Study on the 10th anniversary of the FFHSH

For the first time, the FFHSH has analysed the situation of the moving image industry in both federal states in a representative study. Around 1,250 film and media companies in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein were surveyed for this purpose. The results show that the industry expects economic growth in the coming years despite current challenges.

Maria KöpfCEO of Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH) explains: "What pleases me most about the results of the study is the positive outlook for the future: around two thirds of the companies based in our region expect sales to grow in the coming years. That shows: A lot is still possible in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, the potential is far from exhausted."

The results at a glance:

• Die Bewegtbildbranche ist mit einem Gesamtumsatz von 3,2 Milliarden Euro und 14.500 Arbeitsplätzen bedeutender Wirtschaftsfaktor in der Region. Rund 1.250 Unternehmen zählen zur Bewegtbildbranche in Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein. Davon gehören rund 560 Unternehmen zur klassischen Filmproduktion. Hinzu kommen rund 200 Werbefilmer sowie 110 Spezialisten in den Bereichen Online-Video, 360-Grad, Virtual und Augmented Reality.

• Zwei von drei TV-Produzenten und rund drei Viertel der Kino-Produzenten erwarten wachsende Umsätze bis 2020, wobei aktuell nur jeder Fünfte seine wirtschaftliche Lage als gut einschätzt. Auch am Arbeitsmarkt sind die Aussichten positiv: Mehr als ein Drittel der Bewegtbild-Unternehmen plant, 2017 mehr Personal einzustellen.

• Online-Video und Virtual Reality locken als neue Geschäftsfelder. Ein Viertel der Filmschaffenden will in der Zukunft stärker auf Online-Video und On-Demand-Plattformen wie Netflix, Amazon oder Maxdome setzen. Jedes achte Unternehmen plant, in die Bereiche Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality oder 360-Grad-Videos einzusteigen. Allerdings bleibt die klassische TV- und Filmbranche mit einem Anteil von 38 Prozent weiter Hauptgeschäftsfeld für die Bewegtbildunternehmen in der Region.

• 80 Prozent der Kino- und 60 Prozent aller TV-Produzenten haben internationale Kooperationspartner. Trotz der hohen Zahl an internationalen Kooperationen wünschen sich viele der Befragten eine stärkere Beschränkung der Fördermittel auf Filmproduzenten vor Ort.

• Als Standortnachteil sieht die Branche den schwierigen Zugang zu Fremdkapital und Banken. Sie wünscht sich dementsprechend mehr Lobbyarbeit für Film als Kultur- und Wirtschaftsgut, um ihn attraktiver für Privatinvestoren zu machen.

• Infrastruktur, Zugang zu Equipment und Ausstattung sowie Vernetzung mit der eigenen Branche zählen zu den bedeutendsten Standortvorteilen. Im Vergleich zu Hamburg punktet Schleswig-Holstein zudem mit günstigeren Mieten und geringeren Lebenshaltungskosten.

The study results confirmMaria Köpf in the work of the FFHSH: "As a film funding organisation, we try to make our contribution by, for example, acting as a financial and creative partner to Script Writers and Executive Producers in early phases such as treatment creation, script development and later also in project development. In this way, we give Executive Producers the space to concentrate on a film project while keeping an eye on the audience. After all, even small cinema projects have a chance of success once they have found their target audience - as the documentary 'Manche hatten Krokodile' about the thrift clubs in St. Pauli proves: With just a few copies, the film has now raked in 10,000 admissions - and landed in first place in the iTunes charts. We will also evaluate the desire to reallocate more funds to the development phase."

Industry networking

The film industry has identified online video and virtual and augmented reality as future drivers. Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein therefore wants to bring together talents from the individual branches of the moving image industry more effectively, such asHeads explains: "We see our role as a mediator between the new and old players in the video industry. This is also confirmed by the results of the study. That's why we are continuing to cast our net and will be offering more networking events, workshops and international specialist conferences at the location."

Cinema through the ages

The film industry continues to be the main business area for moving image companies in the region, even though cinema professionals in particular are struggling with economic problems. ForHeads there are two main reasons for this: "Executive Producers see their revenue expectations in the cinema segment significantly dampened. The decline in attendance, especially for medium-sized and smaller films in recent years, is a problem and has various causes, such as a qualitative oversupply, but the question must be asked as to why so many films are no longer finding an audience. Due to digitalisation and the cheaper use of release prints, the cinema has unfortunately also become more and more of a throughput heater for commercial films, where German films have less and less chance of a longer run. On the other hand, Executive Producers are probably also critical of their situation in our region because NDR is very cautious when it comes to cinema films and has other priorities."

The concerns regarding the internationalisation of the media location can beMaria Köpf "Funds are limited and regional competition is already fierce. Nevertheless, it is important for the entire industry to keep the number of cinema productions at the location high. The region benefits from constant employment, increased visibility and professionalisation of the teams - all arguments that make Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein even more attractive for film teams and talent."

About the study As part of the EU CrossMotion project, 1,252 moving image companies in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein from the film, virtual reality, animation and games sectors were surveyed between September 2016 and March 2017 using an online survey. There were also eleven expert interviews with industry representatives. The study was conducted by the Berlin-based research and consulting company Goldmedia.

Link to the study The complete study can be downloaded from the FFHSH websiteDownloaded (PDF).