The Assembly's Culture Committee has still not reported on its deliberations on the film and TV industry in Wales. It's taking a long time....... but there are very distinct rumbles and grumbles from the smaller companies who are having to work within a very cumbersome and restrictive investment environment and who are concerned about what they see as a funnelling of funds into gigantic "prestige" projects at the expense of small projects which actually help to tell the Welsh story.
It's not a good scenario when the Welsh Government's TV and film support system seems to be permanently teetering on the verge of scandal or catastrophe.
(Funding from the Welsh Government's Media Investment Budget is provided on conditions including that at least 50 per cent of the production is shot in Wales, and 40 per cent of the below the line production budget must be spent in Wales. 'Below the line' expenditure refers to money spent on the production of the film, rather than the creative direction (i.e. not spent on, for example, the screenwriter, producer, director, and actors).
These are not good headlines:
The Pinewood scandal is just one issue:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-44081643
http://brian-angelmountain.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-pinewood-deal-money-down-drain.html
https://seneddresearch.blog/2018/06/14/film-and-major-television-production-is-the-welsh-government-doing-enough-to-grow-the-domestic-screen-industry/
Roger Williams from Joio – one of the few Welsh companies to receive funding from the MIB, for bilingual crime drama BANG – described the process of applying for funding from the MIB as “incredibly frustrating”. The distributors and lawyers involved in the production, he said, had “never come across a more restrictive deal”. Severn Screen’s Ed Talfan – producer of bilingual crime drama Hinterland/Y Gwyll – said that the terms of the MIB were too “onerous” for other parties involved in financing his production, so he had been put off applying.
The Committee has heard a number of suggestions as to how the Welsh Government should better support the local industry. Wales-based production companies Truth Department and ie ie productions called for the Welsh Government to provide funding for smaller productions than those that can currently apply to the MIB, based on their cultural as well as their economic value.
Article by Robin Wilkinson, National Assembly for Wales Research Service
Film and major television production: is the Welsh Government doing enough to grow the domestic screen industry?
BY SENEDDRESEARCH
There has also been disquiet about the manner in which Bad Wolf has been supported financially and then not -- so it would appear --subjected to adequate financial scrutiny:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4816916/Ex-BBC-execs-paid-1-3m-despite-making-loss.html
Some of the criticisms are quite honestly noted here, by a Welsh Government civil servant:
Roger Williams from Joio – one of the few Welsh companies to receive funding from the MIB, for bilingual crime drama BANG – described the process of applying for funding from the MIB as “incredibly frustrating”. The distributors and lawyers involved in the production, he said, had “never come across a more restrictive deal”. Severn Screen’s Ed Talfan – producer of bilingual crime drama Hinterland/Y Gwyll – said that the terms of the MIB were too “onerous” for other parties involved in financing his production, so he had been put off applying.
The Committee has heard a number of suggestions as to how the Welsh Government should better support the local industry. Wales-based production companies Truth Department and ie ie productions called for the Welsh Government to provide funding for smaller productions than those that can currently apply to the MIB, based on their cultural as well as their economic value.
Article by Robin Wilkinson, National Assembly for Wales Research Service
Film and major television production: is the Welsh Government doing enough to grow the domestic screen industry?
BY SENEDDRESEARCH
June 14, 2018
NOTE
The full terms of reference for the Culture Committee inquiry are:
To achieve clarity on the Welsh Government's policy aims for funding film and major television production in Wales, and transparency as to why and how decisions are made in this area;
The support given by the Welsh Government to develop the film and television industries in Wales including:
Economic impact, and how this is spread across Wales
Cultural impact, including the Welsh language
Value for money
How support for the sector may be affected by the Welsh Government's new Economic Action Plan.
To investigate how Ffilm Cymru Wales, the BFI and others support the sector, and how this work complements the work of the Welsh Government in this area.
The support given to develop skills and address skills shortages in the industry, whether there is sufficient data to map existing skills.
===============
NOTE
The full terms of reference for the Culture Committee inquiry are:
To achieve clarity on the Welsh Government's policy aims for funding film and major television production in Wales, and transparency as to why and how decisions are made in this area;
The support given by the Welsh Government to develop the film and television industries in Wales including:
Economic impact, and how this is spread across Wales
Cultural impact, including the Welsh language
Value for money
How support for the sector may be affected by the Welsh Government's new Economic Action Plan.
To investigate how Ffilm Cymru Wales, the BFI and others support the sector, and how this work complements the work of the Welsh Government in this area.
The support given to develop skills and address skills shortages in the industry, whether there is sufficient data to map existing skills.
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