EuroScreen Handbook by EuroScreen

Programme INTERREG IVC

Capitalising on Screen Tourism: EuroScreen Handbook This publication is co-financed by the European Union (85%) and the Maltese partner Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit (15%). The contents of this publication reflect the views of the authors, and the Managing Authority is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein. The Handbook was compiled by external service providers engaged by Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit, with contributions from the EuroScreen project leader Film London and all EuroScreen partners. Printed in Maribor.

Capitalising on Screen Tourism: EuroScreen Handbook Introduction...................................................................................................... 3 The Case for Screen Tourism........................................................................................... 4 The EuroScreen Project...................................................................................................... 5 The EuroScreen Handbook.............................................................................................. 6 Chapter 1: Starting from Scratch: How to Kick Start Screen Tourism.7 Supporting Film and Television Production in the Regions.............................. 8 Creating a Film Friendly Environment.......................................................................... 8 Building Awareness of the Benefits of Screen Tourism...................................... 9 Chapter 2: Capitalising on Film and Television Production Developing Screen Tourism Based on an Existing Audiovisual Industry.................... 11 Implementing Screen Tourism Strategies................................................................... 12 Producing Products................................................................................................................ 12 Building a Network with Key Stakeholders in Both Sectors (Production and Tourism Industries)........................................................................................................ 13 Incentives for the Production Industry........................................................................ 13 Roles Supporting Both Sectors....................................................................................... 14 Chapter 3: Advanced Screen Tourism Practices........................................ 15 Resources Available Now................................................................................................... 16 EuroScreen Baseline Report Assessing Best Practice......................................... 16 EuroScreen Database............................................................................................................ 16 EuroScreen Case Studies.................................................................................................... 17 EuroScreen: Quantifying Location Placement Value............................................ 17 Film London Code of Practice......................................................................................... 17 Apulia’s Hospitality Fund..................................................................................................... 18 Apulia’s Screen Tourism Strategy.................................................................................... 18 Malta’s Cash Rebate............................................................................................................... 19 Ystad’s Media Analysis........................................................................................................... 20 Conclusion......................................................................................................... 21

INTRODUCTION

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock in front of London’s iconic River Thames and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Image credit Hartswood Films

The Case for Screen Tourism The potential for exchange and dialogue between the screen and the tourism industries has long been recognised. The parallels between the two are clear, as evidenced by the same iconic locations and landmarks being used in productions and tourism promotion alike. Establishing a location on screen is often akin to establishing a tourism destination. While we often admire the memorable shots of Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum that set the scene for equally memorable films, we should not underestimate the power of the screen to garner interest in lesser-known, but no less noteworthy places. Successful examples include The Sound of Music for Salzburg, Notting Hill for London, or the television series Wallander for Ystad.

Filming Wallander in Ystad Image credit Jonas Thus

The longstanding economic benefits of tourism are well evidenced, and although the significant growth of the cultural industries has only been recognised more recently, both are currently one of the few sectors in the European economy still growing at a relatively fast pace. Within these two sectors screen tourism is a special case, with its own distinctive characteristics and dynamics, and a special impetus provided by the opportunities presented by new communication technologies which are capitalising on the slightest connection to a screen production experience. Research commissioned by EuroScreen demonstrates how social media commentary generated by films and television productions results in millions of Euros worth of free online advertising for the destinations they feature on screen. The report shows that annually Notting Hill generated the equivalent of €13.7m in online advertising spend for London, while the Harry Potter series netted €24.9m. Wallander yielded an incredible €22.8 m for Ystad in Sweden, while Braccialetti Rossi brought in €8.8m for Apulia. Regional and local authorities are beginning to recognise the benefits screen tourism can bring to their economies. The regions involved in EuroScreen have felt a bigger impact as the two year project specifically worked to align the policies of public sector agencies involved in film and television production with tourism agencies. The positive experience of the partners can in turn benefit other European regions, including those who do not have a strong track record in film and television production.

