Students from Barking & Dagenham College get a taste of the film and tv industry

Students from The East London Institute of Technology at Barking & Dagenham College got a taste of the film and tv industry during a special two-day Location Marshall Training Bootcamp. 

The students were joined by successful location manager and producer, Georgette Turner, who herself studied at the College some twenty years ago.  Georgette is perfectly placed to offer the students advice in the industry, having worked on films such as Harry Potter, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Beat and the soon to be released Little Mermaid.  

During the event, the students got the chance to learn a broad range of skills.  From running out cables, connecting generators to learning about camera angles and setting up a unit base and what to expect on set. 

The College, in collaboration with Film Barking and Dagenham, ran its first Bootcamp last year, which has since seen the students who attended work on huge shows for Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV and Warner Bros.  This year, not only did media and film students get the chance to take part, but also students studying in subjects such as carpentry and electrical engineering.   

Lisa Dee, Head of Film for London Borough of Barking and Dagenham explained:

“The Bootcamp was designed to show students from a range of subjects the opportunities that the film and tv industry offers, as the skills learned often translate into becoming a production crew member and working on set.  Huge thanks to Georgette Turner and her team, Ben Teicht and Jessica Wright, for giving up their time once again to support Film Barking and Dagenham.  We’re looking forward to placing and supporting these students into the next productions filming in Barking and Dagenham and planning for future Bootcamps.” 

Zoe Richardson, IoT Project Co-ordinator & Tech Lead at the College added:

“With the opening of the Wharf Studios and with the Eastbrook studios under construction, we know that locally, the demand for trades apprentices and job opportunities in this field will increase greatly. We want all of our students to be aware of this opportunity and have the necessary training in place to ensure they are ready to follow any career path they choose and this Bootcamp has helped to do that.”

Production Arts student, Katie Brett (18) from Dagenham, said:

“The bootcamp has been a really valuable experience, which has highlighted a career path that I’m looking to pursue and that I previously hadn’t considered. Georgette Turner was so inspiring, she was so approachable and gave fantastic advice, taking time to interact with every student.”

Georgette Turner added:

“I came up of the idea for the boot camp a few years back as I realised there wasn’t a platform to show young people what opportunities are available within our industry. I trained in performing arts and it wasn’t until I was in a set that I learned how many different departments there are and how each one is uniquely creative in its own right. It’s great to be able to open doors for the students.”