Movie magic for UCO lecturer

HEE-YAH! Dave with actor and martial arts expert Gerald Okamura

THE walk of fame and iconic hilltop sign are must-see attractions for most tourists in Hollywood.

But Dave Robinson of University Campus Oldham topped that when he attended the premiere of a movie his local students helped to make.

The senior lecturer in creative media production was invited after he joined course leader John Eccles to film a scene for “Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance”.

They worked with six students from UCO and the college to complete the shoot at Diggle Band Club.

And while only 15 seconds of their footage made it into the final film - sequel to cult classic “Samurai Cop” - the complete three-minute scene will appear as a special feature on the film’s DVD and Blu-ray releases.

Dave said it was an “incredible experience” — even if the soaring temperatures in Los Angeles had an impact on the red carpet experience.

“It was 105F and they had to move everyone inside where it was nice and cool,” explained Dave.

“They are very vocal watching movies in America — it’s very different from here. It was great to see the students’ names at the end of the credits and there was also a special thanks to UCO.”

Dave got hooked on cinema at the age of five when his dad bought an 8mm film camera. Today he has an MA in TV production, having previously worked in the industry. He also set up websites 80spicturehouse.co.uk and 60miniteswith.co.uk, for which he has interviewed the likes of iconic movie director John Carpenter.

He was invited to be involved in creating the movie sequel after interviewing “Samurai Cop” star Mathew Karedas.

While in the US Dave also recorded the film’s DVD and Blu-ray commentary with Mathew, and hosted question and answer sