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Teesside University graduates help to shape The Mighty Redcar

03 September 2018

 

Two Teesside University graduates have spoken of their pride and enjoyment at being involved in the making of a highly anticipated national television documentary which follows the lives of young people in Redcar.

Adam Mann worked as a researcher on The Mighty Redcar.
Adam Mann worked as a researcher on The Mighty Redcar.

Two Teesside University graduates have spoken of their pride and enjoyment at being involved in the making of a highly anticipated national television documentary which follows the lives of young people in Redcar.

Adam Mann and Jacob Ditchburn both worked on the 72 Films production ‘The Mighty Redcar’, which starts on BBC2 this week.

BA (Hons) Film and Television Production graduate Adam worked as a researcher for six months, whereas Jacob Ditchburn, who graduated from Teesside with a BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing, was on board as a Script Consultant.

The Mighty Redcar is described as a real life soap opera. Filmed over one year, it focuses on the relationships between two generations and provides a modern and nostalgic look at life in a northern town.

The four part series gets underway on BBC2 at 9.00pm on Thursday 6 September. Adam, 23, worked on The Mighty Redcar for six months after being recommended to 72 Films when working for another production company in London.

He lived with crew members in Redcar for the duration of his time on the programme and described it as an amazing experience.

'My role as a researcher was quite varied and involved logging footage, checking facts and making sure there was continuity in what was being filmed.

'Overall we shot more than 700 hours of footage and I had to make sure we were telling a coherent story – rather than just lots of people talking. We wanted to re-define what it is like to come of age in these times and show what it is like for people who don’t want to simply become a product of their environment.

'I am really proud to have been involved in The Mighty Redcar and hope it will be well received.'

Jacob graduated from Teesside in July and worked on The Mighty Redcar during his final year at University. He has since gained employment as a Theatre Technician at Prior Pursgrove College in Guisborough.

We wanted to re-define what it is like to come of age in these times and show what it is like for people who don’t want to simply become a product of their environment.

Adam Mann

Originally from Redcar, Jacob knew a lot of the people who were chosen to be featured in The Mighty Redcar. His role was to help develop the script and work with the narrator to ensure the story was told authentically.

'It was great to be involved and I am looking forward to people seeing it,' explained Jacob, who received the Jane Burke Prize for his dissertation when he graduated from Teesside University in July.

'I know that local people will love it and the feedback has been really good. I think it shows Redcar in a positive light and conveys a real sense of community.'

During his time at Teesside, Adam was one of only a handful of people across the country awarded the prestigious Royal Television Society Undergraduate Bursary, which not only provided financial support, but also mentoring, advice and networking opportunities with other like-minded people.

Since graduating in 2017, he has worked as a freelancer building his portfolio in what he describes as observational documentaries. He has recently completed a project in Catterick with the Parachute Regiment, as well as ‘The Arrival of Universal Credit’, which was set in Hartlepool. Both are due to hit the small screen shortly.

Reflecting on his time at Teesside, Adam said: 'It was a fantastic experience and a real baptism of fire.

'I really liked the self-starter approach and you were encouraged to go out and make your own programmes. You only had once chance to make your mark and had to do your best. I learnt an awful lot and have been lucky enough to work on some fantastic projects since graduating.'


 
 
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