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Budding actors with way of making 'extra' money
MANY teenagers earn a bit of pocket money through waitressing, cleaning hotel rooms or working in a shop at the weekend.
But five young students from Tadcaster Grammar School take a more creative approach to paying their way by regularly offering themselves as television extras.
But while their sought-after TV jobs sound all glitz and glamour all five teenagers agree the illustrious world of the silver screen is far from that in reality.
"It's actually really hard work and very long days and when you have to get up at 6am to get to your scene in Rotherham or somewhere it can be pretty tiring," said sixth form student Emma Gibson, 16, who appeared on Channel 4's Hollyoaks Later last week.
"And you definitely need your parents support," added 15-year-old Abi Hinchley, who along with fellow students Danny Pearson, 13, Nicola Stainthorpe, 14, and Hannah Conway, 16 is a member of the Leeds-based Northern Film and Drama Acting School.
All five have experienced working a 12 hour day on TV sets and have endured the arduous task of standing around and repeating take after take to get a scene right.
"Sometimes the director will say you might be finished at three but then it ends up being seven and your parents will often be waiting in the car outside to pick you up!" said Abi.
"My grand dad accidentally drove into a scene once when he came to pick me up because he thought we'd already finished filming hours ago which was quite embarrassing!" added Hannah.
"But it's good fun and some of the younger actors are really nice to chat to between takes," said Nicola, who has appeared in several Iceland commercials with former Atomic Kitten singer, Kerry Katona before the troubled celebrity was asked to step down earlier this year.
Year 9 pupil Danny, who only joined Northern a month ago and is keen to go into acting, says he gained valuable acting experience through doing TV extra work.
He had his first speaking part in a locally-based film, Elevator Gods last week which was part-filmed in Tadcaster and directed by a local man.
Along with Nicola, Abi and Hannah, he has had several bouts of extra work in the BBC's ongoing drama series Waterloo Road which is regularly filmed at a school in Rotherham.
"I had to audition to get into the Northern School but since then I've had work and it's been great and good for my CV so far," he said.
"Acting is something I'd like to get into one day. I was one of the flash back boys in Elevator Gods last week and I did a full day of filming which was a great experience.”
Fortunately for the quintet a lot of the TV work offered so far has been during the summer holidays and at weekends so there hasn’t been too much time off school.
But Tadcaster Grammar School headteacher, Geoff Mitchell believes the work is an important way of helping his students to grow and they should be encouraged to undertake such activities it if that’s what they want to do.
“It would be very easy to ask students to put everything on hold for five years and get on with their GCSEs when they join the school,” he said.
“But I think the important thing to remember is that experiences like these help our students to grow and become who they are.
“They come back into school happy and willing to learn and they’re offered support to catch up on anything they’ve missed.
“As long as nobody abuses the system I’m happy for them to do this if they are and they keep up with their studies.”
susannah.berry@ypn.co.uk
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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