Growing The UK Film Industry Beyond Its National Border

When trying to assess what the British public wish to see when they visit the cinema or tune into box office subscriptions on the telly, we can only relate to the successes and revenues that statistics provide on a yearly basis.

Throughout the world it is evident that American feature films illuminate the public's imagination to such a degree that their following is verging in an addiction for full action films which have as much wizardry in the on screen visual effects as the characters themselves.

It is this same battle which Paramount Studios and others are trying to engage in by the expansion of their film studio and offerings to the Directors and film studios that are based worldwide, and who are already successful in their own country or on the international stage.

While a great many effects are computer generated these days, so called blue screen rooms are offset by the use of wide internal and exterior sets as action backdrops where whole streets and towns can be built and dismantled over a period of weeks. Ready to be used as an open space for the next production.

In recent years we have already seen growth in the internal UK film market with respect to independent films being wholly produced in the UK. 25% of films were produced and released in the UK during 2012. This has been aided not only by phenomenal marketing by the British Film Industry itself but through interesting and evocative British actresses and actors coming into the fore by use of their own unique talents. Indeed the invasion of British talent into the American film industry is a more frequent occurrence not seen since the 1930s and 40s.

So how does the UK Film Industry grow its borders as well as bring in a new industry related work? Well one way is to attract overseas film studios to the UK by way of services and set ups which are large enough to enable a director to build set after set and use their time in an affordable manner.

Secondly, to allow film studios like Paramount Studios to expand enabling more readily accessible space to convert. Thus the populace of related film crews and associated services will grow in line and be resident in the UK to offer immediate service. Talent need not be wholly grown or educated in the UK, attracting foreign qualities will equally benefit the UK economy and that of the film industry on the whole.

Stats show an increase in British film production and an increase and the stability of a growing film scene in the UK with actors and actresses finding constant work. With that success follows yet more scripts and more popular story lines which the UK can continue to capitalise upon. But and there is always a but, studios need to be allowed to expand.

Tax benefits need to continue to tempt international studios and more importantly of all, visa acceptance must be laid open to allow foreign actors and actresses access to the UK film industry on the whole.