COLLEGE students have hosted the premiere of their first feature film.

Students at Andover College, including Annie LeGresley from Salisbury, Joe Daly from Durrington and Matty Crawford from Shrewton, held the premiere of their film Scrawl in a packed Lights Theatre.

The idea behind the film was to give students a foot on the ladder by getting them professional credits on IMDb, an online database of films, television programmes and video games, and giving them the experience of working alongside professionals such as Daisy Ridley, who is now filming Star Wars: Episode VII.

The film has been two years in the making and follows two friends living in a rundown seaside town who create a comic book to escape their reality. All is going well until situations in the comic book start to come to life.

Lecturer Peter Hearn, who wrote and directed the film, said: “The benefits of working on this project have been countless. Whether picking up tips from the professionals, to being given the heads up on work opportunities, our students have grown both personally and professionally.”

Annie LeGresley worked on the group’s short film Motto as an assistant before stepping up to producer and one of the leads in Scrawl. Annie, along with her production company Half Day Wednesday, helped co-produce Firehouse Film’s I only have eyes for you, has worked as a runner on various BBC productions and is due to work on a feature film which is being executive produced by Martin Scorsese.

Cinematographer Matty Crawford completed the media BTEC at the college last year. He has worked as an assistant editor on a project for David Gyasi’s Indictus Films, has completed a documentary for Pied Piper Racing and received a grant to make his own independent short film. He has been accepted to do film production at Gloucestershire University.

Joe Daly, who was an actor and crew member on Scrawl, is about to start his final year of the performing arts course and is doing paid work at a camera rental company in London this summer.