Scottish crew 'excluded from Spider Man 4 filming in Glasgow'

The National

4 days ago

Filming for Marvel's upcoming blockbuster is set to begin this month as fake construction sites, prop vehicles and American flags have appeared in the city centre.
Despite Scotland being chosen as the preferred filming location by Hollywood, with actors Tom Holland and Zendaya featuring in the film, the head of one of the largest talent agencies in the country has claimed that Scottish workers have been shut out from working on the production.
Iain Wilkie, owner of BBB Talent Agency – which represents more than 10,500 actors, extras and stunt specialists – has claimed that a London-based talent firm has been chosen to provide talent and that no Scottish crew is working on the film.
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Wilkie, who is a veteran actor and body double for Sam Heughan in Outlander, told The National that very few Scottish facilities had also been chosen while the film is shot in Glasgow.
He also claimed that it was the same story with the last four Hollywood blockbusters which were filmed in the country. He said while the film industry looks like it is thriving on the surface, few in Scotland is benefiting from these large-scale filming activities.
'You see these Hollywood red carpets, and it's all glitz and pure glamor, and you see these ordinary-looking actors with supermodels. Well, that's Scotland right now,' he explained.
'We're turning up at these events and hiring a supermodel. It looks glamorous but there's just no substance to it.
'On the surface, we look absolutely amazing. We look like we're booming with these major Hollywood productions all over Scotland, but there's no benefit to us.
'There's absolutely no benefit. Nobody in Scotland benefited from this.
'When these production companies are coming to Scotland, they are wiping their feet on their way out.'
(Image: Supplied)
Wilkie (middle) said that the London-based firm Entertainment Partners was chosen to provide talent for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
He also claimed that Scottish firms weren't even given the opportunity to speak with either Sony or Marvel, who are the main forces behind the film, about working on it.
'The state of Scotland's creative industries is that unless you have a London-based agent, you're not going to get it if you're an actor,' he said.
'Unless you've got a London-based agent, you're not going to get any work in Scotland.'
Wilkie said he has decided to speak out about Scottish firms being overlooked by film projects, as he said after eight years of the 'biggest talent platform' in the country, he has seen his opportunities, along with his colleagues from other agencies, become fewer.
He said: 'We never moaned. We just got on. But now we were not even given the opportunity.'
Wilkie has now called on Screen Scotland, a national body set up to support Scotland's film and TV industry, to do more to champion the industry.
Screen Scotland says its purpose is to drive development of all aspects of Scotland's film and TV industry, through funding and strategic support, which includes improving employment opportunities in the sector.
However, Wilkie argues that the government agency has lost sight of one of its core commitments to help improve employment opportunities for Scots in favour of over-focusing on promoting the country to the world.
He said: 'Their function, they believe, is to promote Scotland. And I'll tell you what, I'll give them ten out of ten for it, because they are seriously promoting Scotland.
'There's some great productions coming to Scotland, but there's nobody in Scotland benefiting from that.'
Wilkie added: 'They are bringing work to Scotland, but for who?'
The agency boss said he would like Screen Scotland to understand what it's like working in the industry and how it is 'impossible' for Scots to reach all the 'amazing productions' that are coming to the country to film.
He added: 'I would love there to be a facility in Scotland for people that work in TV and film in Scotland to access these productions.
'Right now, it's a closed shop, and Screen Scotland are helping keep it closed'
Wilkie said that Screen Scotland is good at supporting Scots if they 'tick the right boxes' but there is no follow-up.
He said that young first-time writers or directors who are given some money to make the content they want are left with no support or help from the government agency.
He added that Screen Scotland should be trying to get Scots practical experience on the big productions that are coming to Scotland in a bid to help cultivate the country's own talent pool, and has called for them to create a branch to develop the industry's opportunities.
(Image: Supplied)
'The key to Screen Scotland is to get back to basics. Remember why they're here,' Wilkie (above) said.
'They've done a phenomenal job of promoting Scotland. If they were to put the same energy into the people in Scotland working within TV and film, that's where the success will lie.
'What they need to do is create a branch within Creative Scotland that is only there to promote us.'
Wilkie said along with establishing a branch in Screen Scotland to promote Scottish workers, there should also be a legislative change in how production companies can recruit.
He said that there should be an introduction of some form of quota of Scottish people to work on productions shot in Scotland, or that people with Scottish postcodes should take priority over those outside the country.
'I'm not saying every job should be filled with people from Scotland on average,' Wilkie said.
'I'm just saying I think we should be scooping up the talent in Scotland first and then when that talent runs out, look to the bigger pools that are in England.'
Wilkie also said the Scottish Government should take note of how Wales and Northern Ireland prioritise homegrown talent and incentivise productions to hire from inside the country instead of looking to London.
One example is the Foot in the Door initiative by Ffilm Cymru, which aims to connect people with opportunities in the creative sector, regardless of their background.
Wilkie added: 'There's just no support for us out here. There's just no support from Screen Scotland at all.'
Earlier this week, John Swinney said more needs to be done to increase the number of Scots benefitting from Scotland's screen industry.
The First Minister said that the [[Scottish Government]] needs to 'make sure' that there is better access to screen infrastructure for Scots, adding that there needs to be more recognition of the 'economic benefits' the sector brings.
A Screen Scotland spokesperson said: 'Screen Scotland is committed to supporting Scotland-based film and TV talent as well as maximising the benefits that filming creates across the wider Scottish economy. We encourage incoming productions to utilise local crews and services.
'That said, the majority of our production funding remains focused on films and [[TV]] programmes from Scotland, which regularly hire local crew and facilities. Recent projects from Scotland developed and produced with Screen Scotland's support include Only Child, Mayflies and Dinosaur for BBC Scotland, An t Eilean (The Island) for BBC Alba, Summerwater for Channel 4, The Rig for Amazon Prime, and the feature films The Outrun, Aftersun, My Old School, Janey, On Falling, California Schemin' and Tornado.'
Entertainment Partners and Sony have been approached for comment.