Theatrical film writers and directors worked on average on 1.4 films between 2015 and 2022, according to European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) figures.
Because of the relatively few opportunities in film, more writers and directors are migrating to European drama series which have witnessed strong growth in the period, said the report.
Some 41% of European films produced each year are debut films for at least one of the directors, a figure that EAO said explained the relatively low level of activity by directors.
The research found that over 25,000 writers and over 17,000 directors were involved in the production of European theatrical and TV/SVOD fiction between 2015 and 2021.
European drama series overtook films in terms of writing and directing assignments: whereas theatrical film writers and directors worked on average on 1.4 films, TV writers participated in 1.7 TV projects and TV directors participated on average in 2.2 TV projects.
However, the EAO said the series production sector had become more precarious to work in because a growing number of screenwriters and directors were seeking work on TV dramas.
The EAO also concluded that ‘film d’auteur’ model remains dominant in European film: close to half of theatrical film writers active between 2015 and 2022 wrote only films they directed. The EAO said that the ‘film d’auteur’ model remains dominant in European film: close to half of theatrical film writers active between 2015 and 2020 wrote only films they directed. Only 9% of directors who were active between 2015 and 2020 worked on both film and drama series. Most worked only in film or series.
Screen Scotland outlines six-year strategy, with a focus on economic as well as creative growth
