Media students visit the ITV Academy

As media students, we were fortunate enough to attend an incredible behind the scenes visit to ITV Yorkshire, an experience that's deepened our awareness and passion for the media industry. Exploring the inner workings of a major broadcasting hub like ITV was both exciting and eye-opening, giving us valuable insight into the different roles that bring television to life.

During our visit, we had a guided tour of the Emmerdale set, seeing first hand where the cast do majority of their filming. At the start of our tour, we went to the props and set department where we learnt about the immense effort that goes into creating their sets.

The level of creativity and dedication in both departments was inspiring, and it showed how hardworking they were in making sure the set is as realistic as possible. What stood out about their work, was their commitment especially in making sure the materials they used were sustainable. For example, the fruit in the fruit bowls were replicas, made to look like the real thing. This shows the level of attention to detail in order to create an authentic environment.

One of the highlights was to see the cast and crew in action - we even witnessed cast members rehearsing lines in the iconic Emmerdale pub, The Woolpack. We learnt that some of the episodes are pre-filmed in advance, so many of the sets we saw were prepared for upcoming episodes, giving us an exclusive glance at what's to come.

Another department we looked at was makeup. Here, we were given a demonstration of how the makeup artists create realistic wounds on a character's cheek or make it look like a character's been crying. It shows that something as simple as fake blood and makeup can make something look that believable.

All in all, it's clear that every department - from props and sets to makeup - work together to make Emmerdale the show that it is. The overall experience was a great opportunity, offering an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of creating a television show like Emmerdale that's been running for over 50 years.

One of the standout moments of the trip was watching Kerrie Gosney present the weather for ITV Calendar News. Seeing her deliver the forecast with such confidence and precision was a powerful reminder of the skill and preparation required for live television.

It was fascinating to witness how everything comes together behind the scenes, giving us a newfound appreciation for the dedication and teamwork that goes into every broadcast. As aspiring media professionals, this experience was truly inspiring.

We also had the chance to speak to Tasmin Mycock and Matt Harland from the social media team. They shared how they work alongside different departments to promote ITV shows across various platforms. Learning about their approach to digital content creation and audience engagement was incredibly interesting. It was impressive to see how social media can be utilised to extend the reach of television, making programmes more interactive and accessible to a wider audience.

During the latter half of the second day, we had the great opportunity to venture into the ITV archives. We were surrounded by mountains of film encased in metal boxes, and thousands of tapes housed on various formats (including betacams), all of which were carefully shelved.

Our tour guided us around and the vast halls and corridors retaining historical footage of old tv shows and film footage of bygone days. Some footage holds huge cultural significance, such as the first colour film of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation and the first ever episodes of Coronation Street.

We were introduced to the technicians and the technology they use to playback these artifacts. They showed us the 1-inch Type C videotape recorders and high-end equipment used to colour correct and digitise old tapes.

Next, we were taken to the offices in which these digital copies are cleaned, upscaled (if needed), and remastered. The copies are then ready to be taken to ITV Content Services who ship them off to customers or edit them to allow for advertisements to be placed, ready for broadcasting.

Another fascinating part of the visit was learning how fan favourite shows, like Love Island, are promoted and distributed. Speaking with the commercial teams, we gained a valuable understanding of how shows are marketed to audiences and how much effort goes into creating campaigns that generate excitement and engagement. It was eye-opening to see how strategic planning and branding play such a crucial role in making these programmes successful.

We concluded our tour with a presentation by Laura, Beth, Keshia and Sonny, as they explained the great benefits of the ITV Academy and the excellent opportunities it can provide to enter the world of broadcasting.

This experience has bolstered our enthusiasm for the media and communications industry, and we're excited to apply everything we've learnt to our future careers. We're incredibly grateful to Leeds Beckett University and ITV Academy for making this unforgettable experience possible.