Lights...Camera...Action!

All summer long, a major movie shoot has been happening in the depths of the Norfolk countryside – could it be a spring board to the county establishing itself as a major player in the film industry?

HIDDEN FROM view, in the rolling, scarcely populated, unspoilt countryside of west Norfolk, a quiet revolution is happening.

A gargantuan hangar, once home to fighter jets and military vehicles, is now at the centre of an exciting project to make this little bit of the county an internationally recognised hub for the film industry. All summer, unbeknown to most, a film crew featuring a stellar cast and acclaimed director has been in residence.

The former RAF station at West Raynham, near Fakenham, has already been the setting for a short film and some commercial work, but this summer was its first foray into the movie business, providing not only space for a full set build, but also office and warehousing space for production, costume and make up.

The Souvenir, developed with the British Film Institute and backed by BBC Films, is set in the 1980s and tells the story of a young film student involved in her first serious love affair. It is produced by acclaimed, award-winning television and film director Joanna Hogg, executive-produced by Martin Scorsese and stars Three Musketeers and War and Peace actor Tom Burke.

It is a huge coup for the team running the former air station, which is gradually being transformed into a vibrant community with housing, businesses and recreational facilities.

The vast air hangars, overlooking the cracked concrete runways, offer huge potential for the future – not only for the site itself, but the wider Norfolk economy and creative community.