Written evidence submitted by Screen Yorkshire

SCREEN YORKSHIRE

For over 20 years Screen Yorkshire has been instrumental to bringing film and TV productions to Yorkshire and Humber and supporting those that work in the film and TV industries at a local level.  We see ourselves as an engine that powers the screen industries, securing and supporting filming across the whole region to create economic opportunities.

Launched in 2012, our Yorkshire Content Fund brings production to Yorkshire. We recoup our investment and reinvest these returns in production. Each production is set targets for its regional spend.

The Yorkshire Film Office provides a free expert service for productions looking to film in the region, offering bespoke locations expertise, a crewing service, a trainee hub, and local filming permissions support. It also links productions with our content fund. The Film Office handles hundreds of enquiries a year from the UK and overseas producers, and has seen a 50% increase in enquiries since September 2020.

Since 2018 we’ve built up a groundbreaking suite of training programmes to help support a talented, versatile and diverse workforce, and working with our partners the Screen Industries Growth Network and XR Stories, introduced opportunities for home-grown talent to develop their own Intellectual Property and new creative relationships.

With high levels of production in our region, tourism is a particularly significant part of filming’s spillover impact. It raises the regional profile and has the potential to aid economic recovery post-pandemic. To capitalise on this, SY launched its own screen tourism website in 2020 and is working with a number of local partners to increase visitor numbers.

We have managed to reach this point by bringing together resources and support from a number of different sources, commercial returns from the content fund, local public authorities, broadcasters and employers, ScreenSkills the industry led skills body for the UK screen industries, partners in Further and Higher Education and not least the BFI, who made Screen Yorkshire the first recipient of its Creative Clusters Challenge Fund.  This fund allowed us to develop and begin to deliver a growth plan for the region, involving all of the aforementioned partners.  Through this plan Yorkshire has become:

• a nationally recognised hub for content development and production;
• a magnet for talent, investment and creativity, where producers, talent, crew and support services excel and thrive;
• a vital and distinctive contributor to the UK economy;
• at the forefront of embedding diversity and opportunity in the Screen Industries; and
• a region that drives and embraces technological change.

EVIDENCE AND RESPONSES

• How attractive is the UK as a global destination for the production of film and high-end television?

The Film and HETV tax reliefs combined with a reputation for excellent creative talent and a welcoming film friendly environment for practical production make the UK an attractive destination for production. 

What are the barriers to maintaining and increasing overseas investment in the sector?

There are significant challenges in terms of overseas producers and studios understanding the geography of the UK and the availability and quality of locations, facilities and talent outside of London.  This perception problem is exacerbated by the unequal concentration of studio space in the South East and the fact that the British Film Commission as a national agency shares its CEO with Film London, an agency charged with developing the screen industries in the capital. Overall, the combination of these factors mean that the UK is only adequately supporting and promoting a fraction of its available capacity.

What are the benefits and challenges of overseas investment for the UK’s film-making capacity?

At a regional level overseas investment pump-primes employment opportunities and supports spill-over benefits such as screen tourism, however it has not significantly driven investment in infrastructure The inflated rates of pay on offer from studios and streamers mean that domestic production (for PSB’s and the independent film sector) is unable to compete financially and therefore lacks access to a skilled workforce and creative talent. 

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

Key parts of the value chain i.e. sales and distribution operate almost exclusively from the capital, meaning that the independent production sector outside London is compromised in terms of its capability to monetise and exploit its IP.   The same is true for access to finance.  Whereas 3 nations of the UK make significant funds available to content creators from their respective devolved governments, the same producers in England are only able to access investment through national bodies such as the BFI.  Similarly, the commercial opportunities for equity and gap funding reside with a very limited (and decreasing) number of institutions based in the capital.

• What is the demand for and capacity for production of films with a clear British identity?

The demand undoubtedly exists.  Screen Yorkshire’s own Yorkshire Content Fund has enjoyed some of its biggest successes with films that not only have a clear British identity but also a regionally specific character e.g.  Warp Film’s This is England which also engendered three very successful TV series.  The spill-over effects which directly result from this cultural and geographical specificity should not be overlooked e.g. when filming of the Dad’s Army feature was announced in Bridlington, bed bookings soared 70% overnight.  However, producers of such films are increasingly struggling to compete in a global marketplace which restricts the retention of rights. 

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

Production in the English regions has typically been driven by the PSB’s – through OFCOM regional MoL quotas and “big bang” interventions like Mediacity in Salford and C4’s move to Leeds. This reliance on the PSB’s to implement policy has become a limiting factor in the streaming age and we would urge the Government to look afresh at how both new and existing policy interventions might be introduced or adapted to further incentivise the development of the film and TV sector outside of the South East. 

By way of example, these could include: 

• Establishing a small uplift to the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit for qualifying productions substantially produced and/or post-produced outside of London and the South East.
• Developing appropriate MoL quotas to Sky, Netflix. Disney +. Amazon and Apple for content produced in the UK.
• Bringing the output of BBC Film and Film4 under the existing PSB MoL production quotas
• Devolving more significant amounts of public funding for production, development and production services support to the English regions, reflecting the more localised approach that has been taken with the newly formed BFI Skills Clusters.

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

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

Please see above re. uplift for productions outside of London and the South East.

• What are the issues facing the UK’s film exhibition sector?

No response to this question.

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

No response to this question

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

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

Making a greater level of investment into localised training, skills and above the line talent development is essential to ensuring that we have a creative workforce that is fit for purpose across the whole of the UK.  Whilst we applaud the recent decision by BFI to support this approach via the newly created Skills Clusters, this does not go far enough.  We would suggest that in addition, industry contributions to the High-end TV Skills Fund are also devolved to be shared more equitably across the Nations and Regions of the UK.

What are the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence to the sector?

No response to this question

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

Whilst inclusivity and sustainability are now more frequently considered in terms of policy making, much more could and should be done to ensure that policies are reflected in concrete action and positive change on the ground.  Current impediments to this exist in:

• The nature of freelance production which is often too precarious for those from a low socio-economic background.
• EDI considerations being focused far too heavily on what can be ‘seen’ e.g. physical disabilities, gender and ethnicity rather than socio-economic or neurodiversity.
• The commonplace acceptance of poor working practices and behaviours, both industrial (e.g. long working hours) and individual (e.g. bullying).
• The lack of clear responsibility in terms of sustainable production, with those tasked with upholding good practice often having little or no authority to ensure compliance.