Edinburgh Napier University

  This paper examines the evolution of the freelance screen workforce in Scotland over the last half-century and reflects on career sustainability strategies in the Scottish screen production sector, based on the experiences of freelancers. Drawing on a recent series of oral history interviews with long-established Scottish-based technicians, the paper shows how some freelancers have managed to build enduring careers in the Scottish sector while negotiating the challenges and opportunities of the times, brought by changes in sectoral policies, funding, and institutions. The paper also draws on career biographies and historical data from the annual Film Bang directory of Scottish-based freelance crew personnel, published from 1976 to this day, to assess how particular developments over the years have helped with the growth and skills diversification of the Scottish-based freelance pool. Since Film Bang’s launch in the mid-1970s, screen production in Scotland has significantly expanded and diversified, with an unprecedented filming boom experienced in recent years thanks to the increased demand for high-end television content for the global market. By looking at the experiences of these professionals, the paper provides new insights into the workings of the Scottish screen sector, which, in turn, may inform and assist its current and future directions.