Britain leaving the EU is obviously going to send economic shockwaves throughout the country and the world — but the UK film and television industry could be “devastated” according to experts.
While we can all think of ‘British Film’ being The King’s Speech, Love Actually and a handful of Danny Dyer and hood movies, the industry is far, far more than that. Many Hollywood and international productions are shot in the UK, as we’re home to world class, world famous studios like Pinewood, Shepparton, Elswood and Ealing, and according to the British Film Institute, £1.4 billion was spent of feature film production in the UK in 2015. Fifteen big budget (£30 million or over) was responsible for 73% of the year’s total UK film production spend. These productions provide hundreds of jobs for crew members, from cameramen to electricians to catering staff. Any disruption to this foundation could threaten those.
'Star Wars The Force Awakens' was shot at Pinewood, and 'Justice League' is currently filming in London.
This model has been thrown into jeopardy, with the pound suffering a sharp drop in strength following the result of the vote, and also freedom of movement of talent potentially being restricted. Industry trade Screen Daily said that it “may also pose short-term questions for US and international productions considering the UK as a shoot destination.”
Many in the industry have spoken out about their fears. Michael Ryan, chairman of the Independent Film & Television Alliance called it a “major blow”:
The decision to exit the European Union is a major blow to the UK film and TV industry. Producing films and television programmes is a very expensive and very risky business and certainty about the rules affecting the business is a must. This decision has just blown up our foundation – as of today, we no longer know how our relationships with co-producers, financiers and distributors will work, whether new taxes will be dropped on our activities in the rest of Europe or how production financing is going to be raised without any input from European funding agencies.
The EU MEDIA Programme also provided key funding for plenty of British films. Daily Telegraph critic Robbie Collin listed some of the movies it helped produce on Twitter.
It might be up in the air for US studios who want to film in the UK. There are EU programs to help fund all of this. If the UK is no longer part of the EU, that has the potential to go away.
Most US distributors operate their European head offices out of London, and British film companies benefit from EU support for film. The UK leaving the EU would be a significant backward step for British and European cinema.
There have already reports of funding being cut for from UK movies.
Game of Thrones could also be under threat.
Much of the HBO show is shot in Northern Ireland, supported by the EU’s European Regional Development Fund. The end of that support could cause HBO to go elsewhere. Peter Chase at the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ Brussels office told Foreign Policy:
As well as actual on-set production, Brexit could also drive the European offices of Hollywood studios out of the UK. If we’re no longer part of the EU, that would make their work significantly more difficult. Jan Runge CEO of Brussels-based International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) told Screen Daily:
We'll leave the last word to John Boyega.
[via Screen Daily, The Verge, Foreign Policy]
