Written evidence submitted by University of York

British Film and High-End Television

1. About Us

The University of York is a world-class research institution, with strong links to the creative industries and more than 20 years of experience conducting applied research at the convergence of engineering, science, arts, humanities, and social science. Research in Digital Creativities is an area of strategic development and investment. This work is University-wide, with particular strengths through our School of Arts and Creative Technologies and School of Physics, Engineering and Technology.

The University of York has a strong track record of major research projects relating to the screen industries which form the foundation for the evidence presented here.

Since 2014, our Dept. of Computer Science’s EPSRC-funded Intelligent Games, Games Intelligence Centre for Doctoral Training has been developing the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs for the games industry. In 2015 EPSRC/AHRC/Innovate UK funded Digital Creativity (DC) Labs which brings together universities and creative industries partners to maximise the impact from research in digital games, interactive media, and AI. In 2018 the XR Stories AHRC Creative Industries Cluster Partnership built on the success of DC Labs with the focus to foster growth of the screen industries in Yorkshire and the Humber through R&D and applied research. In 2020 the Research England Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN) introduced a portfolio of research, skills development, business support and diversity and inclusion interventions to complement XR Stories. The 2022 XR Network+ Virtual Production in the Digital Economy project was funded by the EPSRC to undertake research into the future of virtual production in the screen industries.

Specifically focusing on film and TV, XR Stories and SIGN have had a major impact on the creative economy of Yorkshire and the Humber, engaging over 750 companies, providing training for more than 2000 people and 279 companies, and creating £6.6m of additional revenue generated by SMEs with over 500 new or maintained jobs. Alongside this economic engagement, XR Stories and SIGN have undertaken over 70 research projects into the future of the screen industries, the diversity and inclusion challenges facing the sector, the impact of COVID-19 and the influence of emerging technologies, amongst others. We draw on this work below.

2. What are the current challenges facing the UK’s independent film production sector?

The UK screen sector is still recovering from the impact of COVID-19 which saw many workers lose their livelihoods and leave the industry. This was particularly the case for women, anyone with caring responsibilities and the lowest paid.

Inflation and the cost pressures of Brexit remain a challenge, especially for productions with small budgets.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) has long been a problem for the film sector. Recent research from SIGN shows that while interventions to address inequalities can have a positive impact when run by people committed to EDI principles, they cannot address the longstanding and deep structural inequalities which limit access to, and progression in the screen industries. For more information see: https://screen-network.org.uk/publication/assessing-the-impact-of-diversity-schemes-on-career-trajectories/

Working hours in the sector remain high with the average day 10.4 hours and the average week over 50 hours. This generates health problems and long hours exclude people from the industry. Working hours are major challenge for people with caring responsibilities, disabled people and those with long commutes. See our Time Project report for in-depth analysis: https://screen-network.org.uk/publication/the-time-project-understanding-working-time-in-the-uk-television-industry/

The sector is very reliant on inward productions to provide employment. The Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes in the US are currently having large impacts. Runaway productions are already using Eastern Europe and as cost pressures increase, maintaining a competitive advantage for the UK will be a challenge.

The emergence of new technologies and filmmaking techniques - such as virtual production - present many opportunities but also challenges. Virtual production is a way of making film and television which harnesses computer generated content that allows real-time visualisation and control of the digital environment in which you are shooting. Importantly, virtual environments are captured ‘in camera’, rather than added in post-production. The quality of virtual production means studios can replace locations, drastically reducing carbon emissions from travel.

The UK is already a world leader in this field, but virtual production methodologies are new and evolving rapidly which creates steep learning curves. They present benefits for saving time and money on production, and to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of filmmaking. But these benefits are not easily realised without the time, money and expertise to overcome the barriers to entry which surround virtual production.

The significance of virtual production for the future of the UK film (and TV) sector is huge. To realise this potential, assistance is required for individual training to understand virtual production and to provide access to facilities for companies and individual wishing to use the technologies. Any interventions must have EDI at their centre, so the challenges outlined above are not reproduced.

For a fuller examination see work from XR Stories: https://xrstories.co.uk/publication/what-is-virtual-production-an-explainer-research-agenda/

2.1 Are the nations and regions of the UK adequately represented and supported in the production of British films?

The lack of coherent spatial policy for development of the creative industries remains a major obstacle to rebalancing the geographical structure of the UK film and TV sector. London and the South East remain the dominant regions for the sector in terms of numbers of workers and firms, investment and influence. Certain interventions have had an impact: the AHRC’s Creative Industries Cluster Partnerships in areas outside of the South East have demonstrated the potential of properly funded partnerships with universities and the creative sector to impact local and regional development. See our report on the economic impact of XR Stories: https://xrstories.co.uk/publication/xr-stories-economic-impact-analysis-report/

The CoSTAR programme offers further opportunities, although the national CoSTAR R&D lab is located in London.

