scottish screen
2007/08
Production spend on the screen industries in Scotland is more than ÂŁ240m per year
Stardust, filmed partly on location in Scotland
who we are
Ken Hay, Chief Executive
We want to see a dynamic, creative and sustainable film and screen culture in Scotland, which successfully competes on the national and international stage. To achieve this, we focus on:
Inspiring and Educating Audiences: ensuring that the widest range of film and screen content reaches and is appreciated by a diversity of audiences
Attracting and Developing Business and Skills: establishing and promoting Scotland as a vibrant, competitive and successful screen production centre
Developing Talent AND Creativity: nurturing, developing, supporting and progressing the ideas and talent in Scotland.
Each year, we invest approximately ÂŁ3m from the Scottish Government and ÂŁ2.5m from the National Lottery in a range of projects and initiatives to develop these objectives. But success is only possible through working in partnership at local, national and international levels with industry, with government and with audiences. Creative Scotland, a new development agency for the arts and creative industries, is scheduled to take over the existing functions of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council in 2009, following successful progress of the Creative Scotland Bill through Parliament. Transition to Creative Scotland is underway and updates are available through Scottish Screen and at www.transition. creativescotland.org.uk.
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Scottish Screen is the national development agency for the screen industries in Scotland. We exist to inspire audiences, support new and established talent and businesses and promote Scotland as a creative place to make great films, award-winning television and world renowned digital entertainment.
100,000 admissions to Scottish Screen supported festivals in 2007
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Scottish Students on Screen
Screen Machine
Dance: Film
Education in Angus
1. inspiring and educating audiences: ensuring that the widest range of film and screen content reaches and is appreciated by a diversity of audiences How do we do this? •
We invest in projects and activities that bring new audiences for film and increase access to moving image culture across Scotland, including more than £500,000 in the development of a network of cultural cinema hubs, £300,000 supporting film and moving image festivals, including the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and in enabling the distribution of specialised films with a cultural significance for Scotland.
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The Cinema Access Fund invested £86,000 from the Scottish Arts Council in improving the cinema experience for visually impaired, and deaf and hard of hearing audiences by providing soft subtitling and audio description equipment in 25 cinema screens across Scotland.
16 million admissions each year to Scotland’s cinemas
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People are now watching moving image in an ever greater number of ways – through digital and satellite television channels, the internet, mobile phones and as always, on the big screen. Our challenge in this new and changing world is to make sure that as many people as possible have access to the widest range of moving image media.
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Scottish Screen has invested ÂŁ24m of National Lottery funds in developing the screen industries in Scotland since 2000
Xtreme Luggaging
Photographer, Cara Pirie
Cinema China 2007
Scottish Screen Archive The Burns an’ a’ That Festival
Discovery Film Festival
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Scottish Screen encourages experimentation and innovation in the production and distribution of creative screen content through support of Alt-W and Pocket Shorts initiatives. Cinespace, an initiative bringing Glasgow, Venice and San Sebastian together, is bringing moving image heritage to modern urban contexts. 2008 will see the launch of Regional Screen Scotland, developing access to the cinema experience for communities across the country.
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Scottish Screen’s moving image education (MIE) strategy aims to ensure that people of all ages and backgrounds are inspired and able to understand, analyse, appreciate, explore, create and share screen content. We focus on working with schools, local authorities, universities and the relevant national agencies in embedding media literacy within the new curriculum.
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This has included running pilot MIE initiatives in Angus, Highland and South Lanarkshire, developing a nation-wide network of lead practitioners, developing continuing professional development modules for teachers, and we have just launched a moving image education website (www.movingimageeducation.org/ create) as a major resource for educators.
20 screens at 16 cinemas across Scotland are now part of the UK Film Council’s Digital Screen Network
CaseStudy: Rolling out Moving Image Education in Angus Scottish Screen investment: £50,000 over two years Since 2004 Scottish Screen has been involved in a major schools project in Angus, funded by the Scottish Government’s Future Learning and Teaching Fund. The aim of the project has been to embed moving image education within literacy across upper primary and lower secondary schools.