The EuroScreen Project EuroScreen, the European Screen Destinations project, worked to promote an effective collaboration between the screen and tourism industries. The partnership served as a forum to share new thinking and best practice, with the aim of helping partners maintain and develop their screen tourism policies. The project also seeks to support policy makers, offering a framework within which to qualify and quantify the screen sector’s economic impact on tourism. The EuroScreen partnership brings together nine organisations from eight different EU regions which are at various stages of development in terms of establishing and promoting their own screen tourism strategies. Map of the EuroScreen partnership

• Apulia Film Commission (Italy) • Bucharest Ilfov Regional Development Agency (Romania) • Film London (UK), Lead Partner • Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit (Malta) • Rzeszow Regional Development Agency (Poland)

• Lund University Department of Service Management and Service Studies (Sweden) • Municipality of Ystad (Sweden) • Maribor Development Agency (Slovenia) • Promálaga (Spain)

EuroScreen is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and made possible by the INTERREG IVC programme. The project was launched in 2012 and ran until December 2014.

The EuroScreen Handbook This publication collates and presents examples of best practice across the nine EuroScreen partner organisations, with the aim of sharing best practice and insight with other EU regions. The case studies gathered by the project encompass a range of knowledge and experiences that are at once diverse and unique. The Handbook seeks to present various cases, from launching screen industry initiatives through to capitalising on existing screen assets with the ultimate aim of advancing screen tourism practices. Chapter 3 on advanced screen tourism practices provides a summary overview of a pool of resources developed by the EuroScreen partners and available online at www.euroscreen.org.uk. Chapter 1 EuroScreen partner regions Bucharest and 2 make frequent references to and Malaga (respectively) encourage the practices listed in chapter 3. This filming on location. Malaga image credit ensures this resource is easy to navigate Paulino Cuevas, Euromedia Production and enables readers to access the most Services, Romania image credit Castel appropriate information. With a range Film Romania of content aimed at different levels of experience, this comprehensive learning guide provides useful information on how to successfully develop screen tourism activity. The EuroScreen partners hope this Handbook will serve as a valuable resource for screen tourism to be utilised by development agencies, film commissions, municipalities, policy makers and NGOs wishing to maximise the economic and cultural benefits resulting from screen tourism.

1. STARTING FROM SCRATCH:

HOW TO KICK START SCREEN TOURISM

Take advantage of natural landscapes: a Bollywood film chooses to shoot in Postojna Caves in Maribor, Slovenia. Image credit Mankica Kranjec

Supporting Film and Television Production in the Regions One key condition for screen tourism is the establishment of an effective screen production industry. One way of successfully engaging policy makers in this area is to raise awareness of the economic benefits of screen tourism.

Creating a Film Friendly Environment EuroScreen has defined strategies that Rzeszow, Poland could be effective in developing a film Rzeszow and the Podkarpackie Region friendly environment. These include: are a EuroScreen partner with less • Establishing a structure (e.g. film filming experience but significant commission, film service or dedicated potential. Thanks to the project, Rzeszow Regional Development Agency post) to attract productions, and brought together key stakeholders from developing a strategic plan to support the region, including a key institution and facilitate film productions in the the Marshal Office of Podkarpackie regions, e.g. Rzeszow, Poland Voivodship, to allocate some financial • Developing a locations database and support in the regional budget. The aim photographic online locations library, is to attract and facilitate filming in the e.g. Maribor, Slovenia region in with the long term view of promoting tourism. • Developing central and regional government policies for providing Maribor Locations Library productions with funding and Maribor Regional Development Agency incentives, such as tax rebates, and set up an online locations library of for enhancing administrative support filming locations to attract productions. and cooperation, such as making The locations library was set up with historical sites available to filmmakers. support and expert advice from Film An example of such policies is the London’s Inward Investment team. recently-updated cash rebates The photo library pitches locations to scheme for filmmakers operated by film crews who will look at locations the government of Malta. Another differently from a tourism agency. example is the development of the Apulia Hospitality Fund • Strengthening the region’s production infrastructure and those industries which service – or are potentially able to service – both the screen and tourism industries, such as catering and transport. This is being undertaken by all the film commissions in the partnership including Malta Film Commission, Apulia Film Commission and Film London • Improving collaboration with audiovisual operators, television studios and film facilities in neighbouring regions, a policy exemplified by initiatives undertaken by several partners including Promálaga and the Apulia Film Commission

