Filmmakers of the future needed to plug industry skills gap

A film studio boss says "once-in-a-generation growth" in the British film industry is creating "amazing opportunities" for budding filmmakers.

Robert Laycock, chief executive of Marlow Film Studios, Buckinghamshire, said it was the perfect time for young people to try their hand.

About 20,000 new jobs were needed in West London alone by 2025, he said.

He said studios where Star Wars, James Bond and Harry Potter films were made were experiencing a "skills shortage".

Mr Laycock, who also manages the Ian Fleming Estate (including James Bond and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), is behind plans to build a new film studio on the site of a former gravel quarry near Marlow.

"Across the film and television industry there's a skills shortage at a time when international filmmakers are looking to make the biggest and best productions in this part of the UK," he said.

"About 20,000 new jobs are needed in a few years time, to keep track of the historic growth.

"This current opportunity is much bigger than anyone realises".

The region already has a thriving film studio presence, with Pinewood and Elstree studios based in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, and the creation of a new studio in Reading.

Approval has also been given for the Sunset Waltham Cross Studios and there are plans for another studio in Stewartby.

Corey Edwards, 18, a second year student, from Aylesbury, studying Creative Media Production at Buckinghamshire College Group (BCG), said the region has "a bit of a reputation as a centre for the film and TV industry".

"It is really exciting to hear about all the plans to make this part of the world a UK leader in the sector," he said.

"For me it is the most exciting industry in the world and if I can pursue a successful career close to home, in a place that I actually care about, it would be fantastic."

Jenny Craig, BCG principal and chief executive, said: "The film and television sector is growing rapidly in Buckinghamshire and surrounding counties, and colleges are best placed to respond to the demand for skills from these employers."

She said BCG worked in partnership with industry experts and offered specialist courses in creative media production, special effects makeup and games and graphic design.

More than 120 students were currently in training, she added.

"There are so many opportunities to join the vibrant and growing film and TV sector and we are delighted to play an integral role in developing the professionals of the future," she said.

Euan Emery, 20, from Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, is studying computer science at the University of Sheffield. He has made three short films and is secretary of Sheffield Film Making Society.

He hoped to work in the film industry in "any shape or form" and was prepared to "work my way up".

"The first films I made were completely rubbish but they gave me so much experience," he said.

"It's going to be exciting, the future is unknown, I want to see what happens and see what experiences I get."

My Laycock said the UK film industry was "'outstanding at making tent poles', the Hollywood expression that means to keep the whole industry up."

"It's not going to be a problem filling those roles," he said, "it's just making sure that we've got the ecosystem right."

Not everyone is excited about the proposed growth of the industry in the area. The campaign group Save Marlow's Greenbelt says more than 1,000 people have objected to the new studio in Marlow.

Chairman Richard Sherwin said: "With so many studios being built, the UK film industry has sufficient capacity to continue growing without the need to destroy Marlow's beautiful countryside and disrupt the lives of its community.

"Studio workers are highly specialised contractors who travel where the work is so there is little employment opportunity for local people unless they are already in the film industry.

"Local businesses won't see much benefit either because the studio staff have just about everything they need on-site. In fact, it is likely to harm them because the roads will be so congested their trade is likely to suffer."

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