Written evidence submitted by Dr Katherine Champion (Senior Lecturer, University of Stirling) and Dr Lisa Kelly (Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow)

18/10/23

Our response to the DCMS Committee British Film and High-End Television Call for Written Evidence

Summary

The responses below are drawn from more than 15 years of experience of researching and teaching in HEIs in these fields. Specific insights are derived from the following projects:

• 2020 - present Converge Create Challenge Finalist 2022 ‘Set Ready Safety: Transforming Safety in the Screen Industries’
• 2016 - 2017 Carnegie Research Incentive Grant ‘Nurturing Scottish Screen Industries Talent: The Case of Outlander’
• 2013 -2014 Royal Society of Edinburgh RSE Arts & Humanities Research Workshop grant 'Shaping Scotland's Talent: Change, Flexibility and New Pathways in the Screen Industries

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

Within the screen sector, there has long been a decentralisation of production away from Hollywood, but this trend has increased significantly in the last 25 years, leading to the genesis of new hubs of screen activity. The UK has seen a recent and sustained boom in production prompted by a multiplicity of reasons including favourable currency value differentials and economic incentives as well as massive expansions in the demand for content by streaming platforms both in film and high-end television. Advocates for the sector in the UK and in, our particular geographical area of expertise, Scotland argue that this is also because it presents a highly distinctive offer due to its natural landscape and scenery, huge expansion in studio facilities and a skilled workforce offering a mature ecosystem for production.

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

Our research carried out into the high-end US television series Outlander (2014-), which has been based at Wardpark in Cumbernauld near Glasgow since 2013, shows how overseas investment in high-end TV can offer key benefits for the UK related to significant budgets, longevity and status.

Production spend - Ostensibly there has been a significant impact for Scotland with production spend figures reaching a historic high of more than £617 million in 2021[1]. Inward investment film and HETV production spend increased by 110%, from £165.3 million in 2019 to £347.4 million in 2021[2].   Outlander’s success has led to a series of inward productions, such as The Flash and Indiana Jones 5. However, these were only partly filmed in Scotland, and therefore don’t provide the same kinds of opportunities as the returning Amazon Prime television series Good Omens, which also offered paid traineeships, and Batgirl, the first major studio production to be entirely based in Glasgow.   

Nurturing a diverse talent pool - As of 2022, Outlander was reported to have employed 2800 Scottish-based crew over eight years across props, filming and set build. This is in addition to 650 cast members and 5000 extras[3]. Significantly, as a production of scale and duration, Outlander has helped nurture a diverse talent base through its annual training programme (co-funded by Screen Scotland and ScreenSkills) which has resulted in 150 trainees working across all departments (camera, costume, design, effects and production). The longevity of Outlander as a returning HETV series is important, as it supports a pipeline of work for freelance crew; shoots through winter thus lengthening the shooting season in Scotland; and provides concrete opportunities in the development of highly specialised skills. Whilst the production does not employ staff continuously throughout the year, it nevertheless engenders a sense of stability within a precarious landscape in ways that single films cannot always achieve.

Intangible benefits and spillovers - In the case of Outlander, it is a highly visible, award-winning production which garners extensive news coverage and high-profile screen tourism with visitors flocking to Scotland to visit filming locations[4]. Therefore, alongside evidence of the material gains associated with longevity for those working on the production, are the more intangible or unquantifiable benefits linked to both internal and external perceptions of the sector.

Subject to global forces - Given the complexities of what is an ever-changing landscape, the UK screen sector is often subject to forces outside of local control. For example, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA writers and actors’ strikes demonstrate the ongoing precarity faced by above and below the line workers. At the time of writing, around 80% of freelance film and TV workers in the UK have had their employment directly impacted by the US industrial disputes[5]. The issues which have shaped these actions, as the unions attempt to negotiate contracts with the AMPTP, include the threats posed by AI and a streaming era that has changed the rules of the game and these shape the context for UK working conditions. In Scotland, for example, the decision by Warner Bros not to release Batgirl, which was fully shot in Glasgow, meant that crew members were left with little to show for all their hard work and effort. This demonstrates the vulnerability of freelance workers, in particular. Moreover, a lack of inward investment and high-end productions can lead to those with highly specialised skills having to move out of Scotland to engage in the type of work where this can be utilised.

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

Infrastructure - At the time of carrying out our original research in 2016 the ability to capitalise on the self-belief engendered by Outlander was seen to be hampered by a lack of studio facilities in Scotland that would enable it to sustain a big-budget production in its entirety[6]. In the past eight years, however, there has been significant expansion in new studio spaces including FirstStage in Leith, Pioneer in Stepps, Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall and The Pyramids in Bathgate, all of which provide vital infrastructure for sector growth by offering the ability to shoot indoors[7]. Indeed, Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld, where Outlander is based, was recently acquired by US based Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management, in an ongoing bid to consolidate the global industry in studio services, adding Cumbernauld to a portfolio that includes LA, New York and Toronto[8]. 

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

Subsidies and tax breaks are routinely offered to secure international productions with most countries demanding that, in order to qualify for tax relief, productions spend a certain amount of their budget within the local economy, employ local crew and use domestic creative talent. As a result, extensive infrastructure has been developed in the UK in recent years in an attempt to lure productions with the advantage of a full-service offering. However, with London-based studios such as Pinewood, Shepperton, Elstree and Warner Bros. Studios at Leavesden, regularly operating at full capacity, research carried out by global real estate company Knight Frank indicates that the UK must double its production space by 2026, from the existing 6 million sq ft, if demand continues to grow at current rates[9]. This is despite a 35% increase in planning applications and a 45% increase in planning consents between 2018 and 2021. Key to any expansion will be ensuring that this occurs across the nations and regions. This includes continuing to incentivise investment in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while also directing attention to less developed areas such as the North East of England, which Leo Perlman, co-founder of production company Fulwell 73, has described as being ‘utterly forgotten’ amidst the UK’s production boom[10]. We also recommend that sustainable sector growth can only be achieved by nurturing an inclusive workforce through improved working conditions and appropriate training and safety standards.

