Elstree & Borehamwood film and TV heritage to be part of Sky Studios and Elstree Screen Arts Academy project

Sky Studios Elstree and BAM today announce they have partnered with Elstree Screen Arts Academy for a nine-month project to celebrate Elstree & Borehamwood’s rich film and TV heritage.

“We want to support the next generation of young creative talent, and this partnership will allow us to share some of Sky’s film-making expertise with local students in Hertsmere. I am very much looking forward to seeing the films that these talented young people create, and hope it inspires them into a career in film and television.” – Caroline Cooper, Chief Operating Officer, Sky Studios

As part of the partnership, students will create four, ten-minute documentaries centred on the new Sky Studios Elstree project, with each documentary looking at a particular theme; film & TV heritage, sustainability, diversity & inclusion, and the construction process itself.

To mark the start of the partnership, teachers and students from Elstree Screen Arts Academy met with Sky Studios COO Caroline Cooper on site to sign a piece of steel, that will become part of the structure of the first studio erected on-site, marking a key milestone in the construction of Sky Studios Elstree.

“Our partnership with Elstree Screen Arts is a great opportunity for local students. The documentaries and site visits will provide valuable work experience and insights into a career in the film & television industry. I hope that this encourages the students to follow their dreams and that one day some of them will be back on site, creating the films of the future” – June Wilkinson, Education & Community Coordinator at BAM

As part of the nine-month project, local ESA students will also receive masterclasses and workshops from members of the team at Sky and Sky Studios on documentary research, marketing, PR & distribution, and planning & production. Each class will develop their skills and help them progress their films.

When it opens in 2022, Sky Studios Elstree will be a state-of-the-art film and TV studio, housing 13 sound stages and creating 2,000 jobs in the local area. This partnership with ESA aligns with Sky Studios Elstree’s commitment to supporting new, diverse talent in Hertsmere while helping to fuel the local economy.

The Sky Studios at Borehamwood will be the third active in the area with Elstree TV and Film Studios and BBC Elstree Centre in operation nearby. The BBC site began television production sixty years ago, however the centre in parts dates back to 1914 when it was a film studio. The Elstree TV and Film Studios opened in 1925, moving into TV as well as movies in the sixties.