DRAMA and media studies students from Fife met Scots actor Martin Compston on an exclusive tour of The Rig's filming set in Leith last week.
The show, which first premiered on Amazon's Prime Video in January this year, follows the crew of the Kinloch Bravo oil rig stationed off the Scottish coast in the North Sea’s treacherous waters.
Senior phase students from Lochgelly High School in Fife, who are beginning work towards a Higher qualification, sought advice from the show’s star-studded cast as filming for the highly-anticipated second series got underway.
During the visit, students watched the studio in action and gained insights from The Rig’s experienced script writers and production crew, including executive producer, John Strickland, and writer, David Macpherson, who hails from Scotland and shared tips and advice from his own career journey.
Media giant Amazon who produces The Rig, invited Lochgelly High School as part of its broader commitment to support education and skills development for Scotland’s young people
Amazon has directly invested over £50m into the Scottish screen sector, and supported 670 jobs in Scotland’s creative industries in 2022.
Suzanne Reid, producer of The Rig and from Fife, said: “It was a pleasure to host the students from Lochgelly High School in our studio. The cast and crew, who are largely Scottish locals, loved speaking with the students, hearing about their goals, sharing advice from their own careers, and encouraging them to consider a career in Scotland’s screen sector.
“Being from Fife myself, I am passionate about encouraging homegrown talent to join our industry.
"I was lucky enough to attend a weekend performing arts club in Lochgelly when I was at school, which was a huge inspiration to me, so I know how valuable it is to raise young people’s aspirations and give them first-hand insight into the future careers available to them in Scotland.”
Olivia Porteous, English and Media Studies teacher from Lochgelly High School, added: “Our students absolutely loved visiting the production of The Rig in Leith and we were blown away by the kindness and generosity of the cast and crew.
"It was an amazing experience that will stick with our pupils and has given them a great taste of what a career in acting, script writing, or production might look like. I’m hopeful that it will provide huge inspiration for their future careers.”
Eugenie Teasley, Head of Impact at Amazon, said: “Inspiring young talent a priority for us at Amazon, and we have a great opportunity to do this in Scotland’s creative industries. From The Rig to Anansi Boys, we are filming a number of high-end TV productions in Scotland and supporting hundreds of jobs across the sector.
"We hope the students from Lochgelly High School were inspired by their visit to the studio in Leith and can’t wait to see a new generation of talent flourish.”
Screen Scotland recently announced that spending in Scotland’s screen sector increased by 55% between 2019 and 2021, contributing £627 million to Scotland’s economy in gross value added. The production sub-sector supports 7,150 full-time equivalent jobs in Scotland as of 2021 increasing from 5,120 in 2019.
