Lights, cameras, paused action

Coronavirus shutdowns brought interruptions to what could have been a record year for film and TV

Total spend on films and TV productions started in the UK

SPENDING on UK film productions in 2020 dropped by almost a third compared to the previous year, but Covid-secure measures means the industry is getting back on track. In 2020, £1.36 billion was spent on features produced in the UK, the lowest level since 2013, when UK film production spend was £1.17 billion.

It was also 31% lower than in 2019, according to figures published by the British Film Industry.

High-end TV production - projects costing more than £1 million an hour - were hit less hard. Spending on those produced in the UK was £1.49 billion in 2020, down 11% on 2019.

While 2020 started strongly, with the industry on course for a record production spend at the start of the year, by the end of March production was mostly suspended.

Between April and June, just seven film productions were reported, and not a single high-end TV show was in production, with a spend of just £0.4 million that quarter.

However, there was a significant recovery in film and high-end TV production towards the end of the year.

In total, 81 projects started Covidsafe shooting between July and September, with a combined UK spend of £862 million.

In October to December, 76 film and high-end TV productions started principal photography, with a combined spend of £1.19 billion that was 38% higher than the previous three months and the second-highest quarterly result on record.

Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary said: “These impressive figures show the resilience and creativity of the UK screen industries.

“We’re getting our screen industries firing on all cylinders again with the government’s Film and TV Restart Scheme and £1.5 billion Cultural Recovery Fund, which has awarded £30 million in lifeline grants to independent cinemas. I am pleased that the government’s targeted interventions mean this sector is well placed for future strong growth and job creation.”

Film production wasn’t the only part of the industry to be hit by the pandemic - lockdowns meant cinema admissions fell by 75%, from 176 million in 2019 to 44 million last year.

That was the lowest level since records began in 1928.

Uncertainty has seen distributors have to reschedule their film releases or switch to launches on streaming services, including major releases like the 25th Bond film ‘No Time to Die,’ ‘Black Widow,’ ‘Death on the Nile,’ ‘Fast & Furious 9,’ ‘Top Gun Maverick,’ ‘West Side Story’ and ‘The Witches.’