Media students gain on-set experience at one of UK’s largest film studios

Current students and alumni from the Creative Media course were recently given insider experience working at Black Hangar Studios – the largest film studio in the UK outside of London! The film, ‘Dead Air’ was shot predominantly on a Boeing 737 plane and was a prime opportunity for students, past and present to further their experience working on a live set. Over the six days, students worked with a professional crew and cast that have been in everything from TV show, ‘The Inbetweeners’ to ‘The Beach’ with Leonardo DiCaprio.

The project, a proof of concept horror comedy short, was directed by award-winning director Geoff Harmer and written by lecturer Pete Hearn. For current student Jacob Percival, this was his first experience of a film set and he spent the week working in several roles, from runner to lighting assistant to script supervisor. By the end of the six days, Jacob was a fully-fledged and valuable member of the crew with industry contacts keen to work with him on future film projects.

Lecturer and creator of ‘Dead Air’ Pete Hearn explained the importance of inspiring his students, saying: “Getting students out of the classroom and into real world experiences gives the students the opportunity to really test the waters and inform their future careers. For those students pursuing Media and Film, this is a great way to give them an expert insight into how everything works and sets them up for the industry alongside studying!”

For more information on our Creative Media courses, click here!