LIGHTS CAMERA £OCATION (continued)

The "Harry Potter" series is probably doing as much as an illustrious line of films before it to highlight locations here. The recently produced "Pocket Scottish Movie Guide" by Brian Pendreigh lists almost 60 productions shot in the central belt. Perth and Kinross can lay claim to its fair share of these – examples such as "Rob Roy" 1995 and in 2002 "Liaisons Dangereuses" with Catherine Deneuve and "Young Adam" with Ewan McGregor. On TV the area is regularly seen all over the world in "Monarch of the Glen", one of the most commercially successful series ever produced by the BBC.

Locations are important but, in reality, one corner of a triangle – facilities and crew are vital if an area – be it country, region or city – is to create and benefit from a sustainable production industry. Perth and Kinross is playing its part in the emerging regional opportunities to train and work in media.

The Gleneagles Film Studio Partnership has put forward plans for major new, 'state of the art' film and production studios. At a time when other parts of the UK are looking at studio development the plans have the potential to put Perth and Kinross centre-stage in the UK production sector. Similarities between Pinewood Film Studios and Perth (Scone) Airport are more than just looks. MF Aviation run a hangar that does more than the day job by doubling as studio space. Brendan Walsh previously had a similar operation in Essex aimed at the music promo sector.

Drummond Gardens

Tayside also boasts two universities and three colleges with specialist facilities. Perth College and the Angus Digital Media Centre in Brechin are prime examples. Increasingly centres such as these are capitalising on the benefits of sharing experience and working together. At Perth, with music and sound production facilities in place, the College is now focusing on the visual end. They aim to be a centre of excellence in the training of production and post-production expertise.

For TayScreen, such centres add to the roster of crew and facilities to be found in the area. We are constantly learning what the area can offer and very keen to hear from companies that work with media production or want to find out more – very soon, companies and crew will be able to register online at the new website, www.tayscreen.com. For example, Perth and Kinross is the base for a major corporate production company, Speakeasy Productions in Stanley and equipment rental company, Production House Scotland, in Perth.

There is also a registration system for locations and we try to make sure people understand what location work entails. A Production Code has been devised so that production companies know how we help and what we ask of them – such as health and safety requirements and proper insurance.

And what is the bottom line? The benefits come from the direct spending of production companies and the spin-off effect on tourism. The average TV production or advert may bring in a crew of around 12 which can produce good income over a week's shoot. Although tougher to get, feature films mean crew of 50 or even 150 people. A mid-sized crew is likely to generate spending of around £10,000-£15,000 a day. Free publicity for locations or regions is a major bonus. Increases in tourist numbers of at least 20% have been linked to locations featured on screen. One advert had its 'star car' perched on a rock in the sea. For the next few months the company had to field a dedicated call team to let would-be tourists know the location.

So as we continue together, hopefully, on this voyage of discovery from Perth to Hollywood this from Captain Kirk in "Star Trek IV – the Voyage Home": "No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space." Further details can be obtained from www.tayscreen.com info@tayscreen.com Tel: 01382 432321