大象传媒

Martin Cook is a man on a mission - determined to prove that provincial cities like Leeds are more than capable of independent television production and that everything doesn't have to be centred around London. He's the managing director of Leeds Independent Studios (LIS), which is based on a former factory site used by the games manufacturer, Waddingtons, on Kirkstall Road.

He moved up from the capital as a freelance production accountant 20 years ago, but most of his work was outside Leeds as there was precious little work to be had filming in Leeds. However, five years ago he worked on the successful Channel 4 series, "No Angels" - which was set in Leeds and a lot of the filming done at the disused High Royds hospital, near Menston.

Martin Cook

With more drama being set in the regions, he believed it was time to try and set up a facility in Leeds, so he set up a steering group to attract productions to Leeds. A major partner in the project was Kay Mellor's Roll 'Em Productions, who put work LIS's way in the form of her series, "Strictly Confidential" and "The Chase".

Soon, they were joined by Mammoth Productions who used LIS for their series "Lost In Austen" (due to be screened in 2008) and are currently working on a new version of "Wuthering Heights". Since then, the studios have played host to the production team bringing David Peace's bestselling novel about Brian Clough's short reign at Leeds United - "The Damned United" - to the big screen, and currently they are playing host to Revolution Productions who are filming a trilogy of feature-length programmes based on Peace's early works - The Red Riding Quartet.

Cook believes that Leeds can have a healthy future in TV and film production and that it can bring many benefits to the city: "There's so much a production facility like LIS can offer a city. At the moment we are probably bringing in around 拢6m to the city, if you think of the employment opportunities, accommodation and other sundry services used but that is under capacity and if we can get more productions working from our production suites then that figure could rise sharply. Also, the more productions that come to Leeds, attracts more freelancers to base themselves here which leads to cheaper costs and Leeds becomes a more attractive package all round."

Red Riding Trilogy production office

"Other major UK cities like Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and Cardiff have seen the benefits from production being based there - away from London. Indeed, Russell T. Davies' decision to base production for "Dr Who" and the "Torchwood" spin-off in the Welsh capital have brought millions into the coffers of the chamber of commerce."

"Unfortunately at the moment we haven't been able to secure funding from government or the local council to improve facilities and attract more film and TV business to Leeds, which we were a little disappointed about to say the least as we believe that it would bring in investment and the kudos of being a major media centre. So for the moment we're reliant on private funding."

"In these times of falling audiences and spiralling costs in production, most public bodies who will fund productions are looking for an instant profit - they want a dead cert otherwise they get nervy, rather than focusing on the bigger picture of what regular production can bring - I guess they have to worry about what the public might say if a flop is funded by public money. But there's no guarantee of success, you can have the 'right writer' and 'right actors' but there's no secret formula and the councils have to be very careful not to lose money. Also there are strict rules about subsidising private enterprise from state funds."

Preparing the props

"At the moment, we're in an alliance with our investors and our landlord (a property developer), who owns the former bus depot next to the studios. The land has been designated for mixed use, so we act as a good advert for other businesses wanting to site themselves in the area."

"Our studios are only 17 feet high though, so if we want to attract more film companies as well as TV, then we may need to raise the height, as generally they need a bigger stage - 20 to 30 feet high. However that isn't too much of a problem - it all depends on the work that comes our way."

"Hopefully with the huge depth of writing talent in the area, we can encourage more production here in Leeds. Two thirds of filming is done on location and we have access to some of the best locations in the country, what with the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors being within easy reach - not to mention some very picturesque towns and villages who would benefit from increased trade."

"In this business, word of mouth can be key - I talked to someone the other day who was amazed - and pleased - that our facility in Leeds existed. Hopefully once people realise the benefits of basing your production outside of London, then Leeds can increase its profile as a media city."