Kayleigh focuses on degree of success in the film industry
by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express
AFORMER Paisley Grammar pupil was handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with BAFTA-winning filmmaker Peter Mackie Burns.
Kayleigh Roberts, 22, of Anchor Wynd in the town got a dream assignment when she got to help out on his acclaimed short film, Milk.
It starred former Casualty actress Brenda Fricker and Kathleen McDermott, star of Wedding Belles.
Hoping
And now the Buddie, who has just graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with a BA in Digital Film and Television with a first-class Honours Degree, is hoping for a career in the film industry.
Kayleigh, who was joined at her graduation ceremony by mum, Margaret, dad, Graham and her 19-year-old brother, also Graham, wants to be a camera operator in the heady world of film and television.
She beamed: “I was gobsmacked when I realised I had achieved a first-class Honours. It was predicted that I would get a 2.1, and I would still have been happy with that.
“Now I can’t wait to get out there and get involved in making documentaries and drama, although I’ve been warned that it’s not the ‘glamour’ job most people think.”
Kayleigh, a former pupil of Williamsburgh Primary, first took an interest in camera work while still at the Grammar.
The talented Buddie then moved on to Cardonald College, where she studied the discipline for two years, including a stint on the part Renfrewshire Council-funded short, Street Life.
Kayleigh said: “The council ran a street project which included dance, graffiti and art, and we were charged with making a documentary on the subject.”
Kayleigh was then accepted for a place at the RSAMD, and she was in for a rude awakening.
“I soon realised just how much I DIDN’T know about my chosen subject,” she said. “My time at RSAMD really opened my eyes and I knuckled down to some hard work.
“It was a fantastic course, although tough, and certainly didn’t sugar-coat over anything whatsoever.
“It was excellent because we were able to learn from industry experts such as Director of Photography, John Rhodes, and he told it like it is.
“Maybe I had believed all the hype when I went to Cardonald.
Glamorous
“I thought I was about to enter this glamorous make-believe world where all your dreams came true, but guys like John really laid bare the facts, which was exactly what I wanted.”
Kayleigh is now hoping to make her own mark in the TV and film world and already has a short film lined up.
She said: “It’s part of DigiCults Scottish Shorts programme and we’re shooting some of it in West Lothian.
“I know there will be times when I’m filming knee deep in mud and I’m ready for it.
“The hours can also be long but I’m desperate to make it my career and nothing will put me off.”
Kayleigh’s dad, Graham, said: “We’re all very proud of what she’s achieved so far. The graduation ceremony was very emotional.”
