Refreshed strategy proposes growth of Studio Ulster and AI adoption after agency surpasses £450m economic generation target
Northern Ireland Screen has unveiled a four-year strategy including proposals to support Studio Ulster win business and the local industry take advantage of AI.
The 56-page plan, titled The Full Picture, follows the completion of the previous four-year strategy, which set out a target for productions backed by the national screen agency to generate £442m.
The agency has revealed this target has been beaten by £35m, reaching £477m since 2022, having supported shows including Derry Girls (Channel 4), Blue Lights (BBC1), and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO/Sky Atlantic).
Key elements of the refreshed strategy surround the growth of new Northern Irish virtual production studio Studio Ulster, which opened in June last year to become the largest of its kind in the UK and Ireland.
NI Screen will create a virtual production fund to aid the studio in winning business with creative teams by demonstrating how virtual production can solve creative problems and reduce costs. It will focus on backing scripted and unscripted projects using Studio Ulster.
The agency will also prioritise development funding for local large-scale scripted projects with international appeal, strengthening relationships with international broadcasters, streamers and distributors to “reduce reliance on UK broadcaster commissions”.
While scale projects are a priority, the plan also proposes the need for new, lower-cost returning dramas like BBC1 and BritBox’s Hope Street (Long Story TV) to serve as a skills training ground.
It puts the onus on the BBC to deliver this, adding: “A coherent BBC Drama strategy for Northern Ireland post charter renewal is critical to sustaining our drama sector.”
Harnessing AI
Elsewhere, The Full Picture urges the normalisation of ethical AI adoption sector‑wide, calling this the “dominant innovation” for the screen industry over the next four years, bolstering virtual production, motion capture, 3D scanning technologies, animation, postproduction and VFX.
NI Screen will focus on supporting the uptake of tools with “proven value” and “credible, practical courses” that develop AI understanding, such as the NFTS Certificate in AI Principles and Protocols.
Chief executive of Northern Ireland Screen Richard Williams said the main objective is “to see more projects developed here, more local companies growing in confidence and scale, with more people able to see a future for themselves in this industry”.
NI Screen is funded by the Department for the Economy, the Department for Communities and the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.