3)      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?

One problem identified in terms of widening access was the need to mitigate the risks of entering the screen industries, with low pay, precarious work and unpaid internships. Beyond this, policy and industry are primarily focused on barriers to entry yet socio-economic factors can continue to present challenges over the lifetime of a career and this is something that should be addressed. Research carried out by the Film and TV Charity also found retention issues, with the age distribution of the film and TV workforce skewing young as a result of older workers leaving the sector due to long hours, high pressure, and the challenges of combining work and family life[11]. According to a 2022 report by Nordicity and Saffery Champness, between 15,130 and 20,770 crew members will be required by 2025 to meet demand if higher levels of investment in the sector are achieved[12]. This new workforce is expected to consist of entry-level and early career workers who will require appropriate skills training but we recommend that strategies for retention must also be developed so highly skilled workers are not lost to the industry.

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

Whilst not entirely unique to the screen sector, there are a number of issues which exacerbate working conditions and make the sector a challenging place to work.

Addressing precarity in the sector - As numerous studies of creative labour have found (Dickinson 2023; Curtin and Sanson 2016; Banks, Gill and Taylor 2014; Hesmondhalgh and Baker 2011; Caldwell 2008), embarking on a career within the screen sector comes with considerable precarity. This is exacerbated by the structure of the sector - the production workforce in the UK totals approx. 85,000 almost half of whom are employed on freelance contracts with little job security[13]. The pandemic very much highlighted issues for freelance workers with many workers forced out of the sector and the current US strikes are having a similar impact. We would recommend that the government do more to offset the barriers and challenges to sustaining freelance careers via better regulatory frameworks and protections that do not exclude the self-employed. We would support calls from BECTU for strengthened protection for health and safety and the extension of shared parental leave and statutory sick pay to self-employed workers.[14]

Recruitment practices - Specialised workers are brought together on a project basis, often within short timescales and budget constraints. This results in employers using risk reduction strategies in their recruitment processes, such as a reliance on personal contacts or the opinions of trusted or powerful individuals (Wreyford, 2015). These hiring practices have significant implications for EDI. There is a lack of transparency in a sector that relies heavily on personal contacts. Widening access therefore remains problematic, particularly for entrants who do not have family or friends who work within the industry, and therefore lack relevant social contacts, or do not have the financial means to support unpaid work. With no set paths into the industry and an expectation that workers will learn ‘on the job’, those at the beginning of their careers are often required to seek work experience, work for free or take on low-paid jobs. It is therefore necessary to demystify both hiring practices and the range of roles available to new entrants in order to create a more inclusive environment. We would further recommend that productions commit to more structured approaches that include a formalised recruitment process.

Working conditions - Leadbeater and Oakley (1999) refer to ‘stop-go 'bulimic' patterns of working, in which periods with no work can give way to periods that require intense activity, round-the-clock working, with its attendant impacts on sleep, diet, health and social life. We concur with the recommendations of BECTU Vision and Timewise that encouraging flexible working and prioritising reducing the length of the working day is a solid first step to supporting wellbeing of workers and preventing the loss of experienced workers from the sector[15].

Addressing health and safety issues - Film and TV sets are seen as exciting and glamorous but, due to these long hours, fast turnarounds and challenging locations, they can also be dangerous places to work. In a 2021 survey of almost 2,000 film and TV workers, The Mark Milsome Foundation found that 62% believe current H&S guidelines need improving; 20% do not believe H&S is adequate at all; and 80% say budget restrictions could be blamed for poor H&S standards[16].  Accessing reliable data on the extent of health and safety incidents in the industry is problematic as datasets do not include freelancers - data collection from this group is not considered reliable, despite making up at least half of the production workforce. Our own research has identified limitations with current approaches to safety training. For example, dry and outdated modes of delivery lead to a lack of engagement and freelance crew often have to bear the cost of safety training and take time out of work in the process. From a production management perspective, more knowledge and data regarding safety concerns and incidents on set is required to ultimately reduce risk, while next generation solutions should be utilised to organise and manage H&S training and processes, as is currently employed in the manufacturing and construction industries.

References

Banks, M., Gill, R. and Taylor, S. (2014) Theorizing Cultural Work: Labour, Continuity and Change in the Cultural and Creative Industries London: Routledge

Caldwell, J. (2008) Production Culture: Industrial Reflexivity and Critical Practice in Film and Television, Durham, Duke University Press

Curtin, M and Sanson, K. (Eds) (2016) Precarious Creativity: Global Media, Local Labor, Berkeley, University of California Press.

Dickinson, K (Forthcoming) Supply Chain Cinema, London: Bloomsbury Publishing

Hesmondhalgh, D. and Baker, S. (2011) Creative Labour Media Work in Three Cultural Industries. London: Routledge

Leadbeater, C., & Oakley, K. (1999). The independents: Britain's new cultural entrepreneur. London: DEMOS.

Wreyford, N. (2015). ‘Birds of a Feather: Informal Recruitment Practices and Gendered Outcomes for Screenwriting Work in the UK Film Industry’. The Sociological Review, 63(1_suppl): 84-96.