National Trust:A Screen Tourism Case Study

Screen Tourism at the National Trust

Contact address euroscreen@filmlondon.org.uk

EditorialFilm London and the EuroScreen Partnership

Information included in this case study has been based on the following:

• Euroscreen-Baseline study, 2013, Lena Eskilsson and Maria Månsson • Interview with Harvey Edgington, Head of Filming and Locations at the

National Trust by Livia Papp

Cover image: Antony House, Cornwall. © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

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Contents

Introduction to EuroScreen ............................................................................................. 4

EuroScreen Partners ........................................................................................................ 5

1. Introduction .................................................................................................6

1.2 The National Trust Filming Business Strategy and Future Plans ..........................9

3. Case Studies .................................................................................................10

3.1 Miss Potter .....................................................................................................................11

3.2 Alice in Wonderland .....................................................................................................12

3.3 The Mill ............................................................................................................................14

3.4 Factual Television ...........................................................................................................15

4.Movie Maps ...................................................................................................16

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Introduction to EuroScreen

EuroScreen is an INTERREG IVC funded partnership of regional development agencies, film commissions, municipalities and academia. The partnership works to strengthen cooperation between the screen and tourism sectors through the alignment of policies and strategies.

There are multiple opportunities for these two industries to benefit from collaboration to generate growth and income. Beyond the immediate investment generated by hosting a production, film and television create promotional opportunities for cities, regions and countries by attracting tourists to screen locations. They also significantly shape and enhance the brand and perception of on-screen destinations. Cities and regions therefore have the opportunity to engage with a worldwide audience in a different way and drive interest and actual visitors to their respective destinations.

EuroScreen has built a breadth of resources, promoting good practice examples in screen tourism, sharing knowledge and commissioning research to assess location placement value.

Working across nine organisations in eight EU regions, EuroScreen has enabled participating regions to engage with their key stakeholders and drive screen tourism in their region. The project has put screen tourism on the regional agenda.

www.euroscreen.org.uk@EuroScreen2

For any questions, contact Matti Allameuroscreen@filmlondon.org.uk

EuroScreen Partners

Film London (UK), Lead Partner Apulia Film Commission (Italy)Bucharest Ilfov Regional Development Agency (Romania)Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit (Malta)Rzeszow Regional Development Agency (Poland)Municipality of Ystad (Sweden)Maribor Development Agency (Slovenia)PRO MALAGA (Spain)Lund University Department of Service Management (Sweden)

Partners

Consultants

Funders

Agenţia pentru Dezvoltare Regională Bucureşti-Ilfov

European UnionEuropean Regional Development Fundd

EuroScreen Partners

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1. INTRODUCTION

The MIll, Journeying to the Mill, © R McNamara & Channel 4 TV

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1. Introduction

EuroScreen identified the filming work of the National Trust in the UK, and how it is exploited for promotional purposes, as a prime example of good practice in screen tourism. The National Trust opens its properties to filming and records an influx of vistors to these filming properties once the feature film, television series or documentaries have been shown on screen.

The National Trust and Filming The National Trust protects and opens to the public over 250 heritage buildings, historic houses, gardens and ancient monuments, 700 miles of coast and 500,000 acres of land. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust has over 3.7 million members and 61,000 volunteers. More than 17 million people visited its gated properties, while an estimated 50 million visited its open air properties.

The National Trust has a long history of working with the film industry. In the last 10 years the National Trust systematically has built a portfolio of locations for features, television dramas and documentaries. The number of filming enquiries in 2013 reached more than 16,000, which have since seen 8,641 productions shooting in the National Trust’s properties. The number of productions shot in National Trust’s properties has doubled since 2003. The figures of income are just as impressive. Since 2003 the income generated by renting out the National Trust’s locations to filming has tripled. According to the National Trust’s policy, all money raised through filming is re-invested in the properties: on the maintenance, purchase of new equipment, furniture and overall renovation of the buildings.

