SUMMER 2021 LEADER


CONTACTS Editor


Jon Creamer


jon@televisual.com Contributing editor Tim Dams Contributors Pippa Considine Michael Burns Art direction (editorial) Nicola Hannan Art direction (advertising) Rick Rogers


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Steve Toussaint as The Sea Snake in HBO's upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon © 2021 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved


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JON CREAMER EDITOR


TV’S RUSH FOR NEW RECRUITS We’re clearly not out of the woods just yet with the pandemic, but we do now seem to be reaching a point where we can return to some semblance of normality, both in our professional and social lives. But the pandemic, even as it hopefully dissipates, still has an effect on


everything. In this issue our Genre Report centres on entertainment TV. Entertainment has seen a resurgence of new ideas after years of stagnating around a few tried and tested formats, and that’s driven partly by its ability to bring families together in dark times and add a little light and warmth when it’s most needed. We also look at the hunt for the next big factual format that can provide, as one commissioner puts it, “heart-warming content that either transports you, or makes you feel happy, safe and well.” Elsewhere in this issue we look at the rise of virtual production, live sport TV’s


increasing use of remote operations centres and the vfx industry’s moves into remote working and cloud rendering. They’re all developments that were coming anyway, but all have been accelerated by pandemic working conditions. But elsewhere, you’d be forgiven for thinking the pandemic never happened.


In this issue we also take a look at the high-end TV and film studios market where the demand for stage space has been unprecedented over the past year. Expansions of existing studios, conversions of warehouse space and out-of-the- ground developments are being announced on an almost weekly basis. It’s a symptom of the enormous boom in production happening in the UK


driven by the streaming giants. Great news, but there’s a sticking point – people. There simply aren’t enough skilled workers across film and TV production to satisfy the demand. The focus now is on training new entrants and transferring people from other industries to catch up (as shown in our piece this issue on high-end TV skills development). While this is a challenge, it’s also a massive opportunity. All this is happening


at a time when the industry is making serious moves to recruit and promote workers from all the diverse communities of the UK. The industry needs to attract thousands of new workers. That means casting the net much wider and further than the traditional fishing grounds for TV talent. But this is also happening in a moment when revelations of unacceptable


and sometimes criminal treatment of production staff by those in positions of authority are coming thick and fast. If the TV and film industry wants to attract a host of new production talent, it might have to start treating them a little better too.


Televisual First Floor, 23 Golden Square, London, W1F 9JP Editorial jon@televisual.com Advertising advertising@televisual.com Subscriptions Beeline Data 12 months £50 (£66 o/s) Mailing House One Post onepost.co.uk Solicitors David Salamons Cubism Law 020 7831 0101 Printing Stephens & George 01685 388 888 stephensandgeorge.co.uk All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior consent of the publisher. Published by Televisual Media UK LTD © Televisual Magazine 2021 ISSN 0264-9845


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