Students from the BA Filmmaking and Adventure Filmmaking from University of Wales Trinity Saint David have been fortunate recently to have an opportunity for work experience with the series ‘Jonathan’ in Canolfan S4C Yr Egin.
Canolfan S4C Yr Egin has been home to the series ‘Jonathan’ which is produced by the Avanti company, and as a result several students who study the BA Filmmaking and Adventure Filmmaking courses on the Carmarthen campus have been able to take advantage of the opportunity to gain work experience and industry links while the series is filmed there.
The students have been coming to Yr Egin every week on work experience during the period of the Autumn Nations Series and the Six Nations Championship. It has been a golden opportunity for students to be able to have a taste and ‘real life’ experiences of what the industry has to offer during the buzz of programme production, as well as creating valuable links for the future – and meeting a few celebs!
One of the students who has benefited from the work experience is Finlay Prydderch,
“Thanks to Yr Egin, I have been very lucky to have the opportunity to gain work experience with Avanti on its ‘Jonathan’ television programmes. It has been a very memorable experience. This experience has helped me to create new connections in the industry, and it has been an opportunity for me to show what I was able to do.
“The part I enjoyed most was being a part of the crew that creates the programme, and then watching it on the television, and thinking that I had helped to do this. Through having work experience on ‘Jonathan’ I have then been very lucky to have the opportunity to have work experience as a runner on the programme ‘Cân i Gymru.’ This was a very memorable experience, and I am very grateful to Avanti for this experience.”
The production company Avanti is very glad to be able to offer work experience opportunities to the students. Osian Davies, the company’s Operations Director, said,
“It is an honour for Avanti to cooperate with the University and Canolfan Yr Egin by bringing new talent into the industry. There is such a scarcity of people in the field in south and west Wales, Avanti has realised the importance of giving students work experience opportunities in a broad range of key skills on outside and studio broadcasts. We hope that through having the students present on programmes such as Jonathan and Y Wal Goch in Yr Egin, that this will give them a strong foundation to develop, in conjunction with their education for the future.”
Elen Rhys, S4C Entertainment Commissioner, said:
“As one of S4C’s longest-running series, we are very glad to have been able to welcome Finlay to join the crew for Jonathan in Yr Egin. Incredible teamwork goes into ensuring success on this series and hopefully, Finlay will have benefited from the expertise of the production team and enjoyed his period in Canolfan S4C Yr Egin.”
The creative courses on Carmarthen campus all benefit from the presence of Yr Egin and the students have opportunities and training which aligns with the needs of the industry. During the Autumn term, students who study on the Set Design and Production course, received advice and guidance from Dave Marson, an experienced designer who is also responsible for the set of ‘Jonathan’, as well as having the experience of helping to prepare some of the set for the film ‘Save the Cinema’.
Without a doubt, partnerships such as these succeed in broadening and developing the Creative Carmarthen community, and realise Yr Egin’s vision of ensuring a wave of new talent for the industry in west Wales.
Carys Ifan, Director of Canolfan S4C Yr Egin, said,
“Yr Egin is a natural home for the Jonathan programme with two of the presenters, i.e. Jonathan and Nigel, from Carmarthenshire and Sarra has studied here in UWTSD. I thank all sections of the programme crew who are so willing to offer guidance and support to the students who get a real benefit from the experience. This is a cooperation of the highest order to ensure that there are progression paths for the industry.”
