Capturing Cardiff - The City on Camera

[Catherine Bolsover]

One clear way to ‘capture’ Cardiff is to do so on film – and sights of film crews on the streets of the city are becoming more frequent. The TV and film industry has been part of the city’s media presence for a long time - HTV, BBC Wales and S4C have all used the city as a backdrop. However something changed around the Millennium, and people both inside the city and out started to see new potential…

From a filming perspective, the Millennium Stadium has drasticly changed Cardiff’s skyline and Cardiff Bay has provided new interest in the waterfront - both changing the potential of the city. Welsh Film Producer David Ball left Wales to work in London but came back in 1997 as he started to see more opportunities for work: “You move to where the work is. I’ve been lucky enough that projects keep bringing me back to South Wales.” His most recent work here was the feature film Big Nothing starring Simon Pegg and he’s just finished filming Abraham’s Point with Mackenzie Crook. Both of these filmed in and around Cardiff

Most people agree however, that despite Cardiff’s facelift, one of the key reasons why Cardiff is considered an exciting location at the moment has quite a lot to do with a 900 year old time-traveller and his police box time-machine. “Russell T. Davies’ decision to film Doctor Who in Cardiff was vital for the industry” says Penny Scuse from the Wales Screen Commission. “Before it people thought Wales was all coalmines and sheep. They’d then come to places like the Bay and be completely taken aback.” The Wales Screen Commission helps producers find the appropriate location for their filming, including helping BBC Wales with Doctor Who and Torchwood.

In Doctor Who, Cardiff and South Wales have doubled up for mysterious planets, Scottish moors, parallel universes and quite frequently London. For Penny’s job at the Wales Screen Commission she needs to have a good relationship with location managers so she can help them find the best place: “Quite often I get rung up by a location manager looking for a big warehouse that can double up as a spaceship or something!” Cardiff has been particularly lucky as the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood is filmed entirely in the city – locating the series’ top-secret base underneath the iconic Millennium Centre.

“The great thing about Cardiff is the adaptability of the buildings – there’s a great range of architecture – 50s, 60s and great for period pieces” explains Ball. The Wales Screen Commission highlights that Cardiff also has a range of landscapes on its doorstep – heritage coastline, farms, moorland, industrial scenes in the Valleys and mountains in the Brecon Beacons.

Part of the package that Cardiff offers as a location are the benefits of infrastructure and talent. Location Manager Helen McAuley Stewart says “Cardiff doesn’t have the logistical hassles and expense involved in placing and moving crews around, such as in London or any of the other big UK cities. There is also a wealth of professionals, so equipment hire, crews and post production can all be sourced locally.” There is also financial help from Film Agency Wales who help support new projects and are particularly keen on nurturing Welsh talent. They’ve helped director Justin Kerrigan return to direct I Know You Know (his first film since his cult hit Human Traffic in 1999) and also with Abraham’s Point.

Ease of filming seems to be a major reason for Cardiff's popularity. “Filming is easier here, less of the hassle and with just a variety of locations. Of course every place has its bureaucracy, but it’s not as much as within the M25” says David Ball. Every time he returns to film here they build on previous relationships with the police and other local officials which makes the filming a pleasure. For Abraham’s Point, Ball said they based the cast and crew in Welsh St Donats (near Cowbridge) which meant they could easily work between Bridgend and Cardiff.

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If programme-making is this easy in South Wales, what is stopping Cardiff for rivaling London? According to most sources, in one area London far outstrips Cardiff and that’s studio space. “It’s the thing we desperately need right now” explains Ball. “We’ve been behind the Valleywood project since it was first suggested and we’ve been waiting ten years. It can’t come soon enough.” Valleywood is the nickname for the vast studio space being built in Llanilid near Bridgend. It’s official name is Dragon International Studios and it’s development is being overseen by Lord Richard Attenborough. It has suffered numerous setbacks since its conception but building work began in August of this year.

When Dragon Studios are finished, Wales will have cemented its already strong position in the UK film and TV industry. Cardiff will be able to provide the budding film producer with a diverse and modern backdrop in the city centre, dramatic landscape in the surrounds, an experienced talent base, financial and logistical support and a multi-million pound studio space. Until then 2008 will see a new series of Torchwood, feature films I Know You Know and Abraham’s Point hit our screens. Also Penny from WSC hinted that two “very exciting” projects are to be named early next year… Watch this space!

Click below to hear more from David Ball about his new film Abraham's Point and about his experiences filming in Cardiff.

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[matthew yeomans]

Really well reported and written. Good enough for you to sell to a publication (especially if you re-worked it to make the new Torchwood series the hook). good audio clip as well.