Service for filming teams Thanks to years of experience and excellent knowledge of the film industry, the National Trust now provides a variety of services to productions, making them competitive in the field of location provision across the UK.

The Trust has two dedicated staff members who manage film-related activities. As an enquiry arrives to the Trust, they conduct a feasibility check and then help to select the right property by using a database of information and photos about the properties.

For some locations, such as the White Cliffs of Dover, the National Trust has prepared guides for filmmakers which include information such as the best place(s) to shoot from and the best (and safest) angle(s) to place cameras on.

The Trust is continually liaising with location managers. It is a one-stop service, providing location managers with direct access to all the National Trust has to offer. Each of the National Trust’s location managers is responsible for a portfolio of almost 20 properties. As experts in their field, they are able to balance the requirements of the property owners with the needs and expectations of the film crews they work with. Once a feasible location has been sourced, the production’s art director will visit the property with the location manager. This visit may be followed up by other crew members, such as members of the lighting, design, catering or scaffolding teams.

The contract will set out in detail all logistical needs, together with any special requirements (e.g. painting of walls, artificial snow etc). Any temporary changes to the property or the objects in the property are covered by the contract, and all costs are carried by the production and its insurance.

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Provided by the National Trust

1.2 The National Trust Filming Business Strategy and Future Plans

The National Trust strives to build long-term relationships with as many productions as possible, from small documentaries to longstanding television series. Given the huge variety of National Trust properties and lands, there is something on offer for every type of production. In the future, the Trust hopes to focus on developing tourism products and creating exciting attractions that complement screen tourists’ expectations when visiting a site they have seen in a film or on television and help them be a part of the stories they love. Here are some examples of the impacts of tourist figures to National Trust properties that feature on screen.

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During the production a conservator is provided by the National Trust. The conservator’s role is to answer the crew’s questions and ensure the protection of the property, and the conservator’s fee is also covered by the production. As the National Trust has a long history of working with crews, productions are aware of the needs and general requests made of them.

3. CASE STUDIES

The MIll, On the March at Quarry Bank © R McNamara & Channel 4 TV

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3.1 Miss Potter (2006)

• Global cinema audience figures: 2,266,760• National Trust locations: The Lake District and Hill Top, North West England

(UK)

Production storyMiss Potter portrays the life of Beatrix Potter, the author who invented and illustrated Peter Rabbit. The film features Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, and follows the love and life of Beatrix Potter. The National Trust was involved at a very early stage in the production and found alternatives for Beatrix Potter’s original home at Hill Top, thus creating two destinations for visitors. The Trust was working on the principle that Beatrix Potter’s fanbase could also become their own fanbase.

Impacts After the film was released, visitor figures in the Lake District reached 106,500 –65% higher than the 2006 figures, which were 64,500. Visitor figures have remained high at 105,000 in 2008 and 103,000 in 2009. The fact that 75% of the film’s box office came from outside the USA suggests the potential for considerable global outreach. For example, an estimated 6% of all Lake District visitors are from Japan, where Peter Rabbit features on schools’ national curriculum and enjoys something of a cult status.

On average, Japanese tourists spend €110 at the Beatrix Potter’s home at Hill Top. Retail income at the location stood at around €482,000 per year prior to the film’s release, but in 2007 that figure was €791,760 - a massive 61% increase and the highest turnover per square metre for any National Trust shop.

3.2 Alice in Wonderland (2010)

• Global cinema audience figures: 75,922,390• National Trust Location: Antony House, South West England (UK)

Production StoryAlice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated and live action fantasy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is inspired by English author Lewis Carroll’s 1865 fantasy novel ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and its 1871 sequel ‘Through the Looking-Glass.’ The film stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice Kingsleigh, as well as Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter. The film was shot in the UK and the US. The only live location in the film is Antony House, in Cornwall (UK).

