Tuesday, 26 June 2018

Welsh Govt evidence on support for film and TV drama

This is a long and important document, demonstrating plenty of activity across the board and very high expenditure.  Naturally enough, the emphasis is on the wisdom of all the decisions made and the good sense of all of the support mechanisms put in place.  Governments always have to demonstrate “value for money” when they are scrutinised.......

But it’s interesting, if you read the document, that the emphasis is on developing Wales as a great productive hub and on the strategies put in place in order to achieve this.  There is virtually nothing on the need to “tell the Welsh story” and to sell Wales to the world through film and TV.  Some of the respondents to the consultation exercise have raised this, but I’m not sure that the Assembly’s culture committee has been taking it very seriously either.

http://www.senedd.assembly.wales/documents/s76445/Paper%201%20-%20Evidence%20from%20the%20Cabinet%20Secretary.pdf

Here is a comment from TAC (the association of independent producers in Wales):

April 2018

From TAC evidence to the Culture Committee:

20. In December 2016 the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure produced ‘A Vision for Culture in Wales’. On television, the document said: “Looking ahead, we should press for more and better content and programming made for Wales, in Wales and about all aspects of Welsh life, including our culture and heritage.”[11]

21. TAC has been working hard to achieve this aim, by encouraging UK television broadcasting networks to spend more time in Wales, getting to know the production sector, and specifically the unique stories, ideas, talent, locations and perspectives it has to offer. In this, we have received some support from the UK Wales Office. TAC is also discussing with the UK Wales Office and UK Department for International Trade how they can further support the sector in Wales.

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