Andrew MacLellan

Andrew MacLellan, 24, has worked in film and TV on productions like 1917 and Outlander, but it was at North East Scotland College that he gained the skills he needed to get started in the industry.

Andrew graduated from NESCol with an HND in Creative Industries: TV in 2015, and he is extremely grateful for the experience he had on the course. He said:

“I will always cherish my time at North East Scotland College. Over two years I was introduced to the key skills behind the production of Film and Television; skills that I still use and value to this day, such as camera operation and video editing. We received great mentorship from our lecturers, all of whom were experienced in their field and highly knowledgeable. The course really encouraged your creativity, getting to create short films, music videos and even a multi-camera live show, on a weekly basis. It was a lot of fun.”

During his time at NESCol, Andrew gained work experience as a runner for the production crew of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, through the College’s link with the Host Broadcaster Training Initiative – his first real work experience. But that was just the beginning of his career in the film and TV industry.

After graduating College, he spent a year doing work for clients and making short films to expand his portfolio. Then in 2016 he moved to Glasgow, where he secured a place on Screen NETS, a training scheme for new entrants of film and TV drama production.

Since completing this, Andrew has been working as a freelance Camera Trainee in film and TV drama, and has had the opportunity to work on some incredible projects. Most recently, Andrew has been working on a Netflix feature film in Edinburgh.

“A career highlight was getting to work briefly on 1917 last year when it came to shoot in Glasgow. The chance to get to work on a feature film of that scale was immense and the opportunity to meet one the world’s greatest cinematographers, Roger Deakins, was mind blowing! I also had the chance to work on “Outlander” Season 5, doing about 2 weeks on it last year.”

Andrew’s advice to anyone thinking of studying TV at NESCol would be:

“Go for it! If you are creative, passionate, and inquisitive and make full use of the professional equipment and facilities that are ready for you, you will do very well. You will come away from the course with a solid grounding in the key skills of the filmmaking process, which will help you perform in a range of roles in the Film and TV industry.”