‘Echoes’ awarded Best Production Design at Dublin's Underground Cinema Awards

Northern Ireland Screen funded Short film ‘Echoes’ has recently won the 'Best Production Design' award at Dublin's Underground Cinema Awards.

Filmed at SERC’s Bangor Campus, the short film is set on a distant planet where two blue collar workers transport a prisoner across a distant mining colony, only to discover she is not the real danger onboard.

In September 2017 the cast and crew of Echoes (produced by CauseAScene Films and directed by John Carlin) arrived at SERC to film at the Colleges NI Film and Television School studios (NIFTS), which is an industry standard studio, on campus.   

The students from performing and creative arts helped Set Designer, Stephen Bamford, turn the studios into a futuristic cargo shuttle, complete with freezer hold.   

Over the three-day shoot, four HND Creative Media students from SERC’s Northern Ireland Film and Television School joined the crew as trainees on set, working across production, camera and costume departments.  This resulted in the much sought after and often elusive, first onscreen credits for all four of the students on a professional production. 

Echoes premiered at the Belfast Film Festival in April 2018 where it was awarded the 'Best Production Design’. It was also awarded 'Best Irish Short' at the Dublin Sci-Fi awards during the summer where Producer Louise Gallager said:

"On behalf of myself, and the team, we will be forever grateful to the staff and all the SERC students for their generous time and talent in the making of Echoes. Short films are difficult enough to make on little to no budgets, and Echoes was particularly challenging." 

“Without the vision of NIFTS, this film would not have been made - Alison and the team totally got what I was trying to achieve and worked with me every step of the way, they recognised how good an opportunity this would be for the students - that's filmmaking. We are thrilled with this award, and particularly thrilled for the students who worked with us."

“They were professional, keen, worked hard, listened and asked questions. Since then I've taken a couple of the students on to bigger productions and they are now on their way in the industry. The feature film version of Echoes is now in development with NI Screen, and I hope that in the not too distant future, I can be back down to SERC to shoot some pickups in that cracking wee set!"  

SERC Head of School for Performing and Creative Arts Shiona Croft said “It is wonderful to see our students getting to work first hand with professionals in the industry. Thanks to Echoes the students will have undoubtedly benefited from this experience and will ultimately benefit them in their studies and future careers.”

To watch the film's trailer; visit www.vimeo.com/260550449 

SERC provides a wide range of full and part time courses.  Visit us at our Full-time Open day on Wednesday 6 March from 2pm – 8pm at our Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards campuses.  For more information or to apply please visit www.serc.ac.uk, call 0345 600 7555 or find us on Facebook, search: SERC.