Written by Shona Smith on Jul 7, 2020. Posted in General Interest

Screen Yorkshire launches crew and facilities service

The region wide crew and facilities service launched by Screen Yorkshire offers a platform for productions filming in Yorkshire to source experienced local crews and film and TV supply-chain companies.

The service will run alongside the Film Office’s locations service; meaning that film and TV productions will now have a single-entry point to a comprehensive production liaison service across the whole of Yorkshire and Humber. It will also help counter the impact of Covid-19 on freelancers, many of whom have been particularly badly hit by the slowdown in production.

The service will include networking and promotional opportunities to support regional crew and film and TV supply chain companies and will be managed by Screen Yorkshire’s Film Office team. The Film Office will also be running regular networking opportunities for crew, following the success of their online ‘Friday Freelancer Forum,’ launched during Covid-19, with the intention of rolling out face to face crew networking events as lockdown restrictions ease. The Film Office team also announced last month that it has adapted its location service to offer virtual and socially distanced recces for productions preparing to shoot in the region.

Sally Joynson, Chief Executive at Screen Yorkshire says: ‘‘This is a critical time for the industry as it emerges from lockdown. We hope that our new crew and facilities service, along with other initiatives, can play a part in getting people back into work and ensure Yorkshire retains its competitive edge”.

The value of filming activity to Yorkshire and the Humber is substantial with budgets for high-end TV dramas and feature films averaging between £10m and £20m per project. Recent productions supported by the Film Office include: Gentleman Jack, The English Game, Downton Abbey, The Steph Show, Peaky Blinders, Ackley Bridge, Emmerdale, Last Tango In Halifax, All Creatures Great And Small, Victoria, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Official Secrets. Screen Yorkshire has been supported by the BFI’s National Cluster Growth Fund using National Lottery funding to support the development and growth of the Yorkshire screen sector.

“Yorkshire has an enviable legacy in film and TV production. Our new crew and facilities service will give us a platform to showcase the amazingly talented crew and facilities companies that have worked on these productions and will offer a supportive peer network to help level the playing field for freelancers working the industry’’ adds Joynson.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Karl Hall, Line Producer, (The English Game, Hope Gap, Girlfriends) says "having lived and worked here for a number of years I know Yorkshire crew are a fantastically talented and hardworking bunch. The new Crew and Facilities Service will benefit both freelancers and productions alike providing local jobs for our highly skilled workforce and tempting more great film and TV productions to the region.’’

Crew and facilities wishing to sign up to the database and productions enquiring about filming in the region can find out more at Screen Yorkshire.