Glasgow: Cinema’s Newest City
Los Angeles. London. New York City. These are just a few locations that have been renowned for filming movies and television shows. However, one city has been starting to gain more attention.
From the apocalyptic thriller World War Z being filmed in George Square to the Necropolis being used as a grungy and dirty Gotham for Matt Reeves’ The Batman, Glasgow has been selected for some massive entertainment features.
Glasgow city streets during filming of Indiana Jones. Picture source: Unsplash
Jennifer Reynolds, a Film Commissioner for the Glasgow Film Office, discussed why the city is starting to get used more for huge productions. She said: “In the past 10-11 years, we’ve had a larger number of newsworthy productions, the so-called big American productions.
“A lot of these productions are basing themselves in the UK because it’s a good tax incentive. Also, the exchange rate makes it favourable. What makes Glasgow different to others I think is that many productions were happy with the reception from the council.
“The council tries to accommodate them as fast as they can, so they are able to film in a certain location.”
The increased filming in Glasgow has brought numerous benefits. Reynolds highlighted how it is impacting the city and the locals. She said: “Most productions are hiring people from Glasgow and buying their materials and equipment locally. Also, the people visiting Glasgow are staying in hotels, generating a lot of money for the city.
“The coverage in the press and the media is generally good. People are happy to see it, especially when it’s a big franchise such as Indiana Jones.”
To have permission to film in Glasgow, production companies need to go through various processes. Reynolds explained: “A location manager will come and visit with a copy of the script explaining what sort of location they need. We would then take them around the city, showing areas which may be suitable.
“Also, the companies will need to take into consideration if there are any road works happening. Whether it’s Scottish Water or Scottish Power, discussions will need to take place on how they can move forward.”
As we look ahead to the future, Reynolds feels it will be a very bright one with more opportunities and roles being attached to productions in Glasgow, she said: “I think the best for the industry is that the National Agency (Screen Scotland) works with these incoming productions to get trainees involved.
“There’s so much work on a film set that you don’t need to go to film school for. They’re always looking for hairdressers, make-up artists, joiners, painters so all these trades are needed on a film set.”