A POSITIVE RESULT; Course leads to great job.

A FORMER media student is leaving his mark on the big screen by working on a host of movie blockbusters.

Ex-Darlington College TV and interactive media student Terry Marriott secured a job with Double Negative, one the world's most renowned digital special effects specialists.

He returned to deliver a masterclass at the college to TV and film students, presenting a showreel of work that included box office hits including Harry Potter, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man II, Hellboy, Twin Towers and Atonement.

Now based in London, Terry outlined his route to securing his big break which involved studying a visual effects degree at Teesside University, before working his way up from tea-maker.

"You have to be really dedicated and it can take a long time," he said. "You have got to network and get to know people. Never give up on your dream and go for it."

He said once you were in the industry it was a very steep learning curve because movie makers worked to very tight time and cost constraints.

Every day all staff received an hour's training to keep them up to date with fast moving technology.

"Any day we can be working on a scene ranging from removing wires to creatinga computer-generated dragon. Sometimes we have to work frame by frame which can take a long time and we have a short turn around. It looks so simple at the cinema but it can take weeks to achieve." Special effects were often used instead of reshooting a scene as it was a lot cheaper and quicker. Darlington College tutor John Gibb said the media department was now working with Maya, the same digital software used in the film industry. He added: "While that gives our students a great head start, Terry's advice and connections will be even more valuable."

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SPECIAL REPORT: Terry Marriott returned to Darlington College to inspire students