CoLab

Colab banner Colab banner

Study a creative course with us and you’ll become part of CoLab - a collaborative way of learning and working which brings together skills and specialisms from across the college. As a CoLab student you’ll have the unique opportunity to develop skills within your particular vocational area and you’ll also get the chance to apply these skills as you would in industry.

“Collaboration is how theatre is made and knowing how the wider industry operates puts you in a better position to create your own work, your own opportunities.”
Susan Mulholland Playwright & Creative Producer

Collaboration is key for anyone working in the creative arts sector, they come together, each person using their particular talents and skills to fulfil a brief and produce something amazing. Just think about all the different job roles required to make a film - writers, actors, musicians, producers, directors, editors, light and sound engineers, the list goes on... and it doesn’t stop with just those listed on the credits, there’s those involved in planning, financing and marketing the release too.

That’s how it works in industry and that’s how we work at Gateshead College.  


Your CoLab experience

Most colleges teach vocational programmes separately and concentrate on just the skills development; in a CoLab project you would be developing your specialist skills as part of a production team and in the context of the industry. If you are a media student for example, instead of learning camera operation skills in isolation, you will still hone these skills alongside auditioning, casting, directing and filming scenes devised and acted in by performing arts students, with make up by our student make-up artists, lit by our production arts students with music composed by our musicians and produced by our music producers; all within the exciting, high pressure environment of a TV studio, live broadcast, film set or even for a music video set.

“Having collaboration opportunities right through from the early stages of the learning process is absolutely crucial because this really is how the industry works. “CoLab will provide plenty of experience of seeing how collaboration works and how critical it is for each person to fulfil their role for any project to be successful.”
Alan Fairholm Film and television line producer