The film and television industry in london's suburbs: lifestyle of the rich or losers' retreat?

Abstract

There is growing evidence of the decentralization of the film and television (FTV) industry in London. The article demonstrates that this decentralization is happening in a counter-intuitive manner: first, it is more widespread in micro production companies, which are most vulnerable to the loss of face-to-face connectivity; second, it occurs not in ‘town centres’ characterized by better services and connections, but in the residential suburbs. The article suggests that the industry is becoming more and more ‘cottage-based’ in a very direct sense — oriented to projects run from the homes of producers. This happens in both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ ways: the former is typical for affluent ‘home-based’ producers; the latter, for industry's ‘losers’ and start-ups. The suburban concentrations of FTV production are being explained not only by the specifics of industry organization and the diseconomies of high rents and overcrowding but also by the requirements of particular lifestyles, as well as by simple business failure.