Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Film and TV give city’s economy a £17m boost
FILM and television production boosted inward investment in Bristol by £17 million last year – up by £1m on the previous year.
According to statistics released by Bristol Film Office, there were 957 filming days across the city in the financial year that ended in March.
It is estimated that some 699 jobs were generated by productions and businesses operating at The Bottle Yard Studios, which appointed a new senior film manager in September.
The data is calculated using national average production spend figures compiled by Creative England, with contribution from all national Film Offices’ data.
Season two of period drama The Spanish Princess, which began on October 11 on Starz and the STARZPLAY app, and Lena Dunham’s banking drama Industry, which begins on BBC One and HBO next month, were just two of 252 productions issued with permits to film in the city in the past financial year.
Bristol also played host to a number of other high-profile TV dramas last year, including His Dark Materials, which will launch on BBC One and HBO in November.
Scenes for season two of A Discovery of Witches (Sky One), which is due to air in January, were filmed in Berkeley Square.
Upcoming Netflix sci-fi series The One was filmed at locations around the city, and the Doctor Who festive special, Revolution of the Daleks, which is set to air over the Christmas period, was filmed partly on Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The news comes as Bristol’s creative industries continue to struggle in the wake of Covid-19.
Some 72 per cent of people working in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector are on furlough and at risk of losing their jobs, according to a new survey by Chambers of Commerce Business West.
About 10,000 people in Bristol are employed in the creative and cultural industries – a sector that has seen revenues plummet in recent months.
Average combined weekly loss of incomes across the city’s cultural organisations range between £315,000 and £375,000, according to Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, who said many organisations would have exhausted unrestricted reserves by the end of autumn.
Craig Cheney, deputy mayor and cabinet member for finance, governance and performance, said: “Bristol’s strength as a city with a thriving creative sector and collaborative spirit is well known and our culture of talent and innovation continues to continually attract new investment and projects as well as helping to secure jobs.
We’re confident that Bristol will be very busy for the rest of this year and into 2021 LAURA AVILES
“This year is likely to prove more challenging as film and television partners deal with the implications of Covid-19, the lockdown and further restrictions. The arts and culture sector and those who work within it have been hit hard and we support those calls for more central government support to be made available for this area.
“However, we remain confident that the expertise and commitment shown by our Film Office and studio teams will ensure that Bristol remains a magnet for important productions as the industry as a whole sets out on the road to recovery.”
Senior Bristol film manager, Laura Aviles, said: “The pause in filming caused by lockdown in March will have had an impact on this sector, like every other. I’m pleased to say, though, that our recovery has been relatively fast. In fact, Bristol has been the location of choice for some of the first high-end TV productions to resume filming in the UK, such as Pursuit of Love and season two of War of the Worlds, which were up and running again by late July/early August.
“That’s very much down to the speed at which local crew and companies have adapted to new safety measures and the resourcefulness of the studios and Film Office teams.
“With new filming enquiries coming in every day, we’re confident that Bristol will be very busy for the rest of this year and into 2021.”
29 horticultural groups growing food for their communities, 124 playgroups and nurseries, 75 village and community halls, £2.6 million worth of free school meal vouchers for 6000 pupils across the UK, 80 groups that support people suffering with their mental health, as well as mental health charities Mind, SAMH and Inspire with £2m, 41 food banks, 104 community centres, 13 groups educating communities about nutrition, a £1.54m donation to the National Emergencies Trust to provide access to food, 45 services that teach people valuable skills they need to get back into work, 34 community transport services helping people get out the house, 45 support groups for people with learning disabilities, 51 youth centres, over 3 million Fareshare meals for people who needed a helping hand during the pandemic, 42 Men’s Sheds that help reduce isolation and loneliness, 337 Scout groups, 61 groups making dance, drama and theatre more accessible, 351 schools, 131 football clubs on top of 155 other sports clubs, 56 groups supporting the homeless, 20 community groups for senior citizens, 21 local crime prevention groups, 54 family support centres 70 music groups, 37 bereavement groups, 22 organisations helping those who are partially sighted, 11 after school and breakfast
social isolation, 38 ar ts and craf ts clubs, 4 school uniform banks, 59 groups making spor ts accessible for disabled people, 24 community cafés, 20 playgrounds, 28 women’s groups, 22 counselling groups, 6 groups providing meals for the disadvantaged, 2 soup kitchens, 32 libraries, 13 groups providing community allotments, 8 skate parks, 30 sports centres, 26 community gardens, 13 community farms, and 50,000 hours of Co-op Member Pioneers helping out in their communities.