FILM AND BROADCASTING

Transcription

1 Cultural Trends in Scotland: 1995 PSI 1

2 6 FILM AND BROADCASTING Cinema box-office in the United Kingdom is dominated by Hollywood features, a position which is repeated across Europe. Even in France, the most difficult market in Europe for US films, they took 59 per cent of the total box office in In the UK 62 per cent of the films released in 1991 were American but they captured 89 per cent of total box office income. If co-productions are added in this rises to 95 per cent. British films performed comparatively poorly with average box office receipts less than two thirds of the average for all films. Films from continental Europe were even less successful, accounting for 11 per cent of the releases but less than two per cent of receipts 1. This perhaps reflects the problems which film-makers working in Europe have in engaging with the mass market. This is one of the key issues being addressed by the European Union in its Green Paper on strategy options to strengthen the European Union film and television industry. This became a White Paper in The screen industries in Scotland suffer from similar problems to the publishing industry. Geographically isolated, with very small production units, and inadequate local finance, film making has never really established a solid base, despite some distinguished films and television output. In an attempt to build a firmer base, representatives of the various sectors of the industry set up the Scottish Screen Industry Project, an initiative intended to develop infrastructure initiatives of benefit to the whole industry. Funding was provided by Scottish Enterprise and the project was managed by the Scottish Film Council. The Project identified the 6.1 Screen industry production in Scotland between 1991 and 1994: by country of origin and type of production (a) Features TV Drama/ Document- Videos Other Shorts Corpofeatures TV drama/ aries/ TV rates drama drama series docs Austria Canada Denmark France Germany Japan Slovenia Spain Sweden UK UK / India UK / USA USA Scotland Total Scottish Screen Locations. (a) The figures represent the total number of productions, by category, which received assistance from Scottish Screen Locations during the period , not the total number of each type of production actually shot in Scotland in these years. 46 Cultural Trends in Scotland: 1995 PSI

3 6.2 Film production, distribution and exhibition: employees in employment (a) Thousands Scotland United Kingdom Census of Employment. (a) Excluding the self-employed. main problems facing the industry and measures to ameliorate these were taken by the SFC and other members. Measures included the systematic collection of statistics about the screen industries in Scotland; developing a database on European funding schemes and the dissemination of the information; introducing initiatives to help producers (eg by providing financial support to enable them to attend trade and training events); and beginning the development of a network of film production funds. The first of the film production funds to be established was in Glasgow, a joint initiative by the Glasgow Development Agency, Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Regional Council. The fund was developed, and is managed, by the Scottish Film Production Fund. Projected income for the year ending September 1994 budget is 340,000. The SFC hopes that eventually funds of 1 million covering the whole of Scotland will be established. Scottish Screen Locations was set up in 1991 to attract foreign film makers to Scotland. It provides free help and advice on locations, permissions, contracts, accommodation, local transport, crews, and extras to all film and video makers considering shooting anywhere in Scotland. Over the three years from 1991 to 1994 it has provided assistance for 27 feature films, four of them made by USA companies and two others joint projects between the UK and USA. In 1994 two large-scale Hollywood productions (Rob Roy and Braveheart) are among the 12 features being made in Scotland. Table 6.1 provides an analysis of projects in which SSL has been involved, analysed by the country of origin and type of production. A study by PIEDA 2 estimates that SSL s activities could result in continuing employment for between 100 and 200 people per year. The screen industries Census of Employment estimates of the number of people involved in film production, distribution and exhibition (Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 971) in Scotland have showed a steady decline since 1981, reaching a low point in The steady decline in Scotland compares with a much sharper decline in the sector in the United Kingdom as a whole (table 6.2), where employment fell from 33,900 in 1989 to just 24,186 in Additionally the Census of Employment for 1991 showed a total of 4,400 people employed in radio and television services, theatres etc (SIC 974). The Scottish Film Council estimates that the screen industries in Scotland have a collective turnover of more than 300 million per annum and generate approximately 3,000 full time equivalent jobs 3. The Scottish membership of the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) has been growing. PACT estimate that there are currently some 100 independent production companies in membership in Scotland against 1,400 for the UK as a whole -- around seven per cent of the total. This represents a modest rise of one per cent over the equivalent estimate given for Film and cinema Public funding for film Central government funding for film is modest, the 1993/4 expenditure by the SOED being million. The principal recipients were the Scottish Film Council ( 857,000) and the Scottish Film Production Fund ( 190,000). Obviously the direct help for film production which the organisations can give is marginal. However the simple fact of their involvement can be important in unlocking other sources of funds. Table 6.3 shows that the level of Cultural Trends in Scotland: 1995 PSI 47

