Trainees get a piece of the action on set of TV drama series
CAMERAS have been rolling in Greater Manchester for filming of the second series of the Sky One TV drama COBRA.
And the show, starring Trainspotting actor Robert Carlyle, is nurturing new production talent.
Trainees from Manchester are among the team working on the series with ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the screen industry.
ScreenSkills has worked with other hit TV shows filmed in Greater Manchester including the recent Channel Four smash It’s A Sin, The A Word, Cold Feet and Peaky Blinders.
Its programmes include Trainee Finder, which matches trainees with productions for on-set and on-the-job training, and Make A Move, which enables those identified by the industry to move into a more senior role.
Namrita Kaur, from Manchester, who moved to the UK from Afghanistan four years ago, is getting her first steps on the career ladder alongside established crew as a makeup trainee on the show. Namrita, 21, studied hairdressing and makeup at University College Birmingham and completed a film and TV makeup course at the Oscarnominated and Emmy Awardwinning Veronica McAleer’s The MAKUP Academy.
She said: “At first I was terrified but I got lovely feedback and everyone is very kind.
“It’s amazing to work on COBRA.”
Sound trainee Carys Ellis, from Manchester, said: “Working on a production during lockdown has made the role of sound trainee very different to normal.
“It has been great to be working and adapting through this epidemic and to see how different productions and sound mixers are changing their workflows to keep filming.”
Kaye Elliott, director of high-end television at ScreenSkills, said: “Greater Manchester has a long history of producing great TV and we are proud to have been supporting the careers of crew and new entrants here for many years.”