University unveils Celluloid Centre of Excellence

As one of the country’s leading education hubs for film production, the University is now extending its teaching excellence to industry professionals through a dedicated centre with the aim of preserving the legacy of celluloid filmmaking and advancing its use in contemporary production.

Located within the Newton Film Hub on the Peel Park campus, the Salford Celluloid Centre of Excellence will make use of ten in-house free-standing industry film sets and extensive lighting and camera equipment to deliver four new courses from February 2026.

Sam Ingleson, Associate Dean for Enterprise and Engagement at the University of Salford’s School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology, said: “It is with this sterling reputation that we will be launching the Salford Celluloid Centre of Excellence. 

“It will act as a beacon for filmmakers by offering expert courses on shooting and managing celluloid production whilst housing academic research and development. We aim to preserve this knowledge for future generations and inform contemporary practice.’’

Backed by funding from UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Higher Education Innovation Fund, the centre will position Salford as one of the only universities in the world to provide training in celluloid filmmaking with the ambition to develop the first professional processing film lab in decades.

The centre will be closely supported in its delivery of training courses by the University’s in-house training centre, The Pipeline, which has been working with our Cinematography lecturers to deliver a suite of courses for industry professionals across the UK and internationally.

Christine Pyke, Creative Director of The Pipeline, said: “These courses, some of which have been commissioned by ScreenSkills, the UK’s flagship skills body for the screen industries, are designed to address knowledge and skills gaps across celluloid.

“At all levels of film production, from directors of photography to cinematographers to production managers, these new courses are in high demand across the industry, and we are very excited to begin rolling them out early next year.”

The SCCE is founded by cinematographers and Salford lecturers Laura Hilliard and Steven Wyatt.

Their distinguished practice in celluloid filmmaking secured them exclusive access to the Logmar Magellan 65mm camera – among the world’s rarest and most sought-after film cameras.

Their research partnership with the Danish manufacturer, which is informing the development of a future 65mm camera system, also directly shapes the centre’s forthcoming courses – which will consist of one-day and multi-day courses across Super 8, 16mm, 35mm and 65mm formats.

Laura said: “We are really excited to be unveiling our Salford Celluloid Centre of Excellence today.

“Through the centre, we will train camera crew, collaborate with labs and scanning facilities, develop new technologies, share exposure reports, test footage and camera data openly with the global film community.

“The SCCE is committed to building a community of generosity through inclusivity and collaboration.”

Steve added: “The centre aims to democratise access to film education for all who practice filmmaking, ensuring that access to training in analogue filmmaking is not just reserved for the privileged few.”

The centre will be formally launched on Thursday 17 December in an event at the University’s New Adelphi building.

An online resource hub will also be launched that will feature training materials, research and development reports, and archival documentation. The aim of the online hub will be to connect students and academics with industry professionals enrolling in courses at the centre.

Through archiving the experiences of those working at every stage of celluloid production, the SCCE will preserve this knowledge for future generations of filmmakers and informing contemporary practice.

Tom Kirby, Programme Leader for BA Film Production at the University of Salford, will head up the centre’s Analogue History Initiative.

Tom said: “The aim of this research is to ensure that students and industry partners engage not only with the mechanics of film but with its cultural power – preserving craft and inspiring innovation.”

The SCCE is supported by a network of both national and international partners whose expertise directly informs its teaching, facilities and research.

Our initial partners include Kodak Film Lab London, Orchard Film (of Digital Orchard Group), Sunbelt Rentals, No Drama, Provision, Whitepoint Optics, Logmar Camera Solutions and MKV.

The processing film lab is a long-term ambition of the centre, in partnership with Kodak, offering integrated facilities for film processing, scanning, testing and analogue workflow innovation.

Antonio Rasura, Director of Motion Picture Services at Kodak, said: “We are continually reminded that media courses – and institutions in particular – often stop short of many of the crucial practical skills and training programmes to develop talents to support sectors around our industry. I foresee the SCCE to bridge that gap and seed new opportunities.

“Critical thinking, and exploration of ideas that emerge from practical interaction in such an environment has the potential to foster innovation fields such as energy management, environmental consideration, preservation techniques and even smart technologies to name but a few.”

Dan Redrup, Head of Scanning for Orchard Film said: “The Salford Celluloid Centre of Excellence is an inspiring development in the world of celluloid film and productions choosing this medium to capture their stories.

“With attendees now being able to explore all the possibilities of film from a practical lab environment, they can experiment with different processes to gain hands-on expertise in obtaining the best out of their precious negatives. It will also dispel any fear or anxiety with using the format in their future careers.

“Digital Orchard have had the opportunity first-hand to see the efforts of Steve and Laura to reimagine and develop the programme at the University of Salford to what they have today. It has been inspirational and a joy to walk this path with them, we look forward to cementing this relationship further.”