A DRAMA student at Queen Elizabeth’s School in Crediton, Toby Moran-Mylett, has appeared in a trailer advertising the Into Film Festival, which will be screened at cinemas nationwide.

Supported by the likes of The British Film Institute, (British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and Aardman Animations to mention a few, The Into Film Festival is a national, annual celebration of film and education for five to 19 year-olds across the UK, intended to put film at the heart of children and young people’s learning, contributing to their cultural, creative and personal development.

This opportunity came to Toby through the National Youth Theatre, which he has been a member of for two years. The NYT keeps a rolling casting board of their members, and when film or television companies require younger actors, they will often approach the NYT.

Having signed up to be considered for audition on the very last day applications were being accepted, Toby was very pleasantly surprised when the director, John Michell invited him to have a chat and audition for a part in the trailer online via Skype.

On the day of the audition, Toby was spending the day with a friend, and ended up auditioning for the part from the spare bedroom of his friend’s grandmother’s house!

Luckily, the audition was a fairly relaxed affair, which Toby said he found preferable to waiting nervously in a cavernous room to be called.

Toby travelled to a film studio in Peckham to make the trailer which features young actors from age seven to 19, speaking lines from various films in front of a huge cinematic screen.

Toby’s line: “All the World is made of stories…and all of those stories are right here” was a quote from the 2014 animation “The Book of Life”.

On the subject of working with a professional film crew Toby said: “Until you’re in that situation you just don’t realise how even tiny shots require so much technology and so many people.

“There were boom operators, several cameramen, projection artists, the director, and lots of other people…and you’re in the middle of it all and in that moment everyone is working around you; the feeling of wanting to get your line just right was immense, maybe even more so because I only had a small piece to say.

“When you have more to say you have a chance to redeem yourself if you make a mistake, but when you only have one line you have to get it perfect. It was nerve-wracking walking in there, but I settled into it after five minutes or so, and it was all pretty chilled and good fun.”

When he leaves QE, Toby plans to attend drama school, with his heart being set on the renowned Royal Academy of Performing Arts in London, however, he knows how strong the competition will be for a place at drama school.

He added: “Everything I do at the moment goes onto my CV. You need to have that experience and be able to demonstrate it; it’s been so helpful at QE to have Vicky Evans and the whole of the drama department to help and encourage me with getting certain auditions and then practicing monologues and things. And of course we have our school productions.

“It’s been lovely to have that support, and the productions and auditions all eventually accumulate.

“I realise how difficult it is do get into drama school and the acting industry, so I have back up plans, but that’s really where I’d love to be.”

Toby will be appearing in the Queen Elizabeth’s Production “Into the Woods” from February 2 to 6. Tickets are available from the QE school library.

Alan Quick