MORE than 40 students and graduates from the University of South Wales (USW) have been given the opportunity of a lifetime, to work on the new BBC series His Dark Materials, writes Emily Withers.
The programme, based on the Phillip Pullman novels by the same name, premiered last week to rave reviews.
And, through a partnership with the Screen Alliance Wales initiative run by Bad Wold productions, one of the programme's production companies, students and graduates from USW have been able to get first-hand experience of producing a high-budget series.
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Among them is Sarah Notley, from Newport, who studied an undergraduate degree in TV and Set Design at USW, and is now working as an art director on the show.
She said: “His Dark Materials is very different from anything else I have worked on.
"A stand-out moment for me was last year. We had a huge location build for season one.
"The scenery was beautiful and the location was close to home. We created a set of 20 buildings inside a quarry.
"It was a long process involving a lot of people. It was a real highlight when we handed over the finished product for filming.
“Then the visual effects add to our level of work and the whole scale of this show is elevated. It adds a whole other level to what we have created."
She added: “After being in the industry for a while, I have rarely worked outside Wales, I have been really lucky. I think Wales is a massive hub. So many productions are here enticing people to come to Wales, they know there are professional crew members here.”
Also working on the programme is Ben Jenkins, of Cwmbran, who studied an MA in Film (Productions Management) at USW, and is now an operations executive on His Dark Materials.
He said he was pleased there were opportunities to work in television outside London - where the majority of TV production in the UK has previously taken place.
“The film industry in Wales has exploded over the past four years," he said. "It is an incredible opportunity for Wales that we can build something like His Dark Materials.”
Andrew Creak, of Caerphilly, graduated from USW with a BA in Film, and is now working as a trainee production assistant on His Dark Materials, having originally joined the team on a work experience placement.
He said: “It feels amazing to go from graduating to working on a high-quality BBC/HBO production.
"Studying gave me the confidence to apply for work experience. During my first week, I got to work with one of my favourite actors but my favourite part of my role is being able to see every single part of the production – from pre-production through to post-production."
Tom Ware, head of film and TV school Wales said: “Everyone at USW is thrilled that, thanks to our close partnership with Screen Alliance Wales, we are able to create so many opportunities for our students and graduates to work on this ground breaking series. To be able to support so many talented young people now and on future series is both an honour and a privilege.”
Filming for series two of His Dark Materials has already begun.
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