The National Trust Film Office coordinates filming at National Trust properties. It was established in 2003 to have a single point of contact for film productions and maximize income and publicity from filming. They facilitate filming for a wide range of projects from student films to blockbuster movies. Filming brings fees, increased visitor numbers, and economic benefits to local communities. Case studies show how popular TV shows and films based at Trust properties have significantly increased visitor numbers and retail income in subsequent years.

1. Filming at the National Trust
Lauren Taylor
Filming Co-ordinator

2. The National Trust Film Office
Who are we?
Harvey Edgington the Film Unit Manager and Lauren Taylor my
colleague
Where do we fit in?
NT Enterprises directorate and then within the Media Group
When and why was the team set up?
2003, previous reputation in the film industry, one point of contact, huge
scope for maximising income and the PR benefits

3. What we do
• How much filming do we do?
• 3 crews out per day on land owned by the NT
• Where we cover – everywhere!
• How many enquiries?
Varies greatly throughout the year, from around 100 in January to 170
in July. All are responded to.
• And what sort of projects?
• Everything from student films to fashion photo shoots to documentaries,
to TV dramas to films. Crews can range from 1 to 150.

4. Why Filming ?
• Fees
• Visitors
• Economic generation

5. Visitor Figures
Visit Britain calculate that 1 in 4
visitors make the decision for
their visit upon an image.

6. Pride and Prejudice case
study

7. • The house was closed to the public for
six weeks in September of 2004 to allow
filming to take place at the front of the
house and in four of the show rooms. It
was an intrusive shoot, with 200 extras
on site for much of this time for a ball
room scene plus 100 crew members
and a huge unit base parked up in the
grounds.

8. Before they arrived

9. Getting ready

10. Their heeerrreee!

11. • NT were keen to maximise the opportunity
for publicity
• House Manager appears on the DVD talking
about the property and the shoot.
• An exhibition was opened at the house on the
film’s release as Working Title had agreed in
the film’s contract that they would supply
costumes and other items for this purpose.
This exhibition was promoted in the local and
national press

12. The P & P effect
• 76% increase in visitors.
• Restaurant takes £10k in one weekend.
• 2006 went on to be a very successful year with 77,770 visits. In
2002, 2003 and 2004 visitor numbers had never moved above
the 48,000 mark.
• 2009 saw 80,884 visitors.

13. Miss Potter Case study

14. Miss Potter Case study
• Offered locations before the film even
started.
• Found alternative to the real Hilltop thus
creating two destinations for tourists.
• Their fan base is our fan base.

15. Miss Potter effect.
• 2007’s (film released) visitor figures hit
106,500, which was 65% higher than
2006’s 64,500. Since then they have
remained high at 105,000 in 2008 and
103,000 in 2009.

16. Miss Potter effect.
• 75% of the box office from outside USA
• Japanese tourists average spend at Hilltop is £85.
• Retail income stood at around £350,000 per year pre
to 2007 but in 2007 that figure was £573,960, a
massive 61% increase. It has not dropped lower than
£560,000 per annum since then. In 2007 the shop
had the highest turnover per metre squared for any
shop in the National Trust, which is a considerable
achievement considering its tiny 4m x 7m size.

17. The Duchess

18. The Duchess
• 4 properties involved but only one
marketed.
• Competition with Chatsworth home of
the real Duchess.
• Film released in Sept almost the end of
the season

19. The Duchess Effect
• 2007 figures showed 16% rise
• 2009 on back of costume exhibition a
new record of 139,009 visitors.
• Most of the visitors domestic.

20. Sense and Sensibility

21. Sense and Sensibility
• BBC drama using Ham House.
• As a London location difficult to
calculate the reason for the visit.
• Ham also appeared in other TV and
films so hard to say which show
provoked the visit.

22. Sense and Sensibility
• This BBC drama was shot at Ham in 2007
and was shown on BBC1 from the 1st
January 2008 for 3 weeks. The exterior of the
house was visible. A link was placed from the
Sense and Sensibility microsite on the BBC
website to Ham’s page on the National Trust
website. Visitor figures in January, February
and March of 2008 were 107% higher than
those of the same months in 2007.

