CREWSDAY TUESDAY: CAPTURING THE ACTION, JUST OUT OF FRAME

Crewsday Tuesday looks at Waterloo-based Alex Hurst, who works across film and television as a unit stills and art department photographer, a specialist role that helps shape the visual worlds audiences see on screen.

FACILTIES FRIDAY: BRINGING METALWORK TO THE REGION

Metalworker Harry Prescott of Proper Sets Limited has recently brought his craft, and young family, to the Wirral, joining a region he believes is full of opportunity for people working behind the scenes in Film and TV.

FACILTIES FRIDAY: MASTER CRAFTSMAN, BY ORDER OF THE PEAKY BLINDERS!

We spotlight C Relph Ltd, owned and run by Colin, a master craftsman with nearly four decades in set construction whose work has shaped some of the Northwest’s most distinctive productions – none more so than Peaky Blinders.

WEDNESDAY WHEREABOUTS: PEAKY BLINDERS AT ST GEORGE’S HALL

Our region’s magnificent example of neoclassical architecture is a must‑see for any Peaky Blinders fan. St George’s Hall has enough to marvel at in of itself, but pair it with the fact that it’s hosted some of the show’s most integral moments and it becomes something truly iconic…

LIVERPOOL’S VERSATILITY: A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE

Have you seen Channel 4’s A Woman of Substance yet?

PEAKY BLINDERS: A LIVERPOOL HISTORY

POWIS STREET

The place where it all began! 

Birthplace of Ringo Starr, Toxteth’s ‘Welsh Streets’ also bore the crime-saga we know and love today, transforming into 1919 Birmingham’s inner-city slums in the very first scene of the show. Powis Street became ‘Watery Street’ for the first few seasons, its blackened, terrace-lined houses acting as the humble beginnings of the Peaky Blinders, home to the Shelby family home and their illegal betting shop. It was the site of iconic scenes throughout the series, like Campbell’s invasion of Small Heath in season 1 and Polly’s march hand-in-hand with the Shelby wives in season 3.  

Watery Lane’s impact went beyond just the screen too, with production bringing an increased interest to the Welsh Streets and the disrepair they had fallen under, eventually leading to refurbishment work beginning in 2017.  

ST GEORGE’S HALL

Our region’s magnificent example of neoclassical architecture is a must see for any Peaky Fan. It’s grand main hall is enough to take the breath away on its own, but pair that with the fact that it’s hosted some of the series most integral moments – like Grace’s death in season 3 and the fascist rally and failed assassination of Mosely in season 5 – it’s truly a sight to behold. The show didn’t only rely on the building’s grander parts either, with the dark, looming bowels of the hall the perfect setting for the Shelby’s (almost) execution that began season 4.  

Keen eye viewers will be able to see the outside of the hall in The Immortal Man, with the imposing Corinthian columns at the front and usually peaceful St John’s Gardens at the back of the building ladened with sand bags, fake smoke and rain machines as the exterior subbed in for a Birmingham going through the Blitz.  

Also featured in: House of Guinness, The Batman, Fantastic BeastS and Where to Find Them

STANLEY DOCK

Home of many a ‘Red Right Hand’ sound-tracked slow-motion walk, the city’s most famous dock gave us the backdrop for the tense showdown between the Peaky Blinders and Billy Kimber’s gang at the end of season 1, as well as the dingy alleyways around The Garrison pub seen throughout the series. Today’s it’s the place where Liverpool’s past and future sit side by side with one another, the sight’s foreboding, Grade 2 listed Tobacco Warehouse (the world’s largest brick building upon its completion in 1901) situated directly next to Everton’s brand-new Hill Dickinson stadium.   

Also featured in: Captain America: The First Avenger, House of Guinness, Sherlock Holmes  

FORMBY BEACH

One the show’s most memorable moments out of the smog of Small Heath, Tommy Shelby and Alfie Solomon’s ‘fatal’ beachside confrontation at the end of season 4 was filmed on Formby Beach, acting as a double for Margate. Owned and operated by the National Trust, when it’s not relied on for stand-offs, it offers a picturesque walk where the Mersey meets the Irish sea, rolling sand dunes and woodlands known for their Red Squirrel population. 