The re-location of Channel 4’s headquarters to Leeds and BBC’s investment in North East England are beginning to show impacts. The former was supposed to encourage “the development of new clusters of public services, private businesses and, where appropriate, universities” (Conservative Party, 2017), but the confidence in such a move has been undermined by inconsistent policy, compounded by eleven Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and Sport in nine years, and influential positions remaining London-based.

3. What more can be done to incentivise film and high-end television production in the UK?

3.1 Are the current funding routes, tax credits and governance for the industry fit for purpose?

According to Grand View Research[1], the global virtual production market was valued at $1.82 billion in 2022, and the sector is predicted to experience an annual growth rate of 18.2%. Using virtual production is currently expensive, prohibitively so for smaller budget productions. Costs will fall as the technologies evolve and uses increase, but this may require incentives.

Providing tax credits and other financial incentives for virtual production will be important in maintaining the UK’s position as a world leader. Currently, there are no international examples of tax credits or financial incentives specifically focused on attracting virtual production-based film and TV creation. Some countries include virtual production within their existing film and TV funding offerings. Ireland, for example, explicitly states that virtual production is covered within its existing tax credits scheme for film and TV production.

Using virtual production for smaller budget films remains a challenge and future funding schemes for new filmmakers and smaller companies must take the costs into account.             

More broadly, large UKRI-funded schemes (such as the Creative Clusters Programme and CoSTAR) require significant amounts of co-investment from industry. This is a hindrance for industry collaborators who are already stretched.

4. What more can be done to protect and promote the UK’s screen heritage?

Screen heritage collections in the UK include national, regional, commercial, private, and public sector archives and collections. The state of some of these collections may be unknown and surveying the archives that exist to establish what material is held and the condition it is in, as well as offering funding for the digitisation and preservation of these collections, would help to protect this heritage.

The focus of screen heritage has predominantly been on archives and collections featuring the moving image, but the UK has a long and thriving film and television sector and a broader conception of screen heritage, which includes locations, costumes, sets, props, toys, projectors, and scripts, etc. could be used to both protect and promote the UK’s screen history. Funding organisations such as UKRI and Heritage Lottery Fund should provide specific funding to explore this area to ensure we understand the value of the UK’s screen heritage in broader terms and develop means to protect and promote it.

Screen tourism is a growing form of recreation and is one way in which the UK’s screen heritage could be promoted. A 2021 report from the BFI shows that two-thirds of tourists to the UK are influenced by locations and landmarks from British made films and TV programmes. Visitors to the UK spent an estimated £892.6 million in film-related tourism in 2019. Promoting iconic locations used in large and niche screen productions (from Belfast for Game of Thrones, to Halifax or Portmeirion for Gentleman Jack and The Prisoner) would demonstrate the breadth of screen heritage in the UK and attract visitors beyond the more well-known locations such as London’s Warner Bros. Studio Tour for Harry Potter. In addition, national museums such as the London Film Museum, the National Media Museum and the National Film and Sci-Fi Museum as well as film or TV-specific museums (such as the Last of the Summer Wine exhibition in Holmfirth or the Game of Thrones studio tour in Belfast) should be promoted internationally as necessary attractions to visit for anyone with an interest in film or television.

Screen organisations and tourist boards should also consider the use of smartphone applications and augmented reality to highlight the use of locations as screen heritage (XR Stories has worked with organisations developing location-based storytelling at Kirkstall Abbey, Wakefield[2] and the Northern Train Line from Scarborough to Blackpool[3] using similar technology). This could enable both the protection and promotion of the UK’s screen industry through preserving digital copies of films, stills and/or behind the scenes interviews, making them easily accessible to visitors, and for use in marketing material as an additional draw to visitors in a location.

