Josh Berger: We must build on this golden age for British film

The industry is on a roll. We should take a moment to recognise and celebrate its current success. British film now stands for global blockbusters such as Gravity and Skyfall alongside independents such as Philomena and The Selfish Giant.

There is no question in my mind that this country, alongside Hollywood, is the best place in the world to make movies today. The exceptional success of the Harry Potter franchise had a significant impact on British film. Potter helped Britain build an infrastructure to rival Hollywood — from Warner Bros’ Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire — to the growth of some of the best visual effects houses on the planet.

When the first Potter film was shot in 2000, fewer than 15 per cent of the effects were produced in Britain. By the time the last film was made in 2010, more than 85 per cent of the visual effects were made in Britain.

Gravity — shot, produced, mixed and edited in Britain and also made by Warner Bros — is a beneficiary of Harry Potter’s legacy. The film is further proof that British films can be truly global and world beating.

Among the stars of Gravity were the Academy Award-winning technicians — including the British craftsmen and women from special effects firm Framestore, based in Soho — who helped realise Cuarón’s vision. One of their many extraordinary creative innovations was the 10-foot lightbox with more than 1.8 million LEDs that bathed George Clooney and Sandra Bullock in perfect starlight. Framestore’s work has won the company both a Bafta and an Oscar.

The economic impact of the British film industry is sizeable. Since 1995, Britain’s film exports and employment levels have more than doubled. Our industry now generates £1.7 billion in exports and employs more than 70,000 people.

It’s also worth recognising the role of government: the Film Tax Credit has played its part in bringing film-makers here. It has been critical to the growth of production, and it has resulted in an extra £1.4 billion in GDP and £430 million in tax revenues here in Britain.

This is a very exciting time for our industry. While the award count goes up, British film’s share of the global box office has grown by two-thirds in 10 years. When creativity is backed by such critical and commercial success, you could easily argue that we are living through a new golden age of British cinema.

With ongoing funding, investment in talent and robust copyright protection, Britain will continue to be a home for phenomenal innovation and creativity. Film-makers will be able to push at the boundaries of the here and now in order to tell their stories — and the golden age will be here to stay.

Josh Berger is president and managing director of Warner Bros UK, Ireland and Spain and a governor of the British Film Institute.