A major docu-drama for BBC1 was filmed in Malta over four weeks, spending an estimated Lm430,000 in labour, accommodation and allowances for the foreign crew, the Mediterranean Film Studios, location fees, catering services, supplies and material and a variety of ancillary services.
"A production of the sort - a high-quality documentary that uses all the elements associated with feature production, including extras, set construction and extensive local labour - is a promising prospective market for Malta, which could prove to be lucrative. It opens up the island as a location to a wider range of active production companies," the Malta Film Commission said.
"These kinds of productions could prove to be instrumental in bridging the gap between feature films shooting in Malta and could also complement the bigger productions through the training of personnel - they often offer higher positions to local crew while creating a more constant flow of work," the commission said.
The two-hour factual drama, whose provisional title is Blackbeard: The Real Pirate Of The Caribbean, is being produced by Dangerous Films of the UK - a successful independent production company, formed two years ago by a group of established film-makers from the BBC, with experience ranging from award-winning drama and documentaries to commercials. The company employs over 20 full-time staff and has a broad portfolio of projects in development, meaning the possibility of more work for Malta.
Blackbeard line producer Patricia Wrobel-Thomson, who is also part of the Dangerous Films team, said Malta was chosen primarily for the tanks at the studios since most of the filming had to be done on water. Ms Wrobel-Thomson had already filmed a BBC docu-drama in the tanks four years ago and knew "they would be perfect". The guaranteed good weather was another major bonus, she said.
"I was only in Malta for two weeks last time - not enough to experience the wealth of facilities that Malta has to offer, including the greatest talent and crafts-manship in terms of construction as well as invaluable maritime knowledge," she told The Times.
Most of the docu-drama was filmed in Malta with only another five days in the UK. Shooting took place mainly in the water tanks but also on location in parts of Ricasoli and on the rocky shore in the area. Two large pirate sloops were constructed at the studios for use in the tanks.
"In general terms, the production's budget would be considered low end but, in fact, it is very high for its type: documentaries and docu-dramas are, more often than not, produced on much smaller budgets, making this a major production for its genre," the commission explained.
Despite being a docu-drama, intended for free-to-air and cable broadcast, its large budget (for its production type) has meant that it was operating more like a low-budget independent film than a typical documentary, especially in terms of the local labour used for set and prop construction and the number of bed nights by the 45-strong cast and crew who were on the island for over a month.
"These facts present a typical example of the type of production required by Malta in order to develop a sustainable, constant, long-term local industry," the commission said, adding that the production benefited from financial incentives offered by the government.
After Malta was recommended to the producers of the film by Ms Wrobel-Thomson, following her experience on the island, the commission immediately stepped in and got involved in the development of the project. It had been working with the production team for the past six months.
The production designer, a Dangerous Films director, visited the island on a location scout at the beginning of the year during which time several sites were considered before settling for those around the studios, the commission said.
Four major production houses - the BBC, National Geographic Channel, ProSieben (Germany) and Tel France - commissioned Dangerous Films to produce the docu-drama. Transmission dates have not yet been scheduled by the broadcasters but, apart from being aired on all four major networks and channels, the docu-drama is also expected to be sold to other territories for broadcast. It is also likely that the production will be re-broadcast around the time of the release of Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 in July 2006, benefiting from the publicity and interest that will be generated by the sequel to the original hit.
The viewing figures of Blackbeard are expected to be high, being one of the special programmes to be aired in the year on all the co-producing networks. Not only is there an increase in the popularity of documentaries ever since the success of Bowling For Columbine, but a strong appetite for pirate-based fare has also been registered since the success of Disney's feature, Pirates Of The Caribbean, in 2003, which had a worldwide box office of over $600 million and was one of the biggest hits in recent years.
BBC1, ProSieben and Tel France all have vast audiences in the UK, Germany and France respectively, with BBC1 having roughly 25 per cent of audience viewership and ProSieben 30 per cent. The National Geographic Channel is one of the most popular satellite and cable channels.
The story of Blackbeard is set in the early 18th century and tells the tale of the famous sailor-turned-pirate Edward Teach who became known as Blackbeard and who attacked large ships and laid siege on the Port of Charleston in North Carolina. He was eventually hunted down by the governor's men and killed in a sea battle on the sloops.