ImpactThe production had a huge effect on the number of visitors to the location. From 23,000 in 2008, the number increased to 86,000 within just 12 months. A survey conducted at the property confirmed that half of the visitors were visiting because it was used as a location for Alice in Wonderland. It is also interesting to note that half of the visitors interviewed were accompanied by children who were interested in the Alice connection.

The National Trust conducted a number of promotional activities to coincide with the release of the film in order to promote House. These included: • An article in the National Trust magazine, with Jonny Depp on the cover and

featuring quotes from Tim Burton• A press junket at House to coincide with the DVD release• DVD extras releated to the location • Links between Alice in Wonderland and House on the the National Trust

website• An Alice in Wonderland themed garden for 2010.

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3.3 The Mill (2013 onwards)

• Television audience figures: 2,800,000 first episode, July 2013• National Trust Location: Quarry Bank Mill, North West England (UK)

Production StoryThe Mill is a historical Channel 4 drama, written by John Fay and set in rural-industrial England in the turbulent year of 1833. Based on the extensive historical archive of Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire and filmed on location, this powerful new series depicts Britain at a time when the industrial revolution is changing the country beyond recognition. The channel invested €5.2million in episode 1, which was Channel 4’s biggest launch in three years. The first episode saw Channel 4 garner a 12% share of the television audience for the first episode, and saw Channel 4 double its usual average ratings.

ImpactQuarry Bank Mill recorded a 25% increase in visitors after the first episode aired, followed by a 60% increase after the third episode. This significant boost in visitors correlated with increased spend at the National Trust property, and membership sales have also increased at Quarry Bank Mill. The increased interest in the location was also recorded through website figures to the property. Web hits increased from 800 per day to over 5,000.

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The MIll, Esther in her cellar at Styal Village © R McNamara & Channel 4 TV

3.4 Factual Television

In terms of visitor figures, the impact of factual television programmes should not be underestimated, and the National Trust has hosted numerous factual television programmes such as documentaries and reality television programmes.

The Farne Islands, a National Trust location, featured repeatedly in the BBC’s Spring-watch, which focuses on the island’s wildlife and the work of National Trust staff. The programme was broadcast between April and June 2005, and visitor figures from June-December 2005 were 32,702 – 42% higher than the same period in 2004.

Similarly, when Brownsea Island was chosen as the 2008 home for the BBC’s Autumnwatch, visitor figures increased by 14%.

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4. MOVIE MAPS

Antony House, Cornwall. © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

4. Movie Maps

The National Trust has produced a number of movie maps to promote film locations to visitors.

For example, a map was created in partnership with Universal Studios as a guide to some of the most spectacular and dramatic filming locations across the UK. It features locations from Pride and Prejudice, The Other Boleyn Girl, Vanity Fair, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Anna Karenina. The map was published in 2012 with a print run of 40,000 copies, and analysis by Universal Studios demonstrated considerable value in terms of PR and marketing. This included:• Autumn/Winter National Trust Magazine2012 (circulation 1.8m) • The Sun, 9 September 2012 (circulation 2.4m)• Daily Telegraph 15 September 2012 (circulation 560,398)• Period Ideas, November issue 2012 (circulation 38k)

E-marketing Support • Volume sent ‘Movie Map’ article: 329,203• Volume that clicked-through on ‘Movie Map’ link: 553 (0.17% of total). • Social media support • Facebook posts reaching 71,592 • Tweets reaching 120,120 (101, 378 (NT feed) 11,217 (NT Mag feed), 7,525 (NT

press of-fice feed)

Digital Media Support – Homepage Homepage story visible to 221,093 homepage views (OTS), 124,564 unique visitors dur-ing that time (story on homepage for one and a half weeks week) Digital media support- movie map page Page views 9,733 (entire period 8 September-15 October 2012)Unique visitors 6,614 (entire period 8 September-15 October)Number of downloads 487 (entire period 8 September-15 October)

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