23. Other Boleyn Girl

24. Other Boleyn Girl
• Visit Kent web site – a collaboration of
film company, locations, tourism, screen
agency and hotels aimed at the short
stay market.
• 100, 000 OBG movie maps.
• 11,000 website visits.
• 4000 competition entrants

25. Other Boleyn Girl
• 500 people surveyed
• 42% visited Kent due to film.
• 48% stayed over night
• 21% extended visit due to campaign
• 98% would revisit Kent
• Value of stays £744,000

26. Alice in wonderland follow up
• Article in NT magazine with Depp on
cover and quotes from Burton.
• Press Junket for DVD release at house.
• DVD extras.
• Website
• Themed garden for 2010

27. Alice in Wonderland
• 50% said that they were visiting
because of the fact that Antony House
was used as a location for Alice in
Wonderland.
• 50% said that they had children
accompanying them who were
interested in the Alice connection.

28. Don’t underestimate factual TV

29. Don’t underestimate factual TV
• The Farne Islands featured repeatedly
in Springwatch focusing on the wildlife
on the island and the work of National
Trust staff. The programme was
broadcast between April and June 2005
and the visitor figures between June
and December 2005 were 32,702, 42%
higher than the same period in 2004.

30. Don’t underestimate factual TV
• Brownsea Island was chosen as the 2008 home for
BBC’s Autumnwatch. Attracted by an abundance of
wildlife including red squirrels and deer, the BBC
explained what drew them to the site, describing the
island as “one of the most varied and important sites
for wildlife in southern England.” The programme was
broadcast from the island for 4 days in late October
and early November and although some filming was
done off site, Brownsea was, as their base, heavily
featured.
• 2009’s visitor figures went on to be 14% above those
of 2008

31. New audiences

32. New audiences
• NT has 35,000 German members due
to Rosamulad Pilcher
• Bollywood
• Children’s TV
• Web
• Phone Apps

33. Economic generation
•Die Another Day spent £500,000 in a month whilst filming in Cornwall where for
every Trust job another 3 depend
•Documentary Darien Venture spent £5000 in 4 days in Cornwall not including our
fee
•The over night hotel bills on Piccadilly Jim were £40,000 a night
•Jane Eyre BBC spend the whole £7 million budget in Derbyshire
•Alice in Wonderland employed 200 local people.

34. Below line advantages
• The Trust has appeared on three movie maps
distributed by Visit Britain each in three languages
and 500,000 copies
• All Contracts commit producers to sharing publicity
materials
• Enterprises have released a CD of classical music
from films shot on Trust property. This has already
generated more than 20 articles in various
newspapers/magazines
• NT credits have appeared on more films and TV
series.

35. Secondary Benefits
Based on cost of terrestrial TV
advertising at £70,000 per minute (off
peak) exposure for Trust in
documentaries alone worth in excess of
£100 million a year

36. Secondary Benefits
• You are always out there – DVD, TV
showings, cable, web, foreign sales,
books, airplane films etc.

37. RISKS
• Conservation issues.
• Time scale - Yesterday and tomorrow.
• Staffing and costs.
• Credits.
• Blink and you will miss us - the jigsaw
effect.
• Surviving the edit.

38. Do we want to do this?
• Closing down – Can we do that ?
• Reputation - fly on the wall or spy on the
wall?
• Image - crime, security, satire and good
taste.
• H & S - regulation - kids, guns, animals
and nudity.

39. Lasting effects
• Lyme Park near Stockport still receives visitors keen to see where Mr Darcy
emerged from the lake in the 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice.
• Castle Howerd still trades on Brideshead.
• ‘The Sound of Music’ released in 1965 is still drawing 300,000 fans annually to
Salzburg with 40,000 of them taking the official Sound of Music Tour
• Figures do drop slightly from their peak but never return to where they were.