Building Awareness of the Benefits of Screen Tourism Not all public sector agencies and policy makers will be fully aware of the economic and cultural benefits of screen tourism. As key partners in any screen tourism endeavour, it is necessary to raise awareness of the synergies between the two industries and to identify the economic and cultural benefits that they can foster. This can be achieved by: • Collating relevant data to present stakeholders with the case of the economic impact and the potential for the development of screen tourism. This has been delivered by EuroScreen through the publication of the Baseline Report written by the Department of Service Management and Service Studies Promotional Events of Lund University. Furthermore EuroScreen partners successfully held a series of events within each region EuroScreen has published a series of to engage local stakeholders in screen case studies tourism. Each partner has taken a • Conferences as well as smaller different approach most effective for scale seminars for key stakeholders their region. can be excellent awareness raising tools. Workshops allow the region to engage with stakeholders in order to assess the region’s unique selling points and opportunities. EuroScreen has successfully achieved this in Bucharest, Rzeszów, Malaga and Maribor, and these events have provided a starting point for the development of specific regional Rzeszow Regional Development Agency organised screen tourism initiatives workshops (pictured above) with film • Larger scale events such as hosting commission expert Rafal Orlicki and a conference on screen tourism Juliane Schulze from Peacefulfish. can also generate significant levels of awareness locally as well as Bucharest Regional Development Agency invited a screen tourism expert nationally and internationally. As a from EuroScreen partner in Ystad and result of hosting the EuroScreen had a keynote address by renowned 2012 conference, Promálaga is now Romanian film critic Irina Margareta working in partnership with the Nistor. Spanish Film Commission and Malaga Film Office to establish Malaga as the Apulia Film Commission successfully hosted a film exhibition, combining screen tourism capital of Spain film stills with location pictures and • Working with students preparing promoted further screen tourism ideas to join either the screen or to stakeholders.

tourism industries. This could be done by approaching colleges and universities and organising seminars and commissioning studies. The EuroScreen partner Promálaga has been engaging with marketing students from the University of Malaga to submit a short film to promote the region of Malaga using typical filming Hosting Conferences locations Larger scale events such as hosting • Working with local and regional media a conference on screen tourism can outlets to raise the status of screen also generate significant levels of tourism by sharing successful stories, publicity locally as well as nationally and case studies and initiatives. internationally. The London EuroScreen Conference attracted a host of • Concerted work with local, regional international delegates and generated and national operators and tourism significant press coverage promoting bodies to view their screen locations the value of screen tourism. past and present as potential business Pictured above: Film London Chief opportunities for tours, excursions Executive Adrian Wootton with film and fan pilgrimages. Such efforts can producer and Chair of the British Film be bolstered by longstanding success Commission, Iain Smith, at the London stories such as Malta’s Popeye Village EuroScreen Conference, 2014 • Producing a showreel of films and television productions featuring the region can offer another useful tool to raise awareness and promote the destination. As part of EuroScreen, Bucharest Regional Development Agency commissioned a showreel for the EuroScreen partnership

2. CAPITALISING ON FILM & TELEVISION PRODUCTION: DEVELOPING SCREEN TOURISM BASED ON AN EXISTING AUDIOVISUAL INDUSTRY

Taking photos with a Death Eater from the Harry Potter films at a EuroScreen Conference in London

Implementing Screen Tourism Strategies As with any major project, clear goals must be identified. A thorough analysis will provide a definite idea of the strengths and potential assets of your region. Some characteristics to consider include any previous use of locations in film and television productions, whether the locations were used as ‘themselves’ or substituted for another place, and any local architectural landmarks that have featured prominently in screen productions. Equally significant could be historical characters that have been represented in a film production, well known personalities such as actors, writers and directors that are connected to the area, as well as other high profile events receiving significant public interest.

