London Mayor Boris Johnson announced that $3 million would be invested in Film London.Though most people think of Los Angeles and Hollywood as the film capital of the world, a recent announcement by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson may change this – Johnson has said that he will be investing £2 million, or $3 million, in Film London, the city’s filmmaking agency. Of that, $1.1 million will be specifically to improve the television and animation production rates.
According to an article in Screen Daily, the mayor announced that the funds will be going to the agency to increase the number of British shows filmed, helping to build on the local economy and create thousands of jobs. London is currently the third city in the world for filming, behind Los Angeles and New York, and these new funds will allow the organization to invest in more global opportunities.
“We have an unprecedented opportunity to grow this exciting sector to deliver jobs, produce more world class British drama and, above all, make London the city of choice for TV and animation production. Let’s make sure that all future Downtons are filmed on our turf,” Johnson said in his announcement.
The increase in funds is expected to bring in an increase of £200 million in production expenditure in the U.K., on top of an already growing industry – filming volume has increased by 21 percent from 2003, when data began being recorded, to 2012.
For both moviegoers and television watchers, this news may bring more British shows besides the uber-popular Downton Abbey that Johnson was referring to, and potentially better quality of shows as well. Los Angeles and New York may too begin to see more competition with this announcement. Movie theater owners and organizers of outdoor movie screens, may also see a difference in the quality of films as more funds make their way to the industry.