Bracknell could be appearing on our TV screens a lot more often in the coming years.
Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) has joined the Berkshire Film Office (BFO) in order to “better market” its locations to potential film crews.
A report produced for BFC explained the possible benefits of the borough becoming a silver-screen hotspot.
It read: “The key drivers are to promote a positive view of the area, in particular, Bracknell Forest’s green spaces and successfully attain filming business to generate new income for the council and bring wider custom to the local economy.”
Hiring a town hall, leisure centre, school or community centre could cost film crews up to £5,000 for ten days of shooting footage, while filming on highways, parks and open spaces for a large production of more than 30 people would also cost recording teams up to £5,000.
The council’s Parks and Countryside department has set about creating a viable profile for the borough to enable the area “to become a ‘film-friendly’ borough”.
And according to BFO’s website, there are currently six featured locations within Bracknell which might interest film crews.
These sites range from countryside settings at Pope’s Meadow and Shepherd Meadows, to beloved Bracknell parks South Hill Park, Lily Hill Park and Westmorland Park, to town centre location Station Green.
In February 2019 Bracknell will host a launch event for the film office celebrating the Berkshire Film Office.
The five other Berkshire local authorities are all signed up to the Berkshire Film Office too, which was set up in September 2018 by not-for-profit company Resource Productions.
The aim of the BFO, according to the council report, is to be a “one-stop shop encouraging film companies, television and smaller film or photography enterprises, to do business with the council or in the local area.”
Berkshire Film Office’s website claims it aims to “accommodate filming needs where possible” as Berkshire is “one of the most connected places in the UK with the M4 motorway running East from London across the county to Oxford in the West.”
Hollywood superstar Will Smith was reportedly spotted in a Bracknell gym in August 2018 and cameras were also present at Lily Hill Park earlier in the year when Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted followed Sky News presenter Kay Burley and Conservative MP Johnny Mercer in their quest to keep low-profiles.
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