They Are Killing Scottish Screen

Alas, Scottish Screen is certainly not going to be around much longer. The Scottish Executive, who in their wisdom decided Scotland needed a one-stop film agency with one-size fits all proportions, has at last realised that it doesn't.

It was a lost opportunity. It was probably not the best strategy to site a national screen agency meant to serve all of Scotland in the centre of Scotland's TV city, Glasgow. Glaswegians were naturally delighted and for a few years have benefitted greatly from public investment in film, investments that all too often were channelled towards the same group of people, or so it seemed to those outside the magic circle, who were occasionally permitted some crumbs.

There were other silly things that happened and shouldn't have, like a chief executive who had to resign after it was revealed his wife was to benefit from an investment into a film project, although her husband did not even attend the committee making the final decision. No real impropriety there then.

This sort of blundering did not endear the agency to the Scotland's press. One Scottish newspaper savaged Scottish Screen at every opportunity and only appeared to ease its attacks when there were changes at the top. Mind sets though, can be stubborn.

SELF-FLAGELLATION 

In no time at all, another chief officer raised hackles when he described Scotland's furthest-flung community, Shetland, as an inhospitable place to film. Admittedly, in January, with an Atlantic gale screaming through the place, filming in Shetland might be tricky. However, what Scottish Screen overlooked was that the film producer wanting to locate there, was after precisely those sort of extreme weather conditions. Shetland's Member of the Scottish Parliament was rightly angered by the unfortunate label his consituency had been given, insisting that Shetlanders were the most hospitable of people and demanding an apology. Of course, Glaswegians might find the going tough in Shetland January weather, but Shetlanders don't - judging by the thousands who turn out each January to celebrate Up Helly A with no postponment for weather, whatever.

These were the irritants that were getting the agency a bad press and bad name, though in other areas it was doing stirling work. As a Scottish locations agency, for its archive work and in forging close creative relationships with Glasgow-based broadcasters STV and BBC Scotland and on shop window expeditions to Cannes and LA, Scottish Screen's active prescence made it clear that the Scottish film industry was not based in Soho.

Film politics though, seemed to be an area of weakness. With Scottish film studio candidate sites competing for attention from Inverness to the Clyde, the whole debacle appeared to end in a state of almost decisive indecision, despite a  Scottish Screen preferred recommendation to invest alongside the BBC development at Glasgow's Pacific Quay. Bringing an unfortunate histpry up to date, it is sad to see that one of the agency's last acts was the promotion of a new screen writers competition for 11 to 16 year olds. Shouldn't that be something promoted by schools? Are none of Scotland's existing writing talents worth developing, so that we have to have to turn to the next generation?

IF THE KILT FITS... 

There was a sort of couthieness about the agency in some ways. It held Scottishness very dear, but it became almost an imposition as many London-based producers found if they had an idea for a Scottish project. It seemed easier to gain assistance if you happened to be a George Clooney, or a Robert Duval. If you came from Walthamstow, forget it. Even of you came from Auchtermuchty your emails might well go unanswered and phone calls could get lost in the system.

Having managed to upset, annoy or irritate so many people, the one-stop-shop film agency is to close and its consituent parts are to be distributed; archives to the National Museum of Scotland and the rest to join with Scottish Arts to create a single creative arts agency, Creative Scotland.

Meanwhile, we have to acknowledge the agency's successes and remind ourselves that having replaced three previous Scottish film and television bodies, this was the very first one-stop screen agency in Britain, preceding even the mighty UK Film Council. For the future, lessons need to be learned from the Scottish Screen story.