Our popular inward investment county goes to the movies
Welcome to ‘Hollywood-on-Severn’, home of many successful film and TV related businesses – and a surprising number of TV and film stars including Sue Barker, Liz Hurley, Richard Hammond, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Anne Robinson and Kate Winslet.
When you visit the cinema, are you one of those people who waits around at the end to see the filming locations? If so, then you may have noticed how often Gloucestershire is appearing in the credits of blockbuster productions. And if you’re in film or TV yourself, you’ll know how, within the county’s small area, we offer production companies a wonderfully diverse range of scenery, a friendly welcome and a huge range of supporting services.
Gloucestershire - Whatever you want it to be
Need a dark, mysterious forest? Where could be better than the Royal Forest of Dean? A quintessential English village? No problem; how about The Slaughters or Ashton Keynes? From elegant Regency architecture to original black and white timbered buildings; from Victorian docksides to nineteenth century mills and authentic steam railways, Gloucestershire really does have it all – including Dracula’s castle (otherwise known as Woodchester Mansion, near Stroud) for a recent BBC production.
We even do real snow, and everything associated with it, 365 days of the year, thanks to Stroud-based success story Snow Business International (The Day after Tomorrow, The Chronicles of Narnia, Cold Mountain and many other films).
Stunning locations for film and TV
So, what’s the secret?
- A wide variety of locations
- A friendly, co-operative welcome to film companies
- A concentration of specialist film-related businesses (Snow Business, Cheltenham Film Studios and many other companies)
- Excellent transport links with the UK, Europe and the world.
It’s not surprising that the county has ‘stood in’ for real and fantasy locations in films such as James Bond’s Die Another Day, Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Remains of the Day and the hugely successful Harry Potter adventures.
On the small screen too, Gloucestershire regularly provides the backdrop: recent TV productions have included the BBC’s Our Mutual Friend and The Other Bolyn Girl.
Working closely with South West Screen
Gloucestershire (a member of the South West Local Authority Film Friendly Steering Group) works in close partnership with South West Screen, the funding and support agency for the cultural and economic development of film, television and digital media in South West England, to deliver a film-friendly service to the film production industry. South West Screen has an online locations library and production guide containing details of crew, facilities and accommodation.
Visit South West Screen online at www.swscreen.co.uk.
A star performer in today’s film business
Make no mistake, when the clapperboard slams shut and directors shout ‘Action’, Gloucestershire is one of today’s star performers in the film business – whether it’s snowing or not!
For more information:
Contact Gloucestershire Tourism on
Telephone: +44 (0) 1242 864171
Visit: www.glos-cotswolds.com
Email: tourism@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Cheltenham Film Studios can be contacted as follows:
Cheltenham Film Studios
Arle Court
Hatherley Lane
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL51 6PN
Telephone: +44 (0) 1242 542700
Fax: +44 (0) 1242 542701