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An interim report by the independent evaluation team at the University of Glasgow stated that, “all teachers and head teachers reported a positive impact of the Moving Image Education project on pupils’ attitude, motivation, self esteem and a more creative approach to learning.” Andrew Gallagher, head of the project
since 2004 added, “The concept of dialogue and discussion is central to the philosophy of the Moving Image Education programme. Pupils have the opportunity to reason aloud, to support and develop the opinions of their peers, to verbalise solutions to problems, and to collaborate with their peers to reach consensus.” This project is now in its final year – the full appraisal of the project is due to be published in autumn 2008 - and has proved so successful that a similar approach is being rolled out across additional schools in Arbroath (North) and Montrose during 2007-2009, with support from Scottish Screen. Focusing strongly on professional development, this programme aims to build sustainable practice in these schools. www.admc.tv/mie.htm
Franz Ferdinand at the opening night party, EIFF 2007
Case Study:
EIFF 2007
HannahMcGill
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CaseStudy:
Control, EIFF 2007
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) Scottish Screen investment: £750,000 over three years until 2009 As the world’s longest continuously running film festival and recognised as one of the most important, the EIFF has a special place in Scotland’s cultural infrastructure. 2007 saw the festival’s 61st edition, the first under the artistic directorship of Hannah McGill. EIFF plays a key role not just in being a unique showcase of amazing films, but being a magnet for new and emerging talent from across the world, providing them with the opportunity to share, learn and have contact with each other and industry leaders. In 2007, the EIFF screened 101 feature films from over 40 countries, including 9 world premieres and 68 UK premieres, attracting 51,793 admissions. Over 1500 delegates participated in the industry events.
Scottish Screen has supported the evolution of the EIFF for the last 10 years and is working closely with the festival as it moves to the next stage of its development, including its move from August to June. Our financial commitment to the festival underlines our commitment to its long term health and development. “EIFF is poised to optimise its role as a keystone in Scottish Screen’s strategy by raising its profile and restating its fundamental purpose in the context of a move to a June slot.” – Ginnie Atkinson, Managing Director www.eiff.org.uk
2. attracting and
developing business and skills:
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establishing and promoting Scotland as a vibrant, competitive and successful screen production centre
To grow the screen industries in Scotland we need to attract and create new businesses and productions, support and develop our indigenous ones, and ensure we have a skilled workforce to support them. It is also vital to encourage international productions and talent to come to Scotland, not only to generate economic investment, but also to provide opportunities to develop local talent and businesses, and to promote Scotland on screen around the world.
How do we do this? •
We are committed to developing creative, technical and business skills in the screen sector in Scotland. As part of this we have delegated strategic responsibility, backed up with £800,000 over two years (including £600,000 of National Lottery funds), to Skillset Scotland to lead the implementation of the industry skills strategy. We have also fully supported the development of Screen Academy Scotland at Napier and eca and the Creative Loop college partnership.
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The Scottish Locations Network of local film offices and Scottish Screen provides a free, specialist locations service for indigenous and inward productions. The service offers information and advice on crews, facilities, services, locations, permissions and acts as a facilitator for production activity across Scotland. We are working with VisitScotland to develop a ‘Film Crews Welcome’ scheme for accommodation providers in Scotland.
Over 100 production companies and more that 300 facilities companies generating a turnover of £1.2bn per year are based in Scotland
New Entrants Training Programme
Scottish Screen in Cannes
BBC Scotland
Tern TV production KNTV Show
MNE production Maighstir Ailean
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• Screen
businesses need access to flexible finance to enable development and growth. Our Business Development Loan Fund invested almost £400,000 of National Lottery funds in seven companies in the last year; and we are launching a slate finance initiative in early 2008.
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We promote Scotland and Scotland’s screen industries at home and abroad. In 2007 Scottish Screen was present at 13 events around the world, and funded 32 companies and projects to attend international festivals and markets. All our work is underpinned and informed by research on the sector. This includes looking at the impact of the screen industries on the wider economy; for example, commissioning research on the impact of film and television inspired tourism.
