Roll camera for Buckinghamshire Film Office!

Business and Economy, Cultural and the Arts, Democracy and Local Affairs
Ribbon cutting outside The Peter Lamont Building, Pinewood Studios, home of the Buckinghamshire Film Office. Left to right: Richard Barker, Corporate Director for Communities at Buckinghamshire Council; Cllr Clive Harriss, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure – Buckinghamshire Council; The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture Media and Sport; Cllr Martin Tett, Leader of the Council – Buckinghamshire Council; Rachael Shimmin, Chief Executive Officer – Buckinghamshire Council; Ruth Bryant, Film Officer – Buckinghamshire Council. Photo credit: Tim Whitby

Buckinghamshire Council is delighted to premiere the Buckinghamshire Film Office and is inviting residents and businesses to put forward their own properties for consideration for both the big and the small screen.

Buckinghamshire has a history of attracting productions to the county due to its historic towns and buildings, picturesque villages and green spaces. It is hugely popular for filmmakers, with many shows and films being shot on location in Buckinghamshire, including: Midsomer Murders, Afterlife, The Vicar of Dibley, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Harry Potter, Cinderella, Jurassic World: Dominion and The Imitation Game.

Following signs that the industry was entering a production boom led by streaming expansion, tax breaks and the development of new facilities in the region, the Buckinghamshire Film Office was developed in collaboration with key partners and the film industry, including Buckinghamshire Business First, Buckinghamshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership, Pinewood Studios and Creative England. Its main function is to support production companies and film crews with filming in the county, from road closures to securing the right location and resources they need to film in the county.

Clive Harriss, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure commented on the benefits the Film Office will bring to the local area. He said: “By supporting production companies to film in our county, the Film Office provides a massive cash boost to the local economy and tourism. It will provide employment opportunities and valuable skills development for the county’s workforce, whilst also ensuring residents and businesses continue to benefit from filming.

“Through working with local partners and centrally managing on-location filming requests, the Film Office can ensure any local disruption caused by filming is minimised.”

And that’s not all. To make it easier for location managers to find and film in Buckinghamshire, Buckinghamshire Film Office’s new website hosts an online database of locations and venues. Residents, businesses and property owners could soon be rolling out the red carpet as from today, Thursday 1 December, they are warmly invited to register their local venues and resources to be promoted as filming opportunities in Buckinghamshire.

Clive continued: “The Film Office acts as the first point of contact for productions, providing fast responses and expertise to secure Buckinghamshire’s place as a premier filming destination. We’re excited to see how the Film Office will grow and look forward to our local residents and businesses getting involved and benefitting through our database.”

The Buckinghamshire Film Office was officially ‘opened’ last week at a ribbon cutting ceremony outside The Peter Lamont Building at Pinewood Studios.

Andrew M. Smith OBE DL, Corporate Affairs Director, Pinewood Group, said: “Last week we welcomed The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as well as representatives from Buckinghamshire Council to Pinewood Studios, the home and partner of the Buckinghamshire Film Office.

“As part of the visit, The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP officially opened the Buckinghamshire Film Office which we’re confident will deliver a dynamic, one-stop unit to promote the world-class filming opportunities Buckinghamshire has to offer. The Film Office will support priorities around growth in the creative industries and ambitions to significantly increase inward investment in the film and high-end TV sector while offering a quality and professional end-to-end service to production companies from around the world, provided by a dedicated team with local knowledge.”

Hayley Armstrong, Head of Production Services at Creative England commented: “Creative England are proud to work in partnership with Buckinghamshire Film Office to help industry to access the county’s finest locations, studios, crew, supply chain businesses and permissions.  The county is no stranger to the biggest names in film and TV and now, with the investment and film-friendly approach by Buckinghamshire Council, not only will industry benefit from an efficient proactive service, local communities will enjoy the profile, job opportunities and economic benefits that filming can bring now and into the future.”

Find out more: www.buckinghamshirefilmoffice.com