Producing Products As the experience of the EuroScreen partners demonstrates, initiatives can often succeed with very modest budgets. In regions where screen production activity already exists, the following products could serve as a good starting point for developing screen tourism: • Film walking tours or bus tours around recognisable sites used as locations in popular productions, as in Ystad. The London walking tour, which is augmented by an accompanying album of movie stills, serves as another example • Movie Maps are a popular tool in print or online. They give tourists the opportunity to seek out sites for themselves. The concept envisages maps of the area with flagged details of films shot in specific spots, such as the Film London Movie Maps and the Transport for London (TfL) Underground Film map. As part of EuroScreen, Bucharest Regional Development Agency has published its first Movie Map and Promálaga are creating a Movie Map App

Ystad Wallander Tours Since 1990,Ystad offers Wallander Tours for fans of the books and television series. More recently, a product range of ‘In the footsteps of Wallander’ features maps, a website, printed guides, guided tours across Ystad and an App that leads visitors to Wallander locations by using geolocation data. Users don’t need to be online!

Film London Movie Maps Film London has produced a series of Movie Maps in print and online. These showcase the breadth of filming across London and provide film fans and tourists with a guide to locations across the UK capital. There are different themed maps such as Bollywood and the South Bank Movie Trail (above) as well as specific films such as Bridget Jones and Paddington.

• Film guides, such as the Apulia Film Tourism Guide, developed for producers looking for film locations, and also for travellers who are looking for unique destinations • Photographic exhibitions of the region’s film history and well-established film locations. Several of the EuroScreen partners, including Film London and the Apulia Film Commission, have developed a showcase of the regional film history in this way Further investment in more ambitious products requires a more graduated development and considerably more backing. For example, a number of EuroScreen partners have explored setting up of film museums with related props and memorabilia. Such initiatives require significantly longer term planning, strategic and commercial partnerships, and investment. In the EuroScreen partnership, Ystad Municipality has developed a film museum within the studio complex and the Apulia Film Commission is currently undertaking the development of a film museum to be opened in 2015.

Building a Network with Key Stakeholders in Both Sectors Whether the region has a highly developed film and television industry or starting from scratch, there are a number of stages it will need to go through to encourage screen tourism. The first will be to build a cohesive network of stakeholders from the screen and tourism sectors.

Apulia Film Tourism Guide Book Apulia Film Commission produced a film location guide book, showcasing attractions, landscapes and areas in Apulia. It provides visitors with routes to explore parts of the region that feature in different films and follow in the footsteps of film stars. Pictured above: Bollywood film Housefull filming in Apulia

While stakeholders will differ from region to region, likely stakeholders will include: • Local, regional and central government departments • Regulatory bodies for the tourism, film and television industries • Film studios and facilities • Tourism industry partners like tourist guide associations

Incentives for the Production Industry Financial incentives have a major part to play in helping create a film friendly environment. For example, Apulia Film Commission supports productions through a number of financial incentives

such as the Apulia National and International Film Funds, the Apulia Regional Film Fund, the Apulia Development Fund and the Apulia Hospitality fund.

Ystad Film Museum Ystad Municipality set up the Film Museum called Cineteket located in a block of old barracks, next to Ystad Studios for film and television. The Cineteket hosts memorabilia of Wallander productions and offers fans to visit Wallander’s living room.

Malta Film Commission’s financial incentives and campaigns serve as another example. Productions which satisfy a certain criteria can benefit from a rebate of up to 25% of the eligible expenditure, with an additional 2% if the production features Malta in a cultural context. Furthermore, the Malta Tourism Authority also has a budget to support film productions shooting in Malta as itself, and having strong potential to serve as an advert for the country.

Roles Supporting Both Sectors Partnership is key to developing screen tourism on a regional level. Nevertheless, it is also critical that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. The EuroScreen partnership have identified several mutually-supporting roles: • Local, regional and central government are vital when it comes to establishing policies and fiscal incentives • Film commissions working closely with production companies in securing potential cooperation for screen tourism promotion. The Malta Film Commission, for example, has access to stills, clips and backstage coverage thanks to clauses in its rebate agreements • National heritage entities should be encouraged and enabled to make their properties and sites available for screen productions. The UK’s National Trust provides excellent examples of an integrated film production and promotion strategy • Public-private partnerships could run tourist attractions such as museums or theme parks, thereby involving government, NGOs and private entrepreneurs. Such partnerships are exemplified by the Apulia collaborative platform

