Film and TV productions shooting in Bristol and the wider West of England could access grants of up to £500,000 through a new £4.5 million regional production fund.
Greenlight West has been launched to attract more film and television production to the region, while supporting productions already being developed by West of England companies.
Grants of between £50,000 and £500,000 will be available to eligible productions that can demonstrate a meaningful benefit to the regional economy through areas including local production spend, employment and skills development.
Who can apply for Greenlight West funding?
The fund isn't limited to production companies headquartered in Bristol or the West of England.
Eligible projects include:
- Productions coming into the West of England to film
- Productions made or led by companies based in the region
- Productions undertaking significant post-production work in the region
That potentially makes Greenlight West relevant to both locally developed projects and national or international productions considering Bristol and the surrounding area as a filming base.
What is Greenlight West?
The £4.5 million fund is the first investment announced from the £25 million Creative Places Growth Fund awarded to the West of England by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The West of England is one of six UK regions receiving funding through the programme, which is intended to support the growth of creative businesses, freelancers and the wider creative economy.
Greenlight West is specifically focused on increasing the quantity, range and scale of film and television production taking place here.
The programme forecasts that its £4.5 million investment will generate approximately £20.7 million of production spend within the West of England, supporting more than 230 jobs as well as providing additional work for local freelancers, facilities and suppliers.
Why Bristol?
Bristol and the West of England already form the UK's third-largest screen production hub.
The region has a particularly strong track record across natural history, factual television, animation and scripted production, alongside an established network of independent production companies, crew, studios and production services.
Recent productions made or filmed in the region include Rivals, Bridgerton, Wonka, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, The Outlaws, Planet Earth III and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
The wider regional film and television industry has an estimated turnover of £325 million and supports around 3,000 full-time-equivalent jobs, in addition to thousands of freelance and contract roles.
Planning a production in Bristol?
For productions considering applying to Greenlight West, the requirement to demonstrate regional economic impact means decisions around where you shoot, who you employ and which local suppliers you use are likely to be particularly relevant.
BLANKET is an independent production company and film studio based in Bristol.
Our 10,000 sq ft production facility includes a 4,640 sq ft soundstage, infinity cove, production offices, green rooms and supporting production spaces, alongside in-house production expertise and equipment rental.
We work with both Bristol-based teams and productions coming into the region, helping with everything from studio hire, equipment rental, production support through to complete end-to-end production.
If you're considering bringing a production to Bristol or the West of England, get in touch with BLANKET to discuss what you need.
