An ex-student returned to talk to students about being a production assistant on the new blockbuster film Wicked.
Neil Lwanga, 32, left Saint Benedict in 2012 after studying A-levels in Media, IT, Drama and Sociology.
He was invited back to talk to Performing Arts and Media students about his career which has seen him work in production on The Landscapers, starring Olivia Coleman and films including the Marvels and Wicked.
After school Neil went on to study at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham but then he struggled to find work, picking up jobs in call centres and sales.
In 2020 he gained a place at MAMA Youth Project, a four-month training programme for people from under-represented backgrounds to gain the skills and opportunities for work in the film and TV industry.
A key part of the training was to produce a magazine show for Sky Arts. Neil’s role was to research and pitch guests to producers and during that time he managed to book social media influencer, boxer and musician, KSI.
Once he completed the MAMA Youth project, he became part of their alumni and had a number of calls with production companies about potential opportunities. A month later, he received his first job was as a runner on a HBO series called The Landscapers, starring Olivia Coleman.
After Landscapers he worked on the Marvels as a Set PA trainee in the Assistant Director’s department, after that he went onto do a variety of Floor Runner jobs on various productions from ITV, Apple and Netflix.
In 2022 he received a call to work as a Set PA on Wicked, with the same team from the Marvels, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
A Floor Runner / Set PA’s roles are interchangeable; Set PA is a common term on big budget productions. They are responsible for managing the cast, co-ordinating transport, liaising between departments and resolving any issues.
Neil talked to students about what happened when he got the call for Wicked.
He said: “I had a call for a job, but they withhold details of the project in the first conversation.
“I was informed that it would be with the same team from the Marvels, so I checked in with a mutual colleague to see if they received a call and they told me it was for Wicked. You were required to drive on the job but I didn’t have car, but I said I would just make it work and I did.
“Wicked was the longest job I’ve done so far; 12 hour days, including some weekends over eight months. It was filmed across Sky Studios and a backlot in Invinghoe. The Invinghoe shoots invited several drones flying over, operated by paparazzi, trying to get shots while filming was taking place.
“I met Cynthia and Ariana; it took Cynthia four hours in make up as she was green and they also had to cover up Ariana’s tattoos. It’s really interesting to see how a film is put together. They had to film songs in segments of verses, they had to sing to a specific bar and then stop. It’s mind blowing really.
“I had a horn which I had to sound when filming was due to start so that the construction crew stopped working and were quiet. I met the Director, John Chu. and I like to thank that me talking to him about things other than work gave him a chance to escape. He’s a really nice man.
“I had a photo taken with Ariana on a night shoot when she had some friends come in. We were around the trailers and she took the photos on her personal phone. I had to wait for the right moment to ask her to Air Drop the photos! She’s the nicest actor I’ve ever worked with and just to see what she’s achieved is amazing, it’s something she wanted over 10 years ago and now she’s living her dream.”
Anna West, Director of Learning Performing and Creative Arts at Saint Benedict, said: “What an inspiring afternoon our students had. They learnt so much about the film industry, working with superstars, the importance of being true to yourself, always having integrity, surrounding yourself with good people and never giving up. It would be hard to find a more powerful and positive message for our students as they begin to consider their future. It was also the most wonderful moment as a teacher to have a past student come back and inspire a new generation. It’s moments like this that make this job so utterly worthwhile.”
Neil with Ariana Grande, on set and with Director John Chu.
