August 12, 2022
Filming in the Forest: Screen Tourism in the Forest of Dean
Filming in England sheds light on the positive impact of screen tourism in the Forest of Dean and showcases the fantastic range of locations on offer to production in the area.
View over the Wye Valley from Symonds Yat Rock, Coleford © Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Tourism
Filming in the Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a district within the county of Gloucestershire, bordering with Wales, it is situated within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The distinctive landscape is host to an abundance of historic market towns, ancient monuments, the meandering Wye River and the first designated National Forest Park – The Forest of Dean.
Wendy Jackson, Regeneration Manager at the Forest of Dean District Council and member of the Filming in England Partnership welcomes productions to the area and talks to us about the variety of locations available for filming:
“We are pleased to be working alongside Creative England to promote the Forest of Dean as a film-friendly location. Our unique rural landscape betwixt the River Wye and River Severn is a fascinating mix of natural beauty, historic mining legacy, futuristic manufacturing companies and four individual market towns in Cinderford, Coleford, Lydney and Newent. We work closely with Forestry England, Gloucestershire County Council, and our Parish/Town Councils to pave the way for busy location teams.”
Positive Impact of Screen Tourism
Hosting productions in your area can have a significant impact on the uplift of visitor numbers. The effects from screen tourism can be long lasting with visiting a ‘real-life’ film location being a primary reason for tourists to travel to an area. VisitBritain’s research shows that films and TV are powerful motivators for travel. With almost a third of potential visitors to the UK keen to visit places seen-on-screen, film tourism continues to be an exciting, growing and valuable part of our national tourism offer.
Film tourism is now a recognised phenomenon, estimated to be worth £1.9 billion to the UK’s economy. According to industry sources, an estimated 40% of tourists cite being inspired by iconic locations seen in films and TV when selecting their holiday destinations, with areas receiving 30% more tourism-related bookings as a result. Seeing your town, city or location on screen is therefore a great marketing opportunity which may encourage film and television viewers to visit your area.
Data Sources: British Film Institute, Oxford Economics, Visit Britain, Halifax Travel Insurance
Puzzlewood is a unique ancient woodland based near Coleford in the Forest of Dean and has appealed to a number of productions over the years. Helen O’Kane, Managing Director at Puzzlewood and Co-Chair of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism shares insight on the value of screen tourism in the area:
“Filming and the knock-on effect of screen tourism have been instrumental in Puzzlewood’s growth. We are a very small business, in a relatively unknown area, and now featured in articles all over the world. PR coverage that we would never have been able to afford. The economic impact stretches far beyond us, our towns, accommodation, restaurants and business services all benefit from production activity in the area and are instrumental to our success.”
Filming Opportunities in the South West
With the main production hub of Bristol offering an abundance of crew, facilities and the largest studio in the West of England, The Bottle Yard Studios. The South West region has hosted a number of high-end television and feature film locations drawn by the historic landmarks, cinematic coastline and picturesque villages.
The Forest of Dean area is no exception and adds further to the regions unique location offering, with uninterrupted national forests, heritage centres, market towns and natural caves. An hour’s drive from Bristol and Cardiff, it’s an attractive prospect to film on location for productions.
Filming in England Location Database
One of the first and most effective ways to increase filming interest in an area is to showcase the locations on offer. Creative England’s national agency remit is to maximise and support the production of feature film and high-end television in the English regions.
Creative England’s Filming in England team offer bespoke production services to productions looking to film in the regions. As part of this service, we run a free National Location Database which features thousands of unique locations for industry to access.
Josh Baker, Locations & Partnerships Coordinator at Creative England manages the database and further explains the benefit of listing a location on the site:
“The Filming in England database is the largest library in the country of locations tailored to film and high-end television. Promoting over 15,000 locations, it is accessed by over 1,500 industry personnel a month including the BBC, Channel 4 & Disney productions. It is a fantastic, free to use tool to market your filming location which comes with incredible support and resources from the Filming in England team.”
Your property or business location could be just what filmmakers are looking for, be it a cottage or a castle, a suburban semi or stately home. If your location could accommodate filming, find out more and register on Filming in England’s free database.
For more information and to register on the Filming in England Database please visit: https://www.filminginengland.co.uk/locations/
For further information about filming in the Forest of Dean please visit the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism Film & TV Locations page: https://www.visitdeanwye.co.uk/explore/film-and-tv
