Students and staff sat down with Owen Warner to talk about his time at the college, his career and his plans for the future!
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your journey from SMB College Group student to where you are today?
Owen: I was a student here about 5 years ago and I had an amazing time. This college is really where I got my experience - acting constantly and doing performances. In those two years, I learned so much about acting and the industry, and it prepared me really well. From here, I then went to Uni but I was only there for 4 or 5 months before I got the part in Hollyoaks. So, I had that 4/5 months at Uni, but mainly, my acting experience came from this college - and it really prepared me for Hollyoaks.
Q: Do you feel like you get noticed more in public and how do you feel about being noticed since being in TV roles?
Owen: I do get recognised occasionally, it's always nice when people are nice, but sometimes I do get people shouting "Romeo! Romeo!" But yeah, it's sweet, everyone is lovely. Especially since I went in the Jungle, it feels like everyone speaks to me like they know me and it's like you get on with everyone.
Q: What made your decision to study at SMB College Group?
Owen: I'm not the most academic person, so the idea of doing A Levels scared me so much. I found out about this course at the Melton Campus, where it was solid acting and any written work would be to do with acting, so I would be writing about the things that I love and the exams would be plays and productions and shows. I thought 'this is perfect - it's like my dream course has been made into one thing!'. So, as soon as I found out about the Acting course at the Melton Campus, I was sold - that was the exact reason I did it, and it lived up to my expectations.
I had mates doing A Levels really struggling with the academic side of it and I was like 'I'm acting and loving life!'
Q: What was your favourite thing about studying at the Melton Campus?
Owen: The thing I loved about coming here is the fact it was constant performing, constant learning about performing, and it really set me up for the industry. I feel like you don't get that experience anywhere else. The teachers are great as well, and they're always willing to answer any questions you have. It's been invaluable, the stuff I've learned here.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone wanting to take a similar career path?
Owen: If you're thinking of taking a career path in performing arts, or even if it's just your passion, definitely come here as it'll give you the confidence and skills to go into any sort of situation.
Q: How did you get on Hollyoaks?
Owen: I got Hollyoaks from having my student show reel from college - that's how I got the audition!
When I was studying at the college, I’d go home, set up my phone and rehearse monologues with my camera or with my mates to get better and better at scenes. The thing is, a director will watch a self-tape and they'll be able to tell how good you are, how experienced you are, and be able to tell how confident you are to be on camera. If you're looking nervous on your own camera, what will you be like on a set with lights and people watching? So you have to practice as much as you can and drill it.
I was making films with my mates as well, so I'd get a camera, get my mates together and tell them 'I've written a script, let's go do this!' and they'd be rubbish, they'd be terrible. At the time I thought they were good videos but, watching them back now, they're dreadful - but it's about getting experience. I would edit them and see what I'm like on camera. It's a good idea to give yourself notes and critique your performance as much as you can, and eventually when a proper self-tape opportunity comes up from an agent, you'll be flying!
Q: Do you consider theatre at all in the future, or are you more interested in television and film?
Owen: I've actually been having this dilemma recently, because I miss theatre so much. The last time I did a theatre show was at the college when I was about 18. Theatre is just different gravy, it's such a different feeling to camera because when you're on camera you don't get that instant gratification from the audience. When you're on the stage, looking out and seeing everyone there affected by your performance, and you can walk out and talk to people to find out how they feel about it.
Q: How many lines do you have to learn each time you go and film?
Owen: It'll be like, roughly, two A4 pages a scene each time. About 5 to 10 lines each scene, but it does depend what your storyline is each time. My Saracter is quite busy at the moment in Hollyoaks - his sister's ill, he has a relationship going on and he has problems with his mum - so that's three different storylines going on, and all quite heavy stuff. Some days you'll get in and there's only two lines in that day and it's chill, but other days you'll have six scenes with heavy chunks where you'll be knackered from pouring your heart out!
Q: Would you recommend this college to other people?
Owen: I would one hundred, thousand, million - I know it's not a number, but I'm saying that number - percent recommend this course! The stuff that I've learned here really set me up for the industry and I'm on set today still using things that I learned here.
I love this place because it was just like you were in the industry. You're literally coming to rehearsals and you've got shows at the end of it - so I was treating this as if I was in the industry and I threw myself into the scripts and dissecting them. And the thing is, the characters you get from these shows, use that stuff, improvise with your mates. It might be a bit cringey, but you are here with your mates who are also doing a show, so just work on your scenes together and make the most of it. The thing with college is it's very much what you make of it. You could come and just sit back and cruise, get the smaller parts and not really throw yourself into it, or you could fully go for it with any part you have in any script and give it everything. You don't get this again; you won't get an experience like this where you get the chance to perform whilst learning. With a lot of jobs, you're expected to already know what's going on or they'll teach you a little bit and then they'll say right are you good enough for the job. Here, you're literally allowed to ask as many questions as you want. You're allowed to soak up everything. You have amazing teachers around you who are all really knowledgeable about performing and the industry. Ask anything! Arnie [Former Section Manager for Performing Arts and current Melton Theatre manager] will tell you, I was the king of asking all sorts of stupid questions. Just pick their brains on anything and make the most of it!
If you share Owen’s passion for Performing Arts - there’s still time to apply for post-16 and degree courses starting this September at SMB College Group’s Melton Campus! - www.smbcollegegroup.ac.uk to find out more!