Also featured in: Chariots of Fire 

PORT SUNLIGHT

A picturesque Victorian bubble in the heart of the Wirral, complete with 900 Grade 2 listed buildings built in the late 1800s for the workers of the nearby Unilever factory. Now a model village filled with fresh cut lawns, cosy cafes and the world-class Lady Lever Art Gallery at its centre, it’s no wonder Aunt Polly was so happy with her birthday present in season 2, with the village hosting the Shelby matriarch’s new rural home.  

Also featured in: Tolkien, Midas Man, Chariots of Fire 

ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL

Standing 101 metres above ground and dominating the Liverpool skyline, the world’s longest and eighth largest church was the scene of reflection and tension throughout the Peaky Blinders series. It’s impressive stain glass windows offered a cinematic backdrop for Shelby’s times of worship in the Small Heath Catholic Church, and its quiet halls offering space for hushed meetings like Tommy and ‘Uncle’ Jack Nelson’s in season 6.   

Also featured in: Anne 

FACILTIES FRIDAY: THE QUIET BACKBONE OF PRODUCTION!

Direct Film has been a quiet backbone of the North West’s screen industry since the 90s, supplying the facilities that keep productions running long before most people even know a shoot is happening.

FILM + TV CHARITY: REEL IMPACT RETURNS

The final round of The Film + TV Charity’s ‘Reel Impact‘ programme has opened, aimed at strengthening fairness, partnership working, and support for mid‑to‑senior Black and Global Majority talent. 

CREWSDAY TUESDAY: SAYING ‘YES’ TO OPPORTUNITIES

This week’s Crewsday Tuesday turns the camera towards Pete Nance, a second assistant camera technician who has built a steady, skilled career across the Liverpool City Region by following his instincts, saying yes to opportunity and carving out his own path in the department. 

WEDNESDAY WHEREABOUTS: THE FIRST GRACE!

Wednesday Whereabouts returns with a look at 1/3 of Liverpool’s iconic waterfront – The Port of Liverpool Building.

INTO THE LEAD: 2 BIRDS AND A PLAN

For our final look at the participants of Into The Lead, Screen Alliance North’s leadership programme for independent production companies across the North of England, we hear from Kate Robinson, founder of Liverpool-based production company 2Birds and a Camera.

CALLING ALL CREW, PRODUCTION LEADS AND FACILITIES – HAVE YOUR SAY!

Calling all North West screen industry crew, facilities and production leads!

Along with our Screen Alliance North partners (Screen Manchester, North East Screen and Screen Yorkshire), we form the largest BFI Skills Cluster in the country. Our remit is to work across the north of England to tackle skills shortages and improve access to quality training provision for diverse talent and communities.

As we head into our next phase of Screen Alliance North, we want to ensure we’re meeting the needs of the sector and wider industry by gathering real‑time data to map crew and facilities to upcoming productions, identify skills gaps and shortages, and enable our four partners to work strategically across the north to build a stronger, happier and more inclusive workforce for a sustainable future as a leading global centre for screen production.

In order to achieve this, we’re asking for 10 mins of your time to fill in a survey about the use of our databases.

As a thank you for taking part, all those who complete the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win an overnight stay for 2 at a Dakota hotel (in Manchester, Leeds or Newcastle).

Fill in your appropriate survey below before 20th March.

For LCR based Crew on the LFO database ➡️ https://forms.gle/2PYa5s2JtPBnUUvR6

For Senior Execs and Production Companies based in Liverpool City Region ➡️ https://forms.gle/ei61RGSihtZsHwV69

For LCR based Facilities on the LFO database ➡️ https://forms.gle/mTfdKuPFc6T3yuTY8

INTO THE LEAD: BOOM POW!

We continue our look at Into The Lead, a new Screen Alliance North programme supporting and upskilling leaders of independent production companies across the North of England, with writer and producer Johanne McAndrew, founder of Boom Pow Productions.  

FACILTIES FRIDAY: BRINGING STYLE TO THE SCREEN

We spotlight Christine Clarke and behind Bijou & Vintage, a one‑woman costume supplier whose work –including for the recently released Netflix drama Run Away – has shaped the style of major productions across the Northwest and beyond. 

INTO THE LEAD: FROM LIVERPOOL TO THE WORLD

Continuing our series profiling participants of Into The Lead, Screen Alliance North’s leadership programme for independent production companies across the North of England, we hear from Sol Papadopoulos, co-director and founder of Liverpool-based Hurricane Films.