On Sunday 8^th January, three Photography students were offered the opportunity to work with the PR team at Dreamland in Margate during the south-east premiere of Sam Mendes’ new film Empire of Light. Elyse Ratcliffe (Fifth Form) writes a report about the incredible experience below.

“Upon our arrival, we were given access wristbands and shown around Dreamland. The area was busy, with people setting up a red carpet and preparing the venue and food. Our roles were to take photos of Dreamland’s involvement in the event. Some of the key things that we were tasked with photographing were the preparation of food in the kitchens, the bar staff pouring drinks, food being laid out on the tables in the main roller room, and people drinking and eating in the roller room after the screening of the film. We also had the opportunity to look around the set.

Another thing that I had the opportunity to be part of was the press junket. This took place in the building that had been converted into the film set, with the main room being a cinema. At this point, I was able to stand with the professional photographers and adjust my settings with a stand-in for the talent. Olivia Colman, Toby Jones, Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris then came to stand in front of the group and pose for photos. It was a very surreal experience, as I had never been a part of something like it before, but at the same time it was very exciting. The whole process did not last long and it was a rush to capture as many photos as possible, considering light, the point of focus, the angle, the framing of the shot and the depth of field in the short seconds when they were looking my way.

In the end, I found the experience incredibly exciting, and it has opened my eyes to different types of photography that I have not previously experienced. It was an amazing opportunity, and I hope to be able to do more things like it in the future and explore even more photography outside the GCSE and A Level courses”.