My incredible journey with ‘Audition’ started when my friend tagged me in a Facebook post, advertising the project. I’ve acted at every opportunity my whole life but never in front of a camera, so when I heard about ‘Audition’ I jumped at the chance to be in a film, and was thrilled to be selected to play the female lead – Liv.
‘Audition’ – the movie
‘Audition’ is the story of a wide-eyed, ambitious student who auditions for a role that could change his life. However, to succeed, he must impress two draconian judges, at any cost. It has been written and directed by Ed Whelan who was a student at the time, only graduating last summer and produced by a cast and crew made up entirely of Durham students.
‘Audition’ will be released on Amazon Prime on Friday 26th March.
Filming on location in Durham
Shooting took place during September 2019, with most of the film being shot in various locations around Durham – the Bill Bryson Library, Observatory Hill, and St Mary’s College – to name but a few places, with the beautiful cathedral as a backdrop. We used the Mark Hillery Theatre at Collingwood College for a few central scenes, and the dance theatre as our basecamp. The summer before, we had rehearsals to get to know our co-actors, develop our characters, and become more comfortable with acting for camera. All the equipment, including cameras, monitors and mics, was highly professional, and I felt extremely lucky to be involved in a project of this standard.
I loved being on set, whether I was there to act, call ‘rolling’, or clap the clapperboard. There was always something exciting and fascinating about being on a film set. As a child, the idea of being in a movie was like a fairy-tale fantasy; I always dreamed about the possibility, but never thought it would really happen. ‘Audition’ let me live out my childhood dreams, and the memories I made during the process will stay with me forever. I very much hope that I will have the opportunity to act in a film again.
Hard work
I was surprised by the amount of work that goes into filming just one scene: the different camera angles, lighting, sound, consistency (something I’m told I wasn’t the best at – I kept flicking my hair between takes!) are all so important in creating a successful scene. But when the results look great, its all worth while!
The whole cast and crew all being Durham students, it was great to get to know lots of new people and have fun, whilst also making a feature film. Some moments during filming were extremely challenging, with occasional shooting days continuing on into the early hours of the morning but ultimately, it was a very rewarding experience and I got to work with an amazing and talented group of people.
Whenever I think about the experience, I buzz with adrenaline, and am extremely excited now the world can finally see our film!
Find out more
- Watch the trailer for ‘Audition’
- About Theatre at Durham University
- Visit the Durham Student Theatre website
- Read the online Student News article about ‘Audition’
- Collingwood College