Artem Scotland
Creative and digital media businesses contribute over £2.8bn per year to the Scottish economy
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Photo by Francis Lopez
Photos by Francis Lopez
Film tourism accounts for 10% of the total value of tourism to the British economy - around £1.8bn a year
Stone of Destiny
Scottish Screen National Lottery investment: £500,000 production funding Stone of Destiny, starring Charlie Cox (Stardust) as the young Ian Hamilton, tells the story of four Scottish students who, in a daring raid in the 1950s, bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland. The film will be released in 2008, and is bound to generate a lot of interest in Scottish history and identity, both at home and abroad. Scottish Screen supported this Canadian/UK coproduction with a £500,000 production award, as well as comprehensive locations support ensuring that Stone of Destiny filmed entirely on location in Scotland during the summer of 2007.
On the set of Stone of Destiny
The producers were determined to use all the original locations as described in Ian Hamilton’s book upon which the film was based, but various London locations had to be recreated in Scotland, including Paisley Abbey being transformed into Westminster Abbey. “Scotland provided Stone Of Destiny with a remarkable variety of locations within easy reach of Glasgow and it had weather to match. It might not have the largest of pools to draw from but the crews are certainly as professional and hard-working as anywhere else we have produced.” - Andrew Boswell, producer, Mob Films www.imdb.com/title/tt1037156/
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CaseStudy:
Culture Minister Linda Fabiani with Ian Hamilton and Ken Hay on the set of Stone of Destiny
15,000 people are employed in Scotland’s screen industries
Robin MacPherson
CaseStudy: Screen Academy Scotland
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Scottish Screen investment: £300,000 since 2005 Screen Academy Scotland is a collaboration between Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art (eca). It provides professionally oriented, project-based and practice-led film education and training, delivered in partnership with industry. Over 100 students have graduated since its launch in 2005. Writer Lin Anderson, was on the MA Screenwriting course in 2006/7 and with fellow Screen Academy students, producer, Mattias Karlsson and director Damian Wood, made the short film River Child, which premiered at the Short Film Corner at Cannes in 2007. Lin said: “I feel very privileged to have been one of
My Life as a Bus Stop, by The Finnegans, who studied at the Screen Academy
the first graduates of the Screen Academy and look forward to seeing its star continue to rise.” “Without Scottish Screen’s support, Screen Academy Scotland simply wouldn’t exist. From backing the original bid to Skillset, to working with us to develop the role and reach of the Academy in supporting Scotland’s screen industries, Scottish Screen has been a key factor in making our vision a reality, just as we hope the Academy can help our screen talent make their visions a reality.” - Robin MacPherson, Director Screen Academy Scotland www.screenacademyscotland.ac.uk
River Child
Lin Anderson
Our total feature film production investment has been more than ÂŁ15m since 2000 with a total production budget of ÂŁ135m
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Stardust
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Shooting short film Bye Child
Filming The Last King of Scotland
Shell
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Doomsday
Dog Altogether
True North
Red Road
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
James McAvoy, The Last King of Scotland
3. developing talent AND creativity: nurturing, developing, supporting and progressing the ideas and talent in Scotland 15
The talent and creativity of our people is the foundation of our screen industries. We need to make sure that the best talent is nurtured and supported throughout their careers and across all sectors of the industry.
How do we do this? •
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Scottish Screen has invested almost £300,000 in four new talent development initiatives in 2007 supporting the development of talent and ideas, including Bridging the Gap with the Scottish Documentary Institute, Shortcuts with Glasgow Media Access Centre (GMAC), PILOT with Channel 4’s 4Talent, and Theatre Workshop and Makar Production’s community filmmaking project, Trouble Sleeping, about the experiences of asylum seekers in Scotland. We work with broadcasters to provide opportunities for creative talent development, including partnering BBC Scotland for The Singles, developing and producing three one hour plays for broadcast in late 2008. We support and promote the work of the European Union’s MEDIA Programme through MEDIA Antenna Scotland (www.mediadesk. co.uk), which has brought €10 million investment to Scotland since the programme began in 1990.
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The NETS training programme, now in its 27th year, is the longest running on-the-job training programme in the UK, and has a 100% success rate in finding graduates work within the screen industries. We have been running a pilot new entrants programme specifically for the animation sector through 2007.
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Scottish Students on Screen (SSoS), which showcases the best of Scotland’s students’ talents, is now produced by our partners BAFTA Scotland. We are developing a strategy for integrated media access initiatives to provide entry-level support and access across Scotland.
