Wales has long been known as a busy
hub for film and TV projects, with
shows such as the BBC’s flagship
Doctor Who making its home there,
raising the profile of the area.
Recently however, it has attracted
a plethora of new titles, and the
presence of new studio spaces
and services can only enhance the
situation as producers pour in from all
over the world.
The power of Pinewood
A Welsh government spokesperson
we talked to sees Wales’ role in the
future of film and television production
in the UK as a positive one, citing
Pinewood as a turning point for the
beautiful region.
“The partnership between the Welsh
government and Pinewood offers a
unique opportunity to promote Wales
as a truly world class location for film
and television production. And as well
as contributing to Wales’
growing reputation
for film and TV, it is of
significant economic
value to the country.
The partnership is set to
generate an estimated
£90m Welsh expenditure
over a five year period,
positioning Wales as
a production hub, and
attracting significant
levels of inward
investment.”
The region has also set
up a major new fund,
the Media Investment
Budget, aimed at
incentivising projects to
shoot in Wales.
“It will be available, through Pinewood
Pictures, to approved film and
television productions which shoot
50% of principal photography in
Wales. With this new fund we aim to
support 6-8 productions a year and
will invest up to £30m into projects
brought forward by Pinewood,” said
the spokesperson.
Hollywood loves Wales
International producers flock to Wales
The last few months have seen a
flurry of overseas producers heading
to Wales to base their projects in the
castle-rich country. The first major
international project to use the new
facility at Pinewood was the feature
length pilot of Sons of Anarchy creator
Kurt Sutter’s The Bastard Executioner,
which shot in March this year. The
bloody drama tells of a warrior knight
during the reign of Edward II, and is
from the people over at Fox 21, FX
Productions and Imagine TV.
When, as expected, the full series
was greenlit, we were excited to
confirm that the 10-episode run was
not returning to Pinewood, but rather
shooting down the road at the once-
forlorn Dragon Studios near Bridgend.
It is hoped that this high-profile,
international show will revitalise the
spacious facility, which promised so
much to the local industry over the
course of its planning, development
and construction.
Back to Pinewood, and the arrival
of the much-anticipated remake
of The Crow which is now deep in
pre-production with cameras due
to roll in the next few weeks. From
the Hollywood banner Relativity
Media, this one has movie moguls
the Weinsteins on board to executive
produce, and is proving to be a
massive boost for the profile of the
studio facility.
Now that studio giant Pinewood has established a brand new facility in Wales and Dragon
Studios are back in action, we thought it a good time to take a look at the country’s burgeoning
production activity. Croeso i Gymru.
Areal contender:
Howwalesbecame
a film& TVHotspot
By Nia Daniels
FIlming in Wales
Filming Robin Hood at Freshwater
West in Wales
Filming on Location
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