Film shooting can carry on says Holyrood
Feature films and te levision dramas have been given the green light to keep running during the heightened lockdown restrictions – as it emerged that “more productions than ever" are looking to shoot in Scotland.
Screen Scotland has reported record demand for s tudio space after a boo ming autumn period since filming was able to resume last year.
The government a gency,whichh as credited the “rise of streaming platforms” for the surge in interest, insists“high levels of protection” are being provided to cast, crew and communities where location filming is carried out.
The Scottish Government has confirmed cameras will be able to keep running during the current lock down period as long as strict social distancing and hygiene pro - tocols are enforced. Productions have also been asked to have the “minimum number of people needed to operate safely and effectively” on set in order to minimise risk in allowing work to continue.
The Scottish and West minister governments have both given the go -ahead for films and TV shows to keep running despite a five-month shutdown last year.
The decision is a major boost for Scotland’ s screen sector, which has been valu ed at more than £100 million for the economy in recent years.
Filming is expected togo ahead on the next series of historical fantasy series Outlander, a new supernatural thriller set on a Nor th S ea oil rig which is due to be made in Lei th, Annika,a marine homicide drama focusing on a Scandinavian detective and a second series of BBC Scotland’ s award-winning black comedy Guilt. Other
productions which filmed in Scotland once lock down restrictions eased last year include new BBC thriller Vigil, which will focus on the Trident nuclear deterrent in Scotland, a Stone Age horror film, which was shot on location around Gairloch, in the north-west Highlands, and new Netflix rom- com A Castle for Christmas.
Isabel Davis, executive director of Screen Scotland, said :“Scotland’ s film and TV industry is w or kingstr ingently to the British Film
Commission’s Covid-19 codes of practice, taking its responsibilities extremely seriously to provide high levels of protection to cast, crew and communities.
“Along with the need to provide audiences around the world with new content, the film and TV sector is a critical and growing par t of Scotland’ s economic recovery, thanks to the rise of the streaming platforms and the boom in content production.
"Large scale productions filming offer op port uni
ties, not onlyfo rex perienc ed crew, facilities compa ni es and other suppliers but also new entrants to the sector.
“The film and TV sector is an ever increasing part of the Scottish economy, supporting jobs both directly and indirectly across the country and we have more product ions than ever looking to shoot in studios and build spaces across Scotland in 2021.”