MSPS told Scotland still lacks facilities to produce blockbusters

A lack of studio space and specialist staff means Scotland is not ready for blockbusters to be entirely filmed in the country, MSPS have been told.

Screen sector bosses said even if a major studio facility was established, other “infrastructural challenges” – like specialist crew – would be an issue.

Parts of Scotland have often been backdrops for Hollywood moves – the latest was the new Batman production in Glasgow – but MSPS heard it would be a “long time” before studio-based films could be shot in the country.

Eric Coulter, director of Surefire Television Productions, told Holyrood’s culture committee: “Those big studio films, the Mission Impossibles, the Star Wars, those kind of things, we’re not in that league. And won’t be for a long time.”

He told MSPS: “I have been working in this business almost 40 years and one of the first things I did was look for build space for studios, and I’m still doing it 40 years later on productions. And it is just dreary and boring.”

Film producer Bob Last also addressed MSPS, adding: “We need to have a central belt crew base to service big productions and that will take a long time to develop.”

Scottish Screen is seeking to develop facilities at the old Pelamis site in the Port of Leith, but Mr Coulter had doubts it would succeed.

He said: “I think any studio... should either be on the west side of Edinburgh or east side of Glasgow.

“I think Leith personally, having just been involved in quite a big television production where we were looking at studio space, we didn’t even look at Leith because we wouldn’t get the crew.

“I know Leith is where the effort has been put into, sorry to pour water on that, but I think that would become an issue.”

His comments were echoed by Arabella Page-croft, producer and co-founder of Black Camel Pictures, who said: “What I have picked up from crew is people are really concerned about travel time between Glasgow and Edinburgh into Leith, because it is the wrong side of Edinburgh for the majority of crew who are Glasgow based.”