Movies Give Hampshire £3m Boost

It's been revealed Hampshire made £3 million from movies being filmed in the county last year.

Portsmouth Naval Base and Winchester Cathedral were just two locations used in blockbusters like Les Miserable and Skyfall.

The council say as well as film crews using local hotels and businesses, seeing the county on the big screen has made more people visit.

The county's filming potential is promoted by 'Film Hampshire', part of the Council's Economic Development Office.

'Film Hampshire' helps attract film crews to the region by researching and finding scenic locations for them. Hampshire has over 350 film locations including 40 historic country houses, 25 parks and forests.

Councillor Ray Ellis, Executive Member for Economic Development and Rural Affairs at Hampshire County Council said:

“I’m encouraged that we attracted £3 million to Hampshire last year from the film industry. Among Hampshire's great attractions are its outstanding historic buildings and stunning landscapes, which are in much demand. These figures for 2012 underline the important work that Hampshire County Council's Film Hampshire is doing to strengthen our economy, as not only do production crews bring an immediate boost to hotels and restaurants but films, adverts and TV programmes showcase our beautiful countryside which in turn encourages more tourists to visit and stay. The tourism sector plays a vital role in the local economy by generating well over £2bn every year from visitors to Hampshire and employs more than 60,000 people.”

“An example of how the County Council works with production companies is Tom Hooper’s latest film adaptation of Les Misérables, parts of which were filmed in Hampshire locations, including Winchester College and Portsmouth Naval Base. Other major productions filmed in Hampshire in 2012 include Skyfall, World War Z, and Tom Cruise’s All you Need is Kill, and independent film The Elder. TV credits include the BBC’s Wartime Farm on Manor Farm and The Fixer, and ITV’s Endeavour, Miss Marple and Dom Joly’s Fool Britannia. We are hoping that 2013 will be even more successful.”