Netflix’s ‘black British superhero’ drama Supacell funded a scheme for six mid-level creatives to get hands-on experience throughout six weeks on set.
Creator and lead director Rapman conceived the idea of the ‘Supacell Six’ at the start of production as a way to pay back into the industry following his rapid rise from rapper and YouTube star to directing the movie Blue Lights and now this passion project.
Whittled down from an initial list of 30, the chosen six worked on the New Wave-produced series across departments under the leadership of producer Sheila Nortley – with one working directly with Rapman.
Some got a taste of different departments and one returned to the shoot after their paid placement had finished.
“The thinking was that there’s a lot of crew out there who perhaps had started off in music videos, fashion or online content, but found it quite tricky to transition into high-end TV,” says Nortley.
“They had access to me throughout production, so if there was anything they wanted to discuss, anything they needed – more mentorship, a zoom call with an HoD – we could accommodate it. We wanted them to feel they were in the driving seat in telling us what they needed and us delivering for them.”
The six also came together to shoot scenes from a Love Island-style reality show that two of Supacell’s lead characters are watching on TV.
“They produced, directed and designed that whole scene, and they’re credited at the end,” she said. “It was their shoot. They had to prep and have their own production meetings.
“They did incredibly well. It felt important to give them the time to apply what they were learning, what they were seeing. Because of the nature of everyone’s roles, they weren’t really getting to work together either, so we wanted them to build their connections.”
According to Nortley, at least two of the six have been working together since production wrapped.
The Supacell 6 and their mentors:
Jessica Magaye - Rapman (director)
Ricardo McLeary-Campbell – Aaron Reid (director of photography)
Saraphina Mattis – Sebastian Thiel (director)
Melissa Simon-Hartman – Lauren Miller (costume designer)
Cleo Young –Dumebi Anozie (make-up designer)
Adrian Powell – Paul Cross (art director)
Supacell launches on Netflix on Thursday 27th June. Read more about the production here
