Golden age for UK filmmakers

Fueled by the rise of Netflix and the return of the public to the cinema, British film and television production has entered a new golden age.

The fruits of local talent, along with foreign-backed projects filmed at the country’s top studios, have been showered with praise in recent years, boosting the UK’s status as a hub for premium content creation. level.

Hits have included the hugely popular Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie in the title role.

The blockbuster was filmed primarily in the UK and the pink Barbieland set, including the iconic Dreamhouse, was built at the Warner Bros. studio in Leavesden, Hertfordshire.

Harrison Ford’s latest adventure epic, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was filmed in part on set 007 at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

Those two films follow a string of British success stories, including the Netflix period drama Bridgerton, most of which were shot in stately homes across England. Another winner has been the northern crime drama Happy Valley.

Such is the demand for UK skill and talent that spending on film and television production hit a record £6.27bn last year, according to figures released in February by the British Film Institute.

The boom has given a boost to British companies including ITV, whose studio production arm raked in £1bn in semi-annual revenue for the first time in 2023.

A key draw is believed to be the UK’s generous tax relief system. Film production companies can claim up to 25 percent in cash back on up to 80 percent of qualifying expenses, regardless of the film’s budget, as long as at least 10 percent is spent in Britain.

The UK is also home to a large number of VFX artists who help create the computer generated imagery and other special effects used in many films and television shows.

According to the UK Screen Alliance, which represents companies in the VFX and production sectors, the industry created almost 30,000 jobs in 2019 and contributed nearly £1.7bn to the economy.

However, despite all the very encouraging news, dark clouds are building. Part of Shepperton’s team, which is owned by Pinewood, has been forced to stop working in recent weeks as work dries up on some of the studio’s most lucrative hits.

Construction crews have been told that projects, including the Netflix hit The Sandman, have been put on hold for the foreseeable future as Hollywood writers continue their walkout.

The industrial action, organized by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), has more than 160,000 members seeking higher wages and better protection from the rise of artificial intelligence. The dispute is paralyzing hundreds of productions. One source said the effect on the UK crew was “worse than Covid” with no sign of when work might resume.

Netflix’s next season of Bridgerton will begin filming in the coming weeks, but it’s unclear if the writers and crew will be able to start production in the UK. Netflix declined to comment.

Bectu, the union that represents those behind the camera on film and television shoots, said that while it supports SAG-AFTRA, the strike is having a dangerous ripple effect.

Philippa Childs, director of Bectu, said: ‘Many of our members know all too well the repercussions of the US attacks and are justifiably concerned about their future. The slowdown will only be exacerbated if an agreement is not reached with SAG-AFTRA.’