Aspiring young actors and film makers from the North East experienced the real life setting of a major industrial complex – thanks to the px group.
Members of Page2Stage drama group, including former film students from Stockton Riverside College, travelled to Northern Scotland to shoot an instructional video that will help keep staff, visitors and contractors at the St. Fergus Gas Terminal – operated by px – safe.
The film, which was planned, shot and edited by the young people’s new venture – Ufilms Productions – will now be shown to all those visiting the St. Fergus site, located north of Aberdeen.
Kelly Fairhurst, who runs the drama group and is Lecturer in film and TV production at Stockton Riverside College, explains: “I have been running the Page2Stage group for five years now, alongside my job teaching the BTEC extended diploma in creative media production course at the college. A number of our budding young actors have gone on to enrol on the film making course over the years and it was four of them – who have since graduated – that became involved in this project.
“The students set up their own film production company last year as part of Stockton Riverside College’s enterprise initiative. The aim is to encourage students to gain experience by working in the industry outside of the college setting, building something that can be continued when they finish their studies. It was the quality of the films produced by Ufilms Productions that grabbed px’s attention.”
Responsible for the management and maintenance of nine potentially hazardous facilities across the UK – including power stations, gas processing plants and fuel storage depots – px group took over the operations and maintenance of St. Fergus Gas Terminal in 2015.
Michael Derbyshire, SHE Manager, said: “One of the areas which required updating at St Fergus was the safety induction film for the site. We wanted to focus on our px zero harm objective – ensuring no harm to people and the environments in which we work – and to include more information about process safety and major accident or hazard prevention.
“As a company which supports apprenticeships and is keen to help young people find routes into employment, we decided that it would be fantastic to involve this talented and inspiring group of young film makers and actors. It was a great pleasure to work with them and I know that they gained valuable experience from the project – including a finished product that will be great for their portfolios of work. We wish all of the participants all the very best in their future.”
Film maker Matty Dickens, aged 18, said: “All of us are interested in making films from a fresh perspective and our ideas and previous work through Ufilms really impressed px. We discussed the job requirements and it became clear that we would need to draft in an additional actor for the project – so we recruited the fantastic Ollie Mawson, 15, from Page2Stage, a group I’ve also been a member of since my early teens.
“Kane Smith, 18, and Chloe Handley, 19, worked on the script and the concept for the film and then Chloe, Taylor Henderson, 18, and I travelled up to St. Fergus with Ollie to shoot the film.”
Ollie added: “The setting was amazing – like nothing I have ever seen before. It took some getting used to, which was a challenge as I was playing the part of a gas plant employee and needed to appear comfortable and competent in the surroundings! It was a fantastic experience and one that has cemented my ambitions to continue my studies in this area, once I finish school.”
