Argyll plays starring role in TV, film and video
FIRST there was Hollywood and then Bollywood, and now there’s Bonniewood as Argyll and Bute Council officers set their sights on bringing high- end television, advertisers and film productions to the West Highlands.
Building on the major productions already using the coast and hills as their backdrops, it is hoped many more will follow in the footsteps of James Bond in Skyfall, musicians Florence and the Machine, The One Show,
Countryfile and chef James Martin.
Speaking about the plans last week at a council meeting, head of development Fergus Murray said the opportunities arising from using the area as a film and TV location were boundless.
He said: ‘ We could not afford to advertise the area in the way that TV programmes featuring places such as Inveraray Castle in Downton Abbey can.
‘The economic benefit that results from the filming is important. We encourage as many of the production companies as we can to move their filming to shoulder months – January to March and October to December.
‘There are a number of tax incentives that are provided at a UK and Scotland Government level to attract the screen industries to the Scotland.’
In 2015 Argyll and Bute Council received 110 enquiries about making films in the area.
Forty- eight of those films were made, with one still to be filmed.
Mr Murray said film production in the area resulted in a spend of £ 524,500, with 603 cast and crew involved in 118 days’ filming.
The council set up its own film unit in 2014 at no extra cost to the development budget and since then the number of productions coming to the area has increased.