Ashfield students given 'incredibly rare' opportunity to go behind the scenes of BBC1 drama Sherwood

Owen Else and Savannah Pinto were given the opportunity to take part in a traineeship on the set of BBC1’s new crime drama.

Sherwood sees two shocking murders shatter an already fractured community – leading to one of the largest manhunts in British history.

Owen, 18 and Savannah, 17, spent the week shadowing professionals on the set during filming in Manchester.

Owen explains: "We shadowed roles across each department, and observed the collaborative effort that goes into making a high-end TV drama.

"We even joined the assistant director’s department on the last day as production runners.

“We entered the week with a mindset that the industry was somewhat impossible to enter, but we were pleasantly surprised by the variety of occupational entry-routes possible.

"We felt so welcomed by all members of the production company and we were constantly finding ourselves in awe, lucky enough to get such a front row seat on a production of this scale.”

Savannah continued: “Owen and I had different perspectives on our careers when we started our traineeship.

"Mine was more focused on the performing aspect of theatre, while Owen’s was more focused on design and technology.

"However we were astounded by the multitude of career options that are hidden behind the screen.

“Furthermore, I was stunned to learn just how many people had begun their careers in theatre and later moved on to work in TV and film.

“This experience has inspired in me a great interest in the work of the production teams; most specifically in directing, producing and script-writing.

"I enjoyed my time in Manchester and thank the team, and James Graham, for this amazing experience.

Head of drama at Ashfield School, Bryan Sluman, said: “We were very proud of the way that our students represented themselves and the school whilst on this amazing placement.

"We are also very grateful that James made contact last year to offer this placement to our students.

"These opportunities are incredibly rare and have enabled Ashfield students to establish valuable links within the ultra-competitive film and TV industry, which we are sure will be useful for future experiences and even employment.”

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