Wales hails busiest year for production
March 1, 2018
The last 12 months look set to be the Welsh Government’s busiest yet for supporting TV and film production, Economy Secretary Ken Skates has said, with high profile feature film and TV programmes such as Journey’s End, Requiem, Britannia, Kiri and Keeping Faith all cementing Wales’ reputation as a first-class place to film.
Speaking on St David’s Day, Skates said that latest figures indicated that productions filmed in Wales with Welsh Government assistance will result in around an estimated additional £55 million (€62m) being injected into Wales’ economy in 2017/18 alone, continuing an upward trajectory for the sector.
“As a Welsh Government we have taken a conscious decision to grow our creative sector,” he stated. “We have been working hard to attract high-end TV and film productions to Wales, and to ensure we maximise the associated economic benefits.”
“Our reward for this effort has been a steep increase in the number of Welsh Government assisted productions filmed in Wales, and a corresponding rise in the amount of money injected into our economy as a result. Indeed, for every £1 the Welsh Government invests into TV and Film production we are seeing an average of £8 being spent within the Welsh Economy.”
“Our hard work and investment has helped us to develop Wales’ reputation as a centre of excellence for high-end television drama production; as a country that is geared up to support the sector and as a strong and affordable alternative to London.”
“We have developed an infrastructure of complementary studio facilities along the M4 corridor, providing facilities for different types of production, from film to TV and animation. And we have recently bolstered this with Wolf Studios Wales in Cardiff which has a maximum eaves height of around 57 feet making it attractive to producers of high-end US TV drama productions and big budget films.”
“The results of our hard work and investment are speaking for themselves. As a result of Welsh Government financial and practical support, Welsh spend in the creative sector, has increased from over £35 million in 2016/17 to, we anticipate, around £55 million by the end of this financial year.”
“Already in 2018 productions filmed in Wales such as Journey’s End, Britannia, Kiri, Requiem and Keeping Faith have made a splash with viewers and critics alike. And with a record slate of productions worth in excess of £500 million coming to Wales via Bad Wolf, BBC, Pinewood, Boom and others I am confident we can continue this upward trajectory into the next financial year.”
The Welsh Government’s Media Investment Budget provides commercial funding for TV and film productions on the condition that productions shoot at least 50 per cent of their production in Wales and that 35 per cent- 40 per cent of their below the line production budget is spent in Wales.
The Welsh Government’s Media Investment Budget is a £30 million commercial fund, for TV, film and games.
In addition, the Welsh Government’s Wales Screen Fund, provides funding to support audio-visual projects in Wales by providing crew, locations and facilities support.