Written by David Lewis on Mar 25, 2009. Posted in On Location

Hampshire is showcased to film industry

Filmmakers from across the UK have seen for themselves some of the film locations on offer in Hampshire, with a tour organised by Hampshire County Council initiative, Film Hampshire.

The trip was aimed at getting a better idea of the needs of the film industry with a view to bringing more filming to Hampshire and boosting the local economy.

To give the group a flavour of what is on offer in Hampshire, they visited a variety of locations including MOD site Bramley Camp near Basingstoke, heritage railway The Watercress Line at Alresford which featured in scenes from the film Children of Men, Georgian manor house Avington Park and Winchester Cathedral which was used in recent years for filming of The Da Vinci Code and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

Film Hampshire can offer film-=makers a choice of over 350 locations in 19 categories including churches and cathedrals, country houses, public buildings, villages, farms, castles, parks and forests, beaches, wharfs and quays, industrial areas, shopping centres, offices, museums, zoos and amusement parks, stadiums and sports facilities, and gardens.

Hampshire County Council Executive Member for Skills and Economic Development and Human Resources, Cllr Jonathan Glen, said: “The County Council recognises the importance of filming to our region. From historic castles and picturesque villages, to forests and seaside scenes – filmmakers have a huge array of great locations to choose from and for every GBP1 spent on a location shoot, GBP2.50 goes into the local economy. Film Hampshire is working to bring even more of this investment into our region.

“The project has gone from strength to strength in recent months with the launch of a new website, a new film brochure featuring some of Hampshire's stunning locations and now our first visit for location managers to come and see first hand what we can offer. We look forward to seeing more of Hampshire on-screen!”

Film Hampshire has dealt with over 100 filming enquiries over the past year, and featured in films including Pride and Prejudice and Ridley Scott’s Nottingham to television productions such as The Day of the Triffids.