4 6.3 Scottish Office Education Department: grants for film thousands 1989/ /1 1991/2 1992/3 1993/4 At current prices ,047 At constant (1993/4) prices ,047 Scottish Office Education Department. grant funding for film remained relatively steady at constant prices until 1992/3 when there was a marked increase of around 16 per cent, followed by a 19 per cent increase in 1993/4. The Scottish Film Council (SFC), as the body responsible for the promotion of film and moving image culture in Scotland, has an importance which goes beyond the funding which it provides, and it has taken a leading role in the development of policy for all areas of the industry. The SFCs expenditure is concentrated on four key areas: Exhibition, Production and Training, Media education, and the Scottish Film Archive, which together account for 62 per cent of its budget (figure 6.1). Substantially the largest of these areas is Exhibition expenditure. After salary and National Insurance costs have been excluded 94 per cent of exhibition expenditure was taken up by annual revenue grants to the seven Regional Film Theatres, the Scottish Group of the British Federation of Film Societies, and the Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival. The Scottish Film Production Fund (SFPF) was established in 1982 and makes grants towards film-making in Scotland as well as managing the Glasgow Film Fund. Until 1992/3 the SFPF received grants direct from the SOED together with a small subvention from the SAC ( 28,000 in 1992/3). From 1993/4 all its public funding has come from SOED ( 190,000 in that year). This is augmented by annual contributions from Channel Four ( 60,000), BBC Scotland ( 90,000) and Grampian ( 10,000). Cinema attendance The best estimates of cinema attendances are provided by the Cinema Advertising Association, which believes that the figures cover about 99 per cent of the total market. Table 6.4 shows that during the early 1990s annual Scottish cinema attendances have risen by up to two million over the four year period covered. However, total UK admissions have been rising even more rapidly, hence the decline in the Scottish share of total annual UK admissions. Figure 6.1 Scottish Film Council: analysis of expenditure, 1993/4 48 Cultural Trends in Scotland: 1995 PSI

5 6.4 Scottish share of cinema admissions as a percentage of total UK admissions Millions and percentages 1989/ /3 1993/4 UK admissions Scottish admissions Scotland percentage of UK total Cinema Advertising Association. 6.5 Cinema attendances in Scotland and Great Britain Scotland Percentages Great Britain All who currently attend Attend more than once a year Target Group Index 1993; British Market Research Bureau. The Target Group Index in 1993 found that 43 per cent of Scottish adults currently attend cinema, and just under 32 per cent attend more than once a year. Table 6.5 shows that whilst the overall figure is a little lower than the GB average (45 per cent), the proportion attending more than once a year is very slightly higher. Regional Film Theatres Table 6.6 shows attendances at the Scottish Regional Film Theatres, which are funded by the Scottish Film Council. After growing strongly from 1983/4 to 1991/2 total attendances fell in 1992/3 by 12.5 per cent, whilst the average attendance per screening fell by nearly 15 per cent. Total receipts at the RFTs also fell in 1992/3, though the average ticket yield increased by ten per cent in cash terms (from 2.22 to 2.45) and seven per cent in real terms (from 2.30 to 2.45). The fall was not repeated in the English RFTs. Table 6.7 shows that the fall in attendances occurred in all the theatres leading to suggestions that the recession had led to a reduction in the number of repeat visits. The view is not incompatible with the overall trends in cinema attendance. The RFTs have a very small proportion of the market, and attract a specialised audience. The situation is exacerbated by distributors offering films to commercial exhibitors which would once have been offered exclusively to the regional film theatres, thus 6.6 Admissions and box office receipts at film theatres supported by the Scottish Film Council (a) 1983/4 1988/9 1990/1 1991/2 1992/3 1993/4 Admissions (000) Receipts ( 000) At constant (1993/4) prices Receipts ( 000) , Average ticket yield (.p) Scottish Film Council. (a) Dumfries, Robert Burns Centre; Dundee Steps Theatre; Edinburgh Filmhouse; Glasgow Film Theatre; Inverness Eden Court Theatre; Kirkcaldy Adam Smith Theatre; Stirling MacRobert Arts Centre. Cultural Trends in Scotland: 1995 PSI 49