3. ADVANCED SCREEN TOURISM PRACTICES

Popeye Village in Malta, originally made for the 1980 musical Popeye, is now a major tourist attraction. Image credit Jean Pierre Borg

Resources Available Now EuroScreen has developed a number of valuable resources. These will doubtless be of use to other parties wishing to align their own screen production and tourism policies. While this Handbook can only provide an overview of these resources, they are are available in full at www.euroscreen.org.uk

EuroScreen Baseline Report: Assessing Best Practice The Attraction of Screen Destinations: Baseline Report Assessing Best Practice; Maria Mansson & Lena Eskilsson, Department of Service Management and Service Studies, Lund University Sweden This research provides background and identifies key challenges that regions and municipalities face when seeking to align the screen and tourism industry sectors. It provides an outline of the screen tourism experiences across nine partner agencies. Beyond the immediate partnership, the report provides an overview of key areas such as economics, management, destination marketing, screen tourists and the tourist product development. The Report concludes with a number of examples of best practice including policy initiatives, strategic partnerships in the public sector and between the public and private sector, destination development and examples of commercial operators. The Report clearly outlines the challenges regional policy stakeholders face when developing screen tourism.

EuroScreenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Attraction of Screen Destinations: Baseline Report Assessing Best Practice

EuroScreen Database This online resource has been developed as a reference point for existing research, reports and analytics. It signposts users to reports published both within the EU and worldwide.

Lena Eskilsson, co-author of the Baseline Study, presenting it at a Malaga EuroScreen Conference

EuroScreen Case Studies These case studies have been developed by the EuroScreen partnership. In 2013, the following case studies were published: • Juzcar: Smurf Village • Malta: Popeye Village • Sandomierz: Father Matthew • Ystad: The Wallander Effect At the end of 2014, four further case studies were published: • Apulia: Walking on Sunshine • The Bollywood Experience • United Kingdom: The National Trust • VisitBritain’s Screen Tourism Campaigns

Smurf Village in Juzcar, Andalusia, painted blue to celebrate the Smurfs film release in 2011, has proven to be a popular tourist attraction. attraction. Image credit Paulino Cuevas

EuroScreen: Quantifying Location Placement Value In November 2014, EuroScreen published research undertaken by Human Digital which quantifies ‘Location Placement Value’ (LPV) in terms of the minimum equivalent online advertising spend generated by 12 productions filmed in four EuroScreen locations (London, Malta, Apulia and Ystad). This research utilised cutting edge methodology, which analysed a social media dataset of tourist-generated, location-based commentary.

Film London Code of Practice

Film London Code of Practice for Location Filming

This Code of Practice provides a helpful point of reference when developing a filming service. The Code of Practice for Location Filming in London was developed to provide productions with all the information they require to ensure that their shoot is successful. It is a voluntary agreement that aims to ensure that: • The industry can film effectively, efficiently and flexibly in London • All involved in location filming act responsibly, professionally and considerately at all times • The impact of filming on people and businesses within London is minimised It also outlines statutory requirements for filmmakers in London.

Apulia’s Hospitality Fund The Apulia Film Commission established a hospitality fund for film production companies shooting in the region. With support from the European Regional Development Fund, Apulia’s fund allows production companies to access financial support covering up to 70% of their accommodation and catering costs incurred for casts and crews in Apulia awardinga maximum of €200,000 per production. The fund specifically aims to encourage the promotion of cultural excellence and visits to different areas across the region. It also involves other parts of the tourism industry such as the hotel and restaurant sectors, to help them benefit from filmmaking and forge links between the two industries. Since the fund was launched in 2011, Apulia Film Commission awarded 95 beneficiaries with grants amounting to over €3m.

