Malta a big hit with BBC series producers

A scene from the filming of the CBBC (Children's BBC) series Roman Mysteries, which is currently shooting at Villa Bologna in Attard. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi.
 
 The expenditure of film productions in Malta between June 2005 and September 2006 was over Lm5 million - an increase of 500 per cent over the previous 12 months, Investment, Industry and IT Minister Austin Gatt said yesterday.

And the future was not looking too bad - with 170 shooting days in the pipeline for 2007 as opposed to 130, Dr Gatt said.

The budget has voted another Lm1 million in the form of incentives for the film industry, meaning that the government was "putting its money where its mouth is".

Dr Gatt said the tax incentives were "slow in taking off", but that it was a learning curve. Indeed, there was still a lot to learn, but the government was currently carrying out a gap analysis, talking to the industry to see what needed to be done.

By next year, the aim was to have "a strategic plan on the way forward to be certain of investment in the right areas," he announced.

The minister was speaking at Villa Bologna in Attard - one of the locations for the filming of the CBBC (Children's BBC) series Roman Mysteries, which is currently shooting in Malta over what is considered to be a long period of nine weeks. It should be aired on TV next Easter.

The island was originally chosen for the water tanks at Rinella, but the producers soon learnt there was more to it than that and discovered it had much more to offer, particularly in terms of heritage relating to and depicting ancient Rome. Prior to Malta, the production spent eight weeks in Tunis (one of its major competitors), but in hindsight, the producers feel that if they had more preparation time, they would have done more here.

"From a three-week shoot, it became nine, and possibly more," said producer David Ball, who gave the credit for the extension to the Malta Film Commission, which "opened so many doors in more ways than one.

"As travelling film-makers, we know that a film commission can be your biggest ally, or your worst enemy if it is not geared up. In this case, it marked the difference between shooting here for three weeks and nine," he said.

Roman Mysteries has seen the employment of 68 locals but the figures could be higher when considering drivers and other jobs. It has also used 700 extras, Mr Ball said, adding that it was a significant payroll for a children's TV drama.

The first five one-hour episodes of Roman Mysteries, the protagonists of which are four children aged between 10 and 15, are being shot in Malta. But following their positive experience, it is likely that other episodes of the entire 15-hour series would be shot here, said producer Martin Auty, listing the shared language as another bonus.

Both producers were full of praise for the island. Their production "found its feet here" and it was likely that they would bring other projects over.

Each episode of Roman Mysteries has a budget of £1 million, which was considered to be a "ground-breaking" expense in terms of children's TV for BBC.

But it was not surprising when considering the richness of the sets, the live animals used and the high levels of action, the producers said.

"We keep on coming across more glorious locations," they continued, listing Gozo, with its stunning coves and rugged look.

"We just cannot better these locations," they said, appealing to the minister to "unveil more and get digging! It is our first time in Malta, but not necessarily our last".
 

Author Fiona Galea Debono

Source The Times of Malta