5. What can the industry and Government do to ensure British film and high-end television can adapt for the future?

5.1 What should be prioritised to ensure a strong skills pipeline and retention in the film and high-end TV industry?

The creative talent pipeline begins long before people enter the industry and careers advice and guidance in schools is therefore important. A knowledge gap about work in the screen industries currently exists among careers advice professionals[4] which, if addressed, could improve awareness and understanding of relevant career options and pathways. In addition, changes to the school curriculum which avoid a sharp distinction between engineering and the sciences, and the arts and humanities would also introduce students to the range of subjects, skills and knowledge required in the screen industries. The narrow range of subjects studied by most 16-18 year-olds leads to a particularly unhelpful divide between ‘science’ and ‘arts’ subjects[5] and results in many youngsters ruling out careers in roles which increasingly require a combination of creative and technical skills.

There is a need for closer engagement between industry and education/training providers. Changes in technology, production, and workflow - particularly around XR and virtual production - are creating larger skills gaps and industry should work more closely with providers to map out the skills needs, training provision and work experience[6]. Industry should commit to working with schools, colleges and universities including offering better access to work experience in the form of work placements, trainee schemes or apprenticeship programmes. Government should revisit the apprenticeship frameworks and establish an apprenticeship fit for the screen industries.

It is important to recognise that cultural issues within the creative industries have led to many people, particularly women[7], leaving the industry early. Retaining this workforce and enabling older workers to remain in the sector is thus a clear imperative, and the Government should take action to ensure that older workers are able to update their skills and work flexibly, and the wider working culture of long working hours, short term contracts and precarity must be addressed. Jobsharing[8] would address some of the exclusions generated by long hours culture in film and TV, which disproportionately impact those with caring responsibilities, and would allow businesses to retain skilled workers. Clarifying and formalising career pathways would enable people to use skills developed in other areas to move into the sector and fill skills gaps (accountants, painters/decorators, joiners, etc.). Finally, regular, and up-to-date information on skills gaps and shortages across the sector and regions would enable providers to adapt to training requirements at a faster pace, with horizon scanning also an important factor in considering possible future skills gaps.

6. What needs to change to ensure the industry is supporting inclusivity and sustainability?

There are several areas that need to be addressed to ensure that the Film and HETV industries support inclusivity:

●        Education and training

●        Recruitment

●        Progression

●        Tackling discrimination

●        Work/life balance

Disparities in access to high quality education and training, including internships and placements, need to be addressed to widen participation. Support for those who cannot afford to attend university or pay for training is required, most likely through training courses and apprenticeships. Funding work placements will provide valuable experience[9] to those who cannot support themselves through low/no paid entry-level roles. For these interventions to have an impact on workforce diversity, they need to be scaled up.

As highlighted in The Bridge Group’s report for SIGN[10], more equitable recruitment practices are required, including expanding where roles are advertised, and committing resources to recruiting inclusively based on the skills needed for a role rather than social networks, using diverse recruitment panels. Progression can be aided through providing all workers with information about possible career trajectories, offering suitable in-work training to all[11], and promoting workers based on merit and not on connections.

In an industry rife with power imbalances and discrimination which are often made ‘unspeakable’ and consequently not addressed, having systems in place which allow for issues of inequalities to be raised and worked through is vital. In addition to the work of unions which should be welcomed into the workplace, organisational and institutional fora should be set up to tackle marginalisation and discrimination. These spaces need to be budgeted for in production schedules, and experienced facilitators are required to support workers[12].

To be inclusive of people who have responsibilities other than work, support for caring responsibilities and for those with health needs is required. Flexible working and job sharing should be supported so that more people can sustain work over their lives, and their talent is retained.

The environmental impact of filmmaking is increasingly recognised and there is momentum to create content in more sustainable ways. BAFTA-albert are doing good work in this area. Virtual production offers ways to reduce carbon emissions from travel and accommodation by shooting in a studio rather than on location, and shortening the time required for principal photography. Waste can also be limited by using virtual sets instead of physical ones. Investment in facilities that provide virtual production stages alongside traditional studio space over the last 2-3 years has been positive. Further support to expand the number of virtual production facilities is required, alongside incentivising filmmakers to adopt virtual production to reduce the environmental impact of production.

Submission authors:

Dr Jon Swords

Research Lead, XR Stories and Screen Industries Growth Network, University of York

Dr Bethan Jones

Research Associate, Screen Industries Growth Network, University of York

Ben Thomas

Research Associate, Screen Industries Growth Network, University of York

Dr Nina Willment

Research Associate, XR Stories, University of York

For more information about the projects mentioned in this paper, see:

https://www.york.ac.uk/research/themes/creativity/

http://screen-network.org.uk

https://xrstories.co.uk

https://digitalcreativity.ac.uk

https://www.iggi-phd.org