maximise the production of international film
and television in the UK. Here both speak about the flourishing practices in Yorkshire and the North West.
Creative England:
Creative England’s production
services team provides a free film
office service to productions filming
in England, outside London. From
locations and studios to facilities
and crew, the team helps to find and
access the industry’s finest, liaising
with local authorities, film offices and
regional and national partners to gain
filming permissions and facilitate a
smooth shoot.
Commenting on the production
industry in the North West, Creative
England says it has “a long and well
established reputation for incoming
and home-grown film and TV
production.“
“Manchester is the arguably the
busiest drama production centre
outside London, and the second
biggest creative hub in Europe.
The North West as a whole has a
huge wealth and breadth of locations,
from stunning landscapes such as the
Lakes and coastline of Cumbria, to
fantastic period villages in Cheshire,
historic towns & buildings in Lancaster,
and the incredible Georgian and
Victorian architecture nestled within
the busy modern cities of Manchester
and Liverpool.
Most productions choose to be
based in Greater Manchester, with its
dedicated studios, wealth of facilities,
experienced crew base and post
production houses.
Liverpool meanwhile plays host to
many international feature films,
thanks to its wonderful period streets,
docks and period architecture, as
well as excellent local infrastructure
and crew. Together, Manchester and
Liverpool, along with the wider North
West locations, provide a strong offer
to enable the hosting of any scale of
film of TV production.”
As for Yorkshire, Creative England
says the county is “packed with a
wealth of diverse filming locations
which have been drawing major film
and TV productions to the region for
decades.”
One of Yorkshire’s strengths is its
reputation as a leading film friendly
destination. Creative England works
hard to ensure Yorkshire retains this
standing through its Film Friendly
Partnership, which works with all 19
Yorkshire local authorities and regional
tourism bodies.
“Yorkshire has a well-established
filming infrastructure, with independent
studios such as Leeds-based Prime
Studios and Studio 81 plus LS-Live
studios boasting 30,000sq ft near
Wakefield.
There is an extensive crew base, with
experience dating back to the heyday
of Yorkshire TV dramas such as
Heartbeat, and the travel infrastructure
also makes filming here easy.”
by Andy Fry
One of Yorkshire’s strengths is its reputation as a
leading film friendly destination and it retains
this standing through its film friendly partnership
Adeel Akhtar as WIlson
Wilson in Channel 4’s
groundbreaking hit series
Utopia, , which shot almost
entirely in Yorkshire and the
North West
Filming In yorkshire & the north west
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