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With almost £300,000 invested in film development, £130,000 in short film production and £1.8m in feature film production, Scottish Screen has continued to support story telling for the big screen over the last 12 months.
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David Mackenzie
Gillian Berrie
David MacKenzie with EIFF Artistic Director Hannah McGill and Sophia Myles
Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles
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CaseStudy:
Hallam Foe
Scottish Screen National Lottery investment: £500,000 production funding, £42,150 content development, £1,500 markets and festivals funding Hallam Foe is David Mackenzie’s (Young Adam) fourth feature film, adapted from the Peter Jinks’ novel of the same name. The film stars Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles, and is produced by Gillian Berrie at Sigma Films. Set amid the rooftops of Edinburgh’s Old Town, this is a dark and twisted, romantic comedy. Scottish Screen has supported Hallam Foe since 2002 through development to production. As well as being a Scottish story, investment in the film also meant we could support Glasgow-based production company, Sigma Films, and key creative talent Gillian Berrie and David Mackenzie. Shot on location in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, using local crew and facilities, Hallam Foe showcases a very contemporary Scotland to an international audience.
The film opened the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007 and has gone on to charm audiences around the UK and abroad, gaining a number of international awards including, the Silver Bear for Music at Berlin International Film Festival, and the Hitchcock d’Or (Jury Prize) at Dinard British Film Festival in France. The film was nominated in six categories at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), including Best Film and Best Director, and was nominated for four Scottish BAFTAs, including Best Film. “Scottish’s Screen’s investment, support and expertise were integral to the development, production and marketing of Hallam Foe.” – Gillian Berrie, producer, Sigma Films www.haveyouseenhallamfoe.com
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CaseStudy:
Seachd - The Innacessible Pinnacle
Scottish Screen National Lottery investment: £162,500 production funding plus £9,975 to pursue sales and distribution opportunities Seachd - The Inaccessible Pinnacle is a family-friendly feature film about an aged and mystical story-teller (Aonghas Padruig Caimbeul) who helps his three grandchildren, including Angus (Padruig Morrison), face the tragic loss of their parents by taking them on a magical and epic journey through the history of the Gaelic people. The film, directed by Simon Miller and produced by Chris Young (Festival, Gregory’s Two Girls, Venus Peter) was shot on Skye amid the breathtaking Cullin mountains and is unique in that it is the first feature film in the Gaelic language on general release. Scottish Screen invested in this project as it presents Scotland’s cultural heritage in a contemporary context to
modern audiences, helping to promote the Gaelic language. It also allowed the development Scottish talent, providing director Simon Miller with his first feature film, helping to further develop Skye-based production company, Young Films, and employing a Gaelic-speaking cast and crew from across Scotland, but particularly the Highlands and Islands. Seachd, The Inaccessible Pinnacle screened at the Celtic Media Festival on Skye in March 2007 and premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August 2007, competing for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film. It was also selected for the Vancouver and Rome International Film Festivals. The film was released in the UK in October 2007 by Soda Pictures and was nominated for three BAFTA Scotland awards. www.seachd.com
“The funding from Scottish Screen was invaluable to the production of Seachd. It was a thoroughly ambitious production and the support from Scottish Screen ensured that we as filmmakers remained loyal to our original vision.” – Chris Young, producer
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4. contact us: To keep up to date with all the latest information about the screen industries in Scotland, subscribe to our weekly email bulletin, e-roughcuts and our bi-monthly magazine roughcuts. Just email roughcuts@scottishscreeen.com with your details.
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SCOTTISH SCREEN 249 WEST GEORGE STREET GLASGOW G2 4QE | UK e: info@scottishscreen.com w: www.scottishscreen.com t: + 44 (0)141 302 1700 f: + 44 (0)141 302 1788
Filming Made of Honour
Rosslyn Chapel - The Da Vinci Code
Outpost
Photographer, Cara Pirie
Cover printed on 300gsm Zen Pure White. Text printed on 150gsm Zen Pure White. Designed by Scottish Screen. Printed by Akros Print, East Kilbride. Front and back cover: detail from photograph of Maja Borg, director of Ottica Zero. Discovery Festival, DCA