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FILM
BIG SCREEN SCENE As London stakes its claim as the film capital of the world, Lucy Purdy discovers how Ealing is the engine room of a new British golden age of filmmaking
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hen Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg are filming in town, each makes a beeline for Ealing. These three blockbusting kings of the global film industry know what they like when they’re making movies in the capital, and they like this west London borough with a history of punching well above its filmmaking weight. From Ealing Studios, where Downton Abbey has been made for six years, to the council-run film office attracting Hollywood heavyweights to shoot films and programmes at Ealing locations, the borough is perfectly poised to benefit from an anticipated £3 billion spend on film and high-end TV in Britain in the next few years. Foreign investment fuelled by tax breaks, world-recognisable locations and a reputation for exacting standards, production skills and aweinspiring special effects have helped underscore London’s supremacy. And Ealing has always been one of the hotspots, explains Mike Liddall, head of the West London Film Office. “We have the world-renowned Ealing Studios on our doorstep and a whole host of lesser-known ones that are also really important to the industry. The vast bulk, we’re talking 90% of the TV and film industry’s supply chain companies, from lighting and camera to prop hire, are based off the A40 in Acton. So this borough is the film and TV engine house of London. And
guess what? London is now the most filmed location in the world. It was third, behind New York and Los Angeles, but has jumped to the top, which is why we’ve just had our busiest year yet.” When tasked with making the most of Ealing’s filming potential in the early 1990s, only a smattering of other London councils had even begun to think of it as a potential income stream. So Liddall turned to a friend working at the BBC to ask what it was that film and television makers really wanted. “He told me that what was needed was a one-stop shop, a single point of contact rather than multiple council departments. So that’s what we did. Our first one was a Direct Line commercial of a car turned on its roof. It was a really big, impactful advert and we charged the crew to film on the streets in Ealing.” The concept had launched. Ironically, the BBC, who had filmed in the borough for free for years, took umbrage at the new charges, and Liddall was summoned to a meeting in their canteen. Striking up a conversation with a TV researcher he was sitting next to, he found an unlikely
ally in her boss who told Liddall’s contact he thought that charging for locations was a reasonable idea. It was Jeremy Paxman. “I decided to keep the charges, but also to go on the offensive to be helpful,” says Liddall. “I knew the film crews could afford it, for the right location. The power of advertising and the power of a good location is huge. Major brands can increase sales by millions if they produce the right advert.” The film office now represents the boroughs of Ealing and neighbouring Harrow, and was based at Ealing Studios before moving to the council’s offices in 2006. Liddall and his team have successfully attracted film crews to both council and private sites, helping create major feature films, well-known TV dramas and immediately recognisable pop videos. What do Love Actually, Bend It Like Beckham, Only Fools and Horses and Blur’s Parklife video have in common? You guessed it. All include filming in Ealing. The team receives hundreds of requests each month, from student filmmakers seeking the perfect spot
“London is now the most filmed location in the world. It jumped to the top, which is why we’ve just had our busiest year yet”