6 6.7 Regional Film Theatres in Scotland: grants and paid admissions Paid Box SFC Average Subsidy admissions office grant ticket yield per ticket (number) ( ) ( ) (.p) (.p) 1991/2 Dumfries: Robert Burns Centre 14,689 27,608 5, Dundee: Steps Theatre 28,770 57,171 4, Edinburgh: Filmhouse 160, ,008 70, Glasgow Film Theatre 173, , , Inverness: Eden Court Theatre 32,643 65,583 5, Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith Theatre 12,427 18,874 3, Stirling: MacRobert Centre 26,765 51,232 4, Total 449, , , /3 Dumfries: Robert Burns Centre 11,873 23,598 5, Dundee: Steps Theatre 23,401 48,637 4, Edinburgh: Filmhouse 133, ,842 70, Glasgow Film Theatre 158, , , Inverness: Eden Court Theatre 29,220 63,288 5, Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith Theatre 10,193 15,250 3, Stirling: MacRobert Centre 25,574 46,588 4, Total 393, , , /4 Dumfries: Robert Burns Centre 12,647 29,780 6, Dundee: Steps Theatre 22,149 49,408 5, Edinburgh: Filmhouse 136, ,787 90, Glasgow Film Theatre 146, , , Inverness: Eden Court Theatre 34,031 79,466 6, Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith Theatre 14,749 21,843 4, Stirling: MacRobert Centre 35,210 74,115 4, Total 401, , , Scottish Film Council. denying the RFTs what would have been their most successful presentations. However there was a partial recovery in attendances in 1993/4 to 401,000 a total only exceeded in 1991/2. Broadcasting Radio The only national radio station based in Scotland is BBC Radio Scotland, operating from Glasgow but with seven community and area stations in Inverness, Stornoway, Portree, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Dumfries and Selkirk. Radio nan Gaidheal, broadcasting from Stornoway and Portree provides 1,400 hours of Gaelic broadcasting per year. The BBC Annual Review for 1992/3 noted: In Radio Scotland there has been a fundamental change of emphasis away from local radio to building a stronger, sharper central service that serves the whole of the national region. The focus is on improved news and current affairs, topicality and upgraded speech content. The task of providing local radio services is now covered by the increasing network of independent stations. Those on air in 1993 are listed in table Cultural Trends in Scotland: 1995 PSI

7 6.8 Independent local radio stations in Scotland Based Thousands Population(a) FM frequency SIBC Lerwick 18 Moray Firth Radio Inverness 197 NorthSound Radio Aberdeen 264 Heartland FM Pitlochry (b) Radio Tay Dundee 428 Central FM Stirling 166 Q96 Paisley 735 Clyde 1 Glasgow 1,833 Radio Forth RFM Edinburgh 1,062 West Sound Ayr 280 Radio Borders Galashiels 99 South West Sound Dumfries 60 AM frequency Moray Firth Radio Inverness 197 NorthSound Radio Aberdeen 264 Radio Tay Dundee 428 Max AM Edinburgh 1,062 Clyde 2 Glasgow 1,833 West Sound Ayr 280 RADAD 93; Association of Independent Radio Companies. (a) Total survey area population. (b) Not a member of the Association of Independent Radio Companies. together with the adult populations that they serve. These Total Survey Area populations cover the marketing area of the stations and are used as the basis for measuring audiences and charging advertisers. Television Scottish viewers watch more TV than people elsewhere in Britain: on average about ten per cent more. In terms of channels watched they are close to the national pattern, though with a proportionately slightly lower audience for BBC1, and a correspondingly larger audience for Channel 4 (table 6.9). BBC research suggests that there is a perception in Scotland that BBC1 is too London oriented, and that in this it is more culpable than the ITV companies, which find it easier to emphasise their Scottish identity (69 per cent of respondents against 20 per cent). Overall in 1988/9 BBC Scotland provided 236 hours of original contributions to BBC network TV, just under three per cent. By 1993 this had fallen to 151 hours, or less than two per cent. Over the same period hours originated in London rose from 6,385 (75 per cent) to 6,628 (82 per cent). Under the terms of the Broadcasting Act 1990, the Independent Television Commission (ITC) invited tenders in 1992 for the renewal of Channel 3 licenses. All three stations serving Scotland retained their franchises and subsequently emerged well from the performance review published in The companies, Border Television (which has its headquarters in Carlisle), Grampian Television and Scottish Television are required by the ITC to produce or commission a minimum number of hours of new programmes of local interest. Table 6.10 shows that all three companies exceeded this minimum. 6.9 Television: channel shares of viewing in Scotland and the UK (a) Percentages BBC1 BBC2 ITV C4 Scotland UK BARB/AGB Qtr 4, 1991; BBC Broadcasting Research Annual Review (a) Terrestrial channels only. Cultural Trends in Scotland: 1995 PSI 51

8 6.10 Television: new productions and commissions for local interest Hrs:mins per week Actual average Minimum compliance average Border: total 6:46 5:00 North 0:52..(a) Grampian 7:18 6:30 Scottish 11:31 10:00 (a) No minimum requirement for sub region. Notes 1 BFI Film and Television Handbook 1993; British Film Institute. 2 Evaluation of Scottish Screen Locations; PIEDA for Scottish Enterprise, Annual Review ; The Scottish Film Council. 52 Cultural Trends in Scotland: 1995 PSI