Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 5 has helped drive a six-fold rise in foreign production spending in Morocco. Nearly 40 international shoots filmed in the North African country in 2014, spending USD 120 million – more than the last five years combined.
A planned overhaul of Louisiana’s filming incentives could involve introducing an annual funding cap for the first time. The state’s incentives have turned it into one of the top production centres in the US, with Jurassic World and Terminator: Genisys among the major recent shoots.
The UK’s new TV tax credit drove a huge increase in television location filming in its first full year, according to figures published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Designed to bring more high-end TV shoots to the UK, the tax credit attracted Veep, Elementary and 24: Live Another Day.
Sonny London spent a week filming on a cargo ship off the coast of Istanbul for a new campaign marking Heineken’s sponsorship of the UEFA Champion’s League. The spot shows a group of sailors improvising a cinematic screening of the big match while at sea.
A second series of murder drama The Tunnel will return to film on location in Kent in southern England. The show is a remake of Scandinavian drama The Bridge and the first series charted a joint English-French investigation following a murder in the centre of the Channel Tunnel.
Filming wraps today in Bristol on a special episode of the BBC’s hit drama series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Scenes were filmed at the team’s production base in The Bottle Yard Studios and on location around the city.
The Scottish government has announced a new loan fund for film producers and money to boost the country’s crew pool. Scotland has enjoyed a profile boost by hosting the US historical romance Outlander, but is under pressure to develop better studio infrastructure.
Thirty-six international films shot on location in the UK in 2014, according to the British Film Institute. The shoots helped drive a 35% rise in overall production spending in the UK compared to the previous year. The new Star Wars movie was among the biggest films.