The digital landscape has created a new extension to the screen sector. When you start getting into it, film is quite nebulous. It appears to be structured, but there are elements that do not have much structure. That sometimes makes it difficult to gain any information about it, beyond official data collection or the way in which the BFI looks at production—we actually employ someone to track production in the UK. There is a general difficulty in understanding what the new digital area is, let alone starting to track it, what it is doing and what it contributes to the economy overall.
At the BFI, we have started with an approach that is in a way basic, although it is still quite complex. That involves following productions and developments in high-end television, children’s television, animation television and video games that are going through the certification process and trying to become officially British. That is just a starting point. In a way, the sector has traditionally not been in the world of data sharing or providing data to see what is going on. It appears that companies either want to keep within themselves—as with Netflix, which people can watch anywhere and anyhow—or, in the gaming world, from what I have gleaned from the little that I know about it, they kind of know what is going on and there is a lot of network infrastructure.
Overall, it is difficult. At the moment, we have a structured and almost traditional approach to collecting data on those new areas, but they are not traditional, and they work slightly differently. In a way, the data gathering has not really adapted enough to fit them. It is difficult to suggest anything without looking further into those areas, doing more on-the-ground work and getting more involved. I know that Ukie, as the trade body, speaks a lot to the games sector and does a lot of events just to get people more involved, even with certification. That may be one approach involving more on-the-ground work. That is just a small suggestion.