A Glasgow MSP has today (Thursday) backed calls for investment in a post-production facility in Scotland.  John Mason, the SNP MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, took part in a Scottish Parliament Members’ debate which recognised Scottish literature on the big screen and the recent surge in Scotland’s film and TV industry.

Mr Mason’s calls came a week after producers of World War Z released a trailer for the film, which shows scenes including Holywood actor, Brad Pitt, during action filmed in Glasgow’s George Square and Cochrane Street last year.

Commenting, Glasgow Shettleston MSP, Mr Mason, said:

“Today was a good opportunity to talk about Holywood’s impact on Scotland.

“In Glasgow recently we saw scenes shot for The Fast & The Furious 6 , which saw 250 crew members head for the Broomielaw, Cadogan Street and Wellington Street for filming throughout the night. 

“The Glasgow Film Office estimates that the three weeks of filming provided an injection of over £20 million for the city’s economy which is very encouraging.

“Other figures from the Glasgow Film Office show that, last year – in 2011 – it received 311 location enquiries, which resulted in 225 productions being shot in the city.  These statistics show that 46% of these were TV projects, 7% films, 14% commercials, 6% short films and 26% miscellaneous projects, ranging from corporate productions to stills shoots.

“It is clear from these figures that the majority of the work is still coming in from TV projects, which is perhaps complimented by the investment in sites like Pacific Quay, which is home to STV and the BBC.  Surely investment in post-production facilities will reap similar rewards.

“We are fortunate to have such fantastic architecture in urban places like Glasgow which is attracting films like World War Z.  In backing these calls, I am confident that we can do more to attract more business to Glasgow, which can only be a good thing for the city”.

Bob Doris, SNP MSP for Glasgow Region, who also spoke in the debate, added:

“I was glad to speak in this debate about how we can encourage investment in the film industry in Scotland, and Glasgow in particular.

“The Scottish Government has demonstrated its enthusiasm for the industry by designating Creative Clyde, which encompasses Film City Glasgow and Pacific Quay, as an enterprise zone for the creative industries. This is very welcome, and follows a campaign by me and others to bring an enterprise zone to Glasgow. This means businesses based there can claim 100% business tax relief, which represents an estimated injection of £275,000 by the Government.

“Glasgow City Council is clearly also keen to promote film production: they founded Glasgow Film Office for the express purpose of marketing the city as a hub for the industry. The use of the city as a shooting location for a number of major Hollywood productions over the last year demonstrates their success.

“The single most significant boost to the industry would be the establishment of a purpose-built facility which integrates all aspects of film production. The development of Film City Glasgow in recent years is a step in the right direction, but its capacity is limited compared to some other major facilities of this type, such as the recently opened Pinewood Studios near London.

“I hope that local and national government will work together to ensure producers are further incentivised to invest in improved resources for the industry in Glasgow.”