The Film Industry and Cultural Heritage Collaboration

The film Industry and Cultural Heritage sector can be seen as two completely different media industries. After all the film industry requires writers, directors, producers, and someone sponsoring the finances, plus there are actors, camera crew, and people responsible for digitally enhancing. My cultural heritage industry focuses mainly on advertising and promotion of historical sites to gain tourist awareness, and the conservation and research of historical buildings. These two industries separately don’t seem to have much in common, but they can come together to create a fantastic product. There have been so many historical drama films produced through out the years that incorporate, of course the film industry and UK historical sites. The historical sites are used in the films as scene locations, and can be one of the most important aspects in film-making, because the locations draw the audience into the film making in more authentic.


http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/locations
http://www.bfi.org.uk
http://www.movie-locations.com/places/uk/london.html#london
http://www.film-locations.co.uk/phpBB3/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/apr/14/robin-hood-russell-crowe

In the future I can see these two industries working together and benefiting from each other even more then they are now. There is always going to be a need for period drama films, audiences’ can’t get enough of them, and the film industry knows this. Therefore the more films that are produced within the film commission concept, the more historical sites that are used, this then can generate more tourism and more profit for those historical sites.

Convergence is having a positive impact on these two combining industries. The more historical sites advertised in films means the more popular the site can be for tourists to visit. Plus with the World Wide Web at your fingertips researching historical sites and booking your trip is so simple now. With many historical sites the buildings can be damaged or not fully developed, with the advances in CGI and other digital enhancing techniques, these buildings can be restored for audiences watching the film.

Films collaborating with UK Historical Sites:

HISTORICAL SITE: MY VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM/ALTON TOWERS GROUNDS

The original site and estate dates back to 1000 BC, for the next couple hundreds years the estate gets passed on to Saxon and Norman kings. In the late 1400's the Earl of Shrewsbury turned Alton Towers into a hunting lodge, known as Alverton Lodge. From then on the lodge was passed down to each new Earl, although know one has lived in the estate since 1924 when they sold the property to local business men in Staffordshire.





Grade II Building*: particularly significant buildings of more than local interest.

Prominent Figure: George Clarke: Restoration Man

George Clarke is an architect, writer and lecturer and one of the most successful property TV presenters on UK television.
George’s design talent and passion for beautiful buildings has transformed the home’s and lives of so many people a cross Britain.

George's TV Shows:
Build A New Life 2003-2006
The Home Show 2008-Present
Restoration Man 2009-Present

http://www.georgeclarke.co.uk/





1. DREAM/PASSION
George Clarke's passion is and always will be architecture. He studied architecture at the University of Newcastle and University College London. Later he started his own business, Clarke:Desai, with business partner Bobby Desai.
"Durham Cathedral was the building that made me want to be an architect. I remember going to visit the building at the age of 12 and it blew me away with its unbelievable beauty. It sits alongside the River Wear, which runs down to my home city of Sunderland. I wish I could design a building that would last a thousand years!"(George Clarke)



Founded in AD 1093, Durham Cathedral is generally regarded as one of the finest examples of a Norman cathedral and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

AUDIENCES
George Clarke is passionate about the way architecture can transform everyday lives and his aim is to make architecture popular and accessible to the public.His audience ranges from University students, housewives, working class families, and even the extravagantly rich.

KNOWLEDGE
George Clarke is an architect and creative director of an architectural practice, clarke:desai, which has established a reputation as a talented design company with a very high profile client list, including residential, cultural and urban design projects across the world. George Clark also has a property development company, dreamspaces. He is also a writer and lecturer. George's architectural practice, university teaching and research allow him to develop ways of creating new kinds of architecture.

STRATEGY
I believe George Clarke's strategy, which contributes to his success is his friendly approach, young good-looking appearance, and the ability to sympathise with the people he's helping. He seems to have a great PR team and marketing structure.

Historic Houses Association

The Historic Houses Association (HHA) represents 1,500 privately owned historic houses, castles and gardens throughout the UK. These are listed buildings or designated gardens, usually Grade I or II, and are often outstanding. Many HHA houses feature in the minds of the public as symbols of Britain's unique heritage. Around 500 houses and 160 gardens are open regularly to the public on a commercial basis, attracting between them about 15 million visitors each year.

The HHA works for the future of all these 1,500 houses, the heritage they conserve and the businesses, families and employees they support, by lobbying on their behalf, representing the privately owned heritage sector to government and others at national, regional and local level. Whenever possible, HHA works in partnership with other organisations in the heritage sector to pursue these aims:

*Supports sector wide campaigns, such as "History Matters - Pass it on"
*Works closely with the the Union of European Historic Houses Associations, in Brussels and Strasbourg

Below are a few buildings belonging to the HHA.

http://www.hha.org.uk/metadot/index.pl?id=23038&isa=Category&op=show

Glamis Castle-Scotland











Harewood House-Yorkshire











Whitmore Hall-Staffordshire











Harvington Hall-Worcestershire











Beaulieu-Hampshire











Hever Castle-Kent












Highclere Castle-Berkshire











Broughton Castle-Oxforshire











Spencer House-London
















Leeds Castle-Kent

POLICY DOCUMENTS:

the link below will take you to the "World Heritage for the Nation" page where you can click on the different links that show you the policies they offer.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/consultations/6608.aspx

POLICY OBJECTIVES:

*UK’s approach to World Heritage
*Costs and benefits of World Heritage status
*Management
*Protection and funding of sites
*Future nominations.
*UNESCO

REGULATORY BODIES:

English Heritage is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government. It is currently sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.English Heritage has a considerable degree of power and access to public money derived from taxation. At some of its properties it charges admission fees to supplement its government funding. In 2007/08 it generated income of £49 million, received government grants of £137 million and spent £172 million.

There are a number of other sources of funding for English heritage Sites. For example, since 1997 the Heritage Lottery Fund has provided more than £287 million for World Heritage projects, benefitting 20 out of the 28 UK sites. The Government also provides considerable advice and support to site managers, some "grant" aid for conservation work is also available. Different types of funding to explore are sponsorships and setting up friends’ organisations are great ways generating income.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2010-02-22a.249.0


CHANGES IN POLICY:

* UK wide protection, support, research, guidance and funding in relation to climate change and the historic environment is being developed and progressed, and is being shared across the UK, through the heritage agencies and bodies working together.
* The Government is working with site managers to develop clear Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for all UK World Heritage Sites as a basis for future management and protection.
* The Government wants policies for the protection of World Heritage Sites to be introduced into Local Development Plan or Local Development Framework as soon as possible.
* They want a wide range of stakeholders to become involved in different aspects of managing a site, both to look after the site and promote the benefits it can offer.
* Government would like to see more international links between sites.

HISTORICAL SITE: MY VISIT TO HAMPTON COURT PALACE

The Palace's royal gardens cover over 60 acres that run down to the River Thames, featuring sparkling fountains, glorious displays of over 200,000 flowering bulbs and 750 acres of tranquil royal parkland.




Hampton Court Palace originally built for Cardinal Wolsey in 1514, was made famous when it was given to the notorious Henry VIII. Today, the palace is open to the public, and is a major tourist attraction. It is cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown.

HISTORICAL SITE: MY VISIT TO THE GLOBE THEATRE

This is a picture next to a gown worn by Elizabeth I inside the exhibition of the Globe Theatre. I am a big fan of the Tudor era, and love all of the beautiful artefacts!



This is my visit to the Globe Theatre in Southbank, along the river Thames. The Theatre is a reconstructed replica of the original Globe in Shakespearian times, built in 1997.