Ghostly Goings On At Student Film Awards

Two friends and Salford University graduates went head-to-head on Wednesday 4 December when their film projects were short-listed for the Royal Television Society North West student awards.

On the night it was The Park by the BA Television and Radio graduate Nick Gillespie which finished ahead of Billy Wright made by his friend Ed Lilly, but both went away happy in the end as the two friends had helped each other out in the production of their films.

Nick’s film, which was successful in the Undergraduate Drama category, is a horror story based on a legend about a ghostly lady who is said to haunt Marbury Park in his home town of Northwich.

Since graduating, Nick has gone on to become a freelance camera operator and has worked on a number of projects including a new film of his own based around the Story of Little Red Riding Hood and work for Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow. Ed, meanwhile, has started his own production company producing music videos.

As a result of his success in the North West region, Nick will be taking The Park to compete in the national RTS Student Awards which are held next May in London.

One of Nick’s tutors at Salford, Channel M producer Paul Barron, was responsible for getting the entries into the competition. He said: “Both Nick and Ed were great assets to us on the Channel M project at Salford, so I had no reservations in putting their own films forward for RTS consideration. I had a gut feeling they would make a good impression. It was just a shame that they were both nominated in the same category, being such good friends, but they can both take pride in their achievements. I’m delighted for both of them, and feel sure they will find even greater success in the future”.

Nick, whose win contributes to over a decade of Salford success at the Royal Television Society awards, was honoured to just be nominated. He said: “Everyone involved with the film worked really hard and I suppose it’s a bit of a cliché, but I really wasn’t expecting to win. The whole night was a bit of a blur and having a chance to go to the national awards in London next year is very exciting.”