Apulia’s Screen Tourism Strategy The Apulia Film Commission has committed to develop film tourism so as to generate socio-economic benefits for the region. Apulia Film Commission supports productions via a number of financial incentives such as the Apulia National and International Film Funds; the Apulia Regional Film Fund; the Apulia Development Fund and the Apulia Hospitality fund. These funds support the regional objective of growing the regional production infrastructure in terms of crew and production Puglia promotional partnership with services. A regional impact valuation Vertigo Films’ Walking on Sunshine has demonstrated that for every €1 invested, €6 is returned to the regional economy. Furthermore, Apulia has published and distributed a film tourism guide of the region, Effetto Puglia – Guida cineturistica a una Regione tutta da girare, offering 10 itineraries across the region that highlight film locations as well as locations of artistic, historic and cultural interest. The strategy also includes the development of a photographic exhibition of 60 stills of production sets in the region. The exhibition was developed in 2010 and updated in 2014.

The final component of the strategy is the promotional partnership with the regional tourism board Puglia Promozione, as exemplified by Vertigo Films’ Walking on Sunshine, which benefited from regional film funds. The project has been further supported by a promotional campaign by Puglia Promozione entitled ‘We are in Puglia’, which encourages audiences to visit the locations they have seen on screen. These joint initiatives have generated positive effects, for example the #WeareinPuglia twitter campaign had reached more than 2,000,000 unique users at the time of writing and the PASCAL International Observatory in Puglia has recorded an increase in visits by tourists.

Malta’s Cash Rebate The government of Malta has recently updated the cash rebates for filmmakers making the financial guidelines more attractive to the production industry. Productions which satisfy a cultural test can benefit from a rebate of up to 25% of the eligible expenditure with an additional 2% if the production features Malta in a cultural context. Qualifying productions are required to present a provisional application to the Malta Film Commission, including a detailed projection of the Malta budget for the production. The rebate is given once filming is complete and on receipt of the audit report and final review of the Film Commissioner. The cash rebate is forwarded to the qualifying production no later than five months from the date of receipt of the final production expenditure.

Game of Thrones and Captain Phillips are two of the major productions shot in film-friendly Malta. Image credit Malta Film Commission. © 2011 HBO and © 2013 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved, respectively.

Feature films, television productions, animation, documentaries, trans- and cross-media are all eligible for the incentives, provided they are entirely or partially produced in Malta.

Ystad’s Media Analysis Ystad Municipality commissioned a piece of research in 2012 to conduct an analysis of written articles that associate Ystad with films and television series, and how these contribute to Ystad’s brand. The analysis focused on the PR value generated for Ystad due to the association to film and television production.

Promoting beautiful Ystad. Image credit Fredrik Ekblad

The research brief focused on webbased articles published by traditional news resources across Sweden (such as Skånska Dagbladet), Australia (Sydney Morning Herald), New Zealand (New Zealand Herald), the UK (The Independent) and the USA (Chicago Sun). The analysis looked at articles published in 2012 and the PR value is based on the following measurements: • Specific advertising costs • Article size • Brand exposure • ‘Credibility factor’ The analysis reported a PR value of approx. €11m, which is a hugely positive PR outcome for Ystad.

CONCLUSION

The American West comes to Romania with Castel Film Romaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s detailed set, utilised by Cold Mountain and more. Image credit Castel Film Romania

Conclusion The insights shared in this Handbook derive from the experience and learning of the EuroScreen partnership and the good practice examples from partners that are more advanced in their screen tourism development. They offer some practical considerations for those who wish to exploit screen tourism opportunities for their regions and destinations. This is by no means intended to be a comprehensive guide for working with screen tourism. It is very much a means of sharing the EuroScreen experience and learnings. One of the key learnings of this project for all nine partners has been the recognition of the value of partnership working. The EuroScreen partners are diverse with very different and distinct regional opportunities and challenges when it comes to developing screen tourism. The partnership has been on an exciting journey of sharing valuable insights and learnings across its regions. Furthermore this project has led its partners to forge new collaborations within their respective regions thus enabling policy change. The EuroScreen partners continue to work together to develop further opportunities and enhance the benefits of screen tourism for their respective regions. www.euroscreen.org.uk euroscreen@filmlondon.org.uk @EuroScreen2

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Partners:

Consultants: Image: Allacciate le cinture filming in the historic town of Lecce, with the support of the Apulia Film Commission