Published Tuesday 26 November 2024 at 10:17
How about this for work experience! Impressively, a cohort of trainees from the Blackburn-based ‘Futures in Film Academy’ were invited to join the production team behind the brand-new and critically acclaimed, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light.
Described as the ‘very best of British drama’, the historical BBC series is based on the novels by the late Hilary Mantel and stars the likes of Sir Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
Now into its second series, it tells the story of Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power in the court of Henry VIII and is tipped for a haul of top industry awards.
The cohort from Futures in Film were supported by MR Helix on set to learn how to manage and work with the latest MR Helix Gimbal and Exoskeleton technologies.
The building and testing of these systems is being carried out here in the borough and offers the very latest solutions for filming – with the capability of being linked to drones, cranes and tracking vehicles too.
The project is part of a pioneering new Blackburn Screen Strategy that is being developed – a partnership between Blackburn with Darwen Council, the University of Central Lancashire, MR Helix and Pixeleyed – in a bid to unlock emerging opportunities in the TV and film industry.
Former Blackburn College student, Joe Madigan was one of the lucky few chosen for the incredible opportunity.
The 19-year-old from Blackburn said:
It was utterly surreal to be on such a grand set with so many famous actors and getting to experience it all first-hand.
While it was the first large scale film set I’d been on, we’d luckily been well prepared through the Futures in Film training initiative – taking part in production simulations which gave us the experience of what it’s like to work on a proper film set.
When I left college, I didn’t think I’d get such a great opportunity like this, but through Futures in Film and MR Helix, I have access to the latest film equipment and support from industry professionals to help develop skills.
Through this initiative I’ve also had the privilege to work on a series by Paramount+ Curfew and Netflix’s Knives Out 3 – Wake Up Dead Man.
It’s brilliant to have this fully-funded initiative right here in our borough – it’s opening up so many opportunities for people like me with an interest in a career in film.
These are opportunities we’d never have a chance to experience otherwise and we’re really grateful.
Blackburn-based MR Helix is acclaimed in the high-end TV, drama and film industry for its pioneering work in technical innovation and the development of the dynamic camera motion systems.
Their expertise and prototypes have been successfully tested and showcased on productions such as Star Wars: Rogue One, the Oscar winning, The Favourite, the BBC’s Luther, and now Wolf Hall.
MR Helix has laid the foundations of a technical innovation hub and social impact rental house in Blackburn, which has been supporting partners with industry knowledge, access to industry-standard equipment, and creating a space to test our technologies and nurture talent who are creative and technically competent.
Rizwan Wadan from MR Helix said:
Experience like this is invaluable to those who want to pursue a career in the TV and film production industry.
The Gimbal, Exoskeleton and drone technologies we are developing and testing open-up doors for our Future in Film cohorts – we’re creating direct access to some of the biggest film sets across the country, a unique opportunity in the region.
The more systems we can build, the more jobs and opportunities we can create – a gateway into the High-End TV Drama and Film industry right here from Blackburn with Darwen.
The partnership we have with Blackburn with Darwen Council and the University of Central Lancashire with the new screen strategy is further building on that too and it’s great to see these projects going from strength to strength.
The work on the new strategy is being supported by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Councillor Phil Riley, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, added:
We’re a forward-thinking council which uses its strong partnerships to forge exciting opportunities like this – opportunities for our youngsters to pursue careers in the TV and film production industry.
It’s so interesting that the technology being developed right here in our borough is helping unlock even more of these opportunities – linked to the fantastic work of the Futures in Film Academy and Rizwan’s vision.
The cohorts are getting hands-on training on these emerging technologies, they’re getting to use it on sets like the one for Wolf Hall and they’re getting to see all of the different roles that exist too – a full and valuable experience.
The new Blackburn Screen Strategy will help move that on further and we can’t wait to hear about more stories like this one.
You can read more about the Blackburn Screen Strategy by clicking here.