Marlow Film
The Benefits of New Film Studios on Local Heritage and Landscape
Marlow Film, a company seeking to develop a new film studio in Buckinghamshire, commissioned CAO to create an advocacy document demonstrating the positive effects of the film industry on local heritage. The document was intended to show how the new studio would benefit heritage organisations in the Chilterns through income generation and tourism. Marlow Film was seeking to make a strong case for support to stakeholders like local planning authorities and conservation bodies.
CAO was commissioned to undertake an initial small-scale piece of research and create an advocacy document highlighting the financial and promotional advantages of location filming at heritage sites. This involved desk research on organisations like the National Trust and Historic Royal Palaces, interviews with CEOs of historic houses in the Chilterns, and analysis of regional filming data and Marlow Film's planning documents.
The resulting document used examples of successful film tourism to illustrate the studio's potential for generating income and tourism for heritage organisations in the Chilterns. It also demonstrated the potential for the studio's positive impact on local skills development and employment, especially for young people.