Prince William took a turn operating a camera on a dolly as he joined the film set at the London Screen Academy. The prince, President of BAFTA, took a tour of the specialist sixth form college in Islington, North London, on Wednesday where 900 students learn every aspect of film and television production. As he arrived, The Prince of Wales laughed and shouted to some cheering students waiting outside: “Shouldn’t you be in class?”.
Touring the academy, William took part in the filming of "Melomania", set in a dystopian future where music is banned. Visiting the costume department, the prince, 42, saw outfits created for the film. He was shown a costume which he was told included “steam punk aspects” and featured a long chain draped over the head which then attaches to a belt worn over a tartan top. When Charlie Kennard, principal of the trust, asked the prince if it was something he might wear, William smiled and jokingly replied: “You know, I might do… Saturday night out? Why not.”.
William was shown a hair and make-up room where students learn prosthetics and special effects. Talking about films that used prosthetics, William said that he had seen The Darkest Hour, the film about prime minister Sir Winston Churchill. The Prince of Wales added that he had also seen the prosthetics used in The Last of Us, a gory TV series with zombie-like creatures. He said: “I watched a bit of it but then I realised that it was quite full on.”.
Hannah Wing, the academy’s hair and make-up teacher, demonstrated how to create a fake scar by trying one on the prince’s hand, saying she had checked in advance of the royal visit that he didn't have any allergies. “Do you want to have a go at putting some of this on yourself?” she asked the prince. “It just needs to dry and then you stretch your skin and create a scar.”. William said: “It’s quite a punchy smell.”.
He saw a student applying metal spikes in a line above another student's eyebrows. The Prince asked: “Is this your imagination? Is this your design?” He added of the spikes: “Do they stay on all day? That’s quite long, isn’t it.”. William then went up to a roof space to see where students were filming and took a turn behind the camera. When asked to review the prince’s filming skills, Kendra Nwogu, an 18-year-old year two student, said: “Amazing, actually. I was kind of scared watching on the monitors. But very smooth, nice pan. [He] did a great job.”.
The engagement started with William being told about the academy, which is the only one of its kind in the country. Sitting down with six executives, including co-founders Lisa Bryer and Tim Bevan, William was told that more than half of sixth form students in the UK expressed an interest in working in film and television but only one in five believed it was feasible. Co-founders of the screen academy who were not there during the engagement include David Hayman and Barbara Broccoli, the film producer behind the 007 James Bond films.
Sitting in front of an indoor film set created by students, William asked: “How early in the pipeline of someone’s life do you have to expose them to the idea that they can be in the film industry?”. He was told that the academy takes young people aged 16-18 from across London. The school also offers a foundation course, where students can stay on for a third year instead of going straight on to university or into employment.
Tim Bevan, who has produced My Beautiful Laundrette, Atonement and Blitz, said 20 students from the academy had been working on the new Bridget Jones film, Mad About The Boy, which is made by Working Title Films, the production company of which Bevan is co-chair. When William asked Bevan about his Oscar prospects this year, the producer replied that it was his film The Substance starring Demi Moore that probably stood the best chance.
Speaking at the end of the engagement, Bevan said: “Having the prince visit the school is a dream for us to get the word out about the school, to encourage young people to apply, for young people to see that this is a viable and real opportunity.”. The Prince will not be at the BAFTA awards on Sunday night, an event he doesn’t always attend.it is understood that he wanted to use the visit to the LSA to show his support for up and coming talent and the British TV and film industries.
