Past Newcastle College student scoops two national film awards

Student Elliot Collier, aged 18 from Newcastle-under-Lyme, who studied A Levels in Computer Science, English Language and Film Studies at Newcastle College, submitted a piece of work to the awards which he had completed as part of his A Level in Film Studies. The Moving Image Awards 2017 is designed in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) and recognises and rewards the UK's most talented young film-makers.

After receiving over 400 entries for three different categories, judges from the Moving Image Awards shortlisted Elliot’s work for the ‘Short Film’ category which was created in the style of a mystery drama. The short film, titled ‘The Last Reel’, was filmed and edited by Elliot and shows an unnamed man on his way to work being stopped by a mysterious usher, who hands him a ticket that admits one to the ultimate journey of a lifetime.

Elliot, who finished his A Levels last year before progressing onto the University of Salford, received the ‘2017 Overall Winner’ award along with the ‘Best Short Film’ award at an exclusive awards ceremony. The ceremony was organised by the examination board, WJEC, in conjunction with the British Film Institute (BFI), which took place at the prestigious BFI, South Bank, London on Friday 12 January.

A Level student Elliot, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled and over the moon that my short film won an award in this year’s Moving Image Awards as the competition was really high. I’ve always had a passion for film but with the skills and knowledge I’ve gained at Newcastle College, it allowed me to create a short film that was good enough to receive two prestigious awards.”

Verica Travar-Williams, Curriculum Leader in A Level Film Studies at Newcastle College, said: “We’re super thrilled and pleased for Elliot! To receive two awards from over 400 other national entries to the competition is an amazing achievement. This is testament to his academic and creative skills in this discipline, demonstrated further by his film which displays an exceptional degree of technical proficiency, especially in his application of continuity editing principles. The highly emotive narrative for ‘The Last Reel’ focuses upon the concept of a film about film and resonates deep with audiences. Everyone at the College is really proud of Elliot, we know he has a very bright future ahead of him.”

Newcastle College offers A Levels in a variety of creative subjects, including Art, Film Studies, Graphic Design, Media Studies, 3D Design and Textiles.

Elliot’s achievement is just one of many success stories that past and present creative students have achieved. Two former Newcastle College students, Patrick Taylor and Leo Robinson, both aged 23, recently celebrated after their film was selected for use at both the 2017 Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and the 2018 London Short Film Festival.

Also, Pete Bebb, who is an Oscar winning Visual Effects Artist (VFX), studied Art and Design at the College back in the early 1990’s. After completing his MA in Design at Staffordshire University, he went on to work for world famous VFX Company, Double Negative, in London as a runner and progressed within the company to reach his present role of Computer Graphics Supervisor. Since then Pete has reached the very top of his game, helping create the visual effects for numerous blockbuster movies. However it was his work on the film Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Christopher Nolan, which secured him first a BAFTA, followed shortly by an Oscar for Pete and his team in 2011.