How did Scotland become a hotspot for Hollywood?

From superhero blockbusters to Netflix rom-coms, Scotland has become an increasingly popular location for Hollywood.

In the autumn, Twisters star Glen Powell can be seen in Glasgow filming scenes for sci-fi story The Operating Man, while Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire will be the backdrop for a new version of Frankenstein.

These productions join a long list of films and television shows filmed in the country during the last decade.

Tourism bosses hope successful productions can see Scotland follow countries such as New Zealand, where The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films were filmed, and Northern Ireland, which has seen a tourism boom since Game of Thrones fans looking to visit locations used in the fantasy series.

For some movies, like Drama set in Orkney The Outrun or the hit TV show Outlander, filming in Scotland is a natural option since the stories themselves take place there.

Scotland’s landscape and nature is distinctive and, for the most part, can be accessed relatively quickly from major cities, which helps.

However, in the last decade, cities across the country have taken the place of other places, something that Ray Tallan, film director at the Current Conservatoire of Scotland, suggests is due to the architecture of cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Cube that “adapts wonderfully” to the big screen.

Tallan also points out the increase in the offer of studies in the country, with companies such as First stage studies at the Leith and Wardpark film and television studios in Cumbernauld.

Tallan told BBC Scotland Information: “This gives productions the flexibility to use Scotland not only as a setting but also as studio facilities.

“As more such productions are successfully filmed here, confidence in the sector and its reputation will increase.”

There is also another reason: money.

Like the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland is able to offer tax exemptions to the productions, which increases their attractiveness, as well as additional financing.

For example, Glasgow City Council gave Warner Bros around £150,000 to shoot the DC Comics film Batgirl in the city, only for the finished film to never see the light of day. The heads of the study decided not to publish it..

Glasgow has been particularly adaptable, with its streets doubling those of London in Quick & Livid spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, as the legendary comics location Gotham Metropolis in the opening of the comic book adventure The Flash, and as 1960s New York for a parade scene. in Indiana Jones and the dial of destiny.

Cheryl Conway, head of Display Commission at Display screen Scotland, told BBC Scotland Information that the country has “versatility”, which makes it attractive to studios.

Of course, this can also work the other way around: the cheesy festive rom-com A Merry Scottish Christmas used Duns Castle in the Scottish Borders for exterior shots, but almost the entire film, despite the title, was filmed in Ireland.

An appreciable amount. The recent rate includes…

• Frankenstein (Netflix)
• The Rig series 2 (Prime Video), Fear (Prime Video),
• Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (Heaven)
• One day (Netflix),
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Amblin)
• The Outrun (Arcade Images)
• Tetris (Apple TV+)
• Andor (Disney+)
• Batman (Warner Bros.)
• California Planning (James McAvoy)
• Avengers: Infinity Warfare (Marvel Studios)
• Avengers: Endgame (Marvel Studios)
• The Princess Change Trilogy (Netflix)

This is a more complicated topic.

A common concern when massive productions take over parts of the city is whether the disruption will negatively impact local businesses.

When the Batgirl film was cancelled, Glasgow City Council told The Daily File that the production still provided “a very significant economic benefit” to the city as a whole.

However, businesses in the areas where it was filmed were less convinced and told the BBC at the time that their trade had been adversely affected.

Clothing store Social Recluse on King Avenue in the Trongate area received £1,000 in compensation after having to close for 10 days for filming, something staff said did not make up for a “wasted month”.

In other productions, such as Indiana Jones and the remake of Operating Man, areas of Glasgow have been modified and streets and roads blocked, raising the question of whether those directly affected are actually seeing any benefit.

Dr Ewelina Lacka, from the University of Edinburgh Business School, told BBC Scotland Information that the economic benefits of films in Scotland had a “mixed outlook”, particularly when it comes to tourism.

She explained: “It is not just the film that is made there, but also whether certain conditions are met, mainly related to the management and marketing of the destination.

“This highlights the importance of something like Go to Scotland, having a marketing strategy in place before and after filming.”

The clearest example of a film or television production that promotes Scotland is Outlander, the standard television program based on the books by American author Diana Gabaldon.

Several companies now run Outlander tours around Scotland, visiting places used throughout the long-running series.

Dr Lacka said: “It’s a distraction effect: people plan trips and work on filming locations as part of a larger visit.”

Tallan agrees, saying, “Outlander has an amazing global reach and there is no doubt that it has had an impact on tourism in the locations where the production is filmed.”

Display screen Scotland believes the local film industry gains benefits from visiting major productions.

Conway said it allowed Scottish apprentices and crews to gain “very important experience” and help secure “sustainable careers” in the long term.

Tallan agrees, saying that more experienced crew members can move on to larger productions, which in turn “gives the opportunity for new blood to come in” on smaller shoots.

He recently took over Glasgow for The Operating Man, based on the book by Stephen King and already adapted once into a 1980s action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This time, Glen Powell is the man forced to fight to survive in a ruthless game show, in which Glasgow represents a dystopian, futuristic city.

Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire will replace 18th century Germany in a new version of the gothic horror Frankenstein for streaming giant Netflix, directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

The Hellboy director had an interesting experience while in Scotland: he posted on social media saying that He thought his hotel might be haunted..

New drama from heaven Lockerbie: a search for the truth It will screen in January and filming took place in Linlithgow.