Filming major productions – like Golden Globe winning 1917 – in Glasgow boosted the city’s economy by almost £12.5m last year.
Glasgow Film Office (GFO) – the city council’s film commission – acts as a one-stop shop for productions filming or wishing to film in Glasgow, coordinating meetings with appropriate agencies, location owners and council departments.
In 2019, these included award-winning 1917 and Succession, BBC dramas Guilt, STV-made Elizabeth Is Missing and the yet to broadcast The Nest, as well as Bollywood features Saach and 1983.
Council leader Susan Aitken said: “These latest figures point to the continuing attraction of Glasgow as a location for film production and, crucially, the successes of the council’s Film Office in facilitating that.
“Major productions like 1917 and Succession not only generate significant economy activity within the city but they profile what Glasgow has to offer to the film and broadcast industry, from our locations to our crews and facilities.
“The Glasgow Film Office team are pivotal to making all this happen, while minimising the impact on our residents and businesses.
“This approach has been so successful that I am sure we can look forward to hearing some super news about more major productions coming to Glasgow in the very near future.”
This year, Glasgow is expected to portray Gotham City in the upcoming Batman film while productions previously shot in the city include World War Z, Under The Skin, Outlaw King, The Wife, Hobbs & Shaw, Wild Rose, Outlander, Still Game, The Replacement and The Cry.
Since its creation in 1997, the GFO has attracted productions that have generated more than £320m in economic activity, the city council said.
It “ensures that filming goes as smoothly as possible” and markets Glasgow as an attractive filming location by supporting recces for production and location teams, meetings with key producers and working with Screen Scotland in the planning and execution of joint marketing activities.
A grant is also given to productions hiring local facilities and services suppliers, to help support and develop the sector in the city.
Tom Asquith, location manager, Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw, previously said: “All who we dealt with in the city were enthusiastic and positive about the feasibility of our plans.
“I was overwhelmed by the patience, support and the welcome we received from the residents of Glasgow.”
And Piers Tempest, producer, The Wife and Churchill, said: “Glasgow is a fantastically diverse city to film in.
“Our experience from filming both The Wife and Churchill in Glasgow was excellent, and the support the Glasgow Film Office was extremely helpful, and echoed the welcome that the city gave us.”
David Brown, Scottish line producer, Cloud Atlas and producer, Outlander, has said: : “The principle reason for coming to Glasgow is the welcome that the city gives to filmmakers.
“We are overwhelmed by the support and encouragement we have received from everyone in the city.”
The GFO leads the Glasgow Film Partnership, a body with over 60 members, with the common goal of making filming on location in the city as simple as possible.
Some of the members of this partnership include Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Glasgow Science Centre, the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Airport, Network Rail and SPT.
Story by local democracy reporter Drew Sandelands
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