How did Scotland become a Hollywood hotspot?

From superhero blockbusters to Netflix romantic comedies, Scotland has become an increasingly familiar location for Hollywood to use.

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

These productions join a long list of films and TV shows filmed in the country over the past decade.

Tourism bosses hope successful construction could lead to Scotland following New Zealand – where the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films were shot – and Northern Ireland, which has seen a tourism boom from game of thrones fans Want to visit locations used in fantasy series.

For some movies, like Orkney-set drama The Outrun or the smash-hit TV show Outlander, filming on location in Scotland is a natural choice as the stories themselves are set there.

The Scottish scenery and wilderness is distinctive, and can be reached relatively quickly from most major cities, which helps.

However, the past decade has seen cities across the country stand in for other locations – Ray Tallon, head of film at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, suggests this is limited to architectural cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh.

He says it “carries beautifully” on the big screen.

Mr Tallon also points to an increase in studio provision in the country First Stage Studio At Leith and Wardpark Film and Television Studios in Cumbernauld.

Mr Tallon told BBC Scotland News: “It gives the production access to Scotland not only for its scenes but now also for its studio facilities.

“As more of these productions are successfully shot here, it increases confidence and reputation in the area.”

There is another reason too – money.

Like the rest of Britain, Scotland is able to offer tax exemption in presentations, thereby increasing its appeal, as well as additional funding.

For example, Glasgow City Council paid Warner Bros. approximately £150,000 to shoot the DC Comics film Batgirl in the city – only for the finished film to never be released the next day The studio owners decided not to release it,

Glasgow has been particularly adaptable, with its streets doubling for London in the Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, as the famous comic book location Gotham City in the opening of the comic book adventure The Flash, and as the scene of the parade. In the form of 1960s New York Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,

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

Of course, it could work the other way too: the cheesy festive romcom A Merry Scottish Christmas used Duns Castle in the Scottish Borders for exterior scenes, but despite the title, almost the entire movie was filmed in Ireland.

Quite a sum. Recent hires include…

• Frankenstein (Netflix)
• The Rig Series 2 (Prime Video), Fear (Prime Video),
• Lockerbie: The Search for Truth (Sky)
• One Day (Netflix),
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Amblin)
• Moving On (arcade picture)
• Tetris (Apple TV+)
• Andor (Disney+)
• Batman (Warner Bros.)
• California Schemen’ (James McAvoy)
• Avengers: Infinity War (Marvel Studios)
• Avengers: Endgame (Marvel Studios)
• The Princess Switch Trilogy (Netflix)

This is a more complex issue.

A regular concern when large-scale production occurs in parts of a city is whether the disruption will negatively impact local businesses.

When the Batgirl film was shelved, Glasgow City Council told the Daily Record that the production still provided “a very significant economic benefit” for the wider city.

However, businesses in the areas where filming took place were less convinced, telling the BBC at the time that their business had been had adverse effects,

The Social Recluse clothing store on King Street in the Trongate area was given £1,000 in compensation after being closed for 10 days for filming – with staff saying it could not make up for the “wasted month”.

Other productions such as the Indiana Jones and Running Man remakes have seen many parts of Glasgow transformed and streets and roads blocked off, raising questions about whether those who are directly affected are actually being affected. Getting benefits.

Dr Evelina Laca, of the University of Edinburgh’s Business School, told BBC Scotland News that the economic benefits of films in Scotland were a “mixed perspective”, particularly in relation to tourism.

He explained: “It is not only whether the film is being made there, but also whether certain conditions are met, mainly related to destination management and marketing.

“This highlights the importance of something like Visit Scotland in implementing a marketing strategy before and after filming.”

The most obvious example of a film or TV production promoting Scotland is Outlander, the hugely popular TV show based on the books by American author Diana Gabaldon.

Several companies are now running Outlander tours around Scotland, visiting locations used During a long running series.

Dr Laca said: “It’s a distraction effect – people plan trips, and work at filming locations as part of a wider trip.”

Mr Tallon agrees, saying: “Outlander has an amazing reach globally and there is no doubt that it has had an impact on tourism in the locations where the production is shot.”

Screen Scotland believes that the local film industry benefits from touring larger productions.

Ms Conway said it helped trainees and Scottish crews gain “vital experience” and secure “sustainable careers” in the long term.

Mr Tallon agrees that more experienced crew members can move to larger productions, which in turn “allows new blood to come in” on smaller shoots.

Glasgow was recently cast for The Running Man, based on the book by Stephen King, and the 1980s action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger has already been adapted once.

This time Glen Powell is the man forced to fight for survival in a brutal game show that depicts Glasgow as a dystopian, futuristic city.

Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire will step into 18th century Germany in a new version of Gothic horror Frankenstein for the Netflix streaming giant directed by Guillermo del Toro.

The Hellboy director had an interesting experience in Scotland – posting on social media that They believed their hotel might be haunted,

new sky drama Lockerbie: the search for truth It will be shown in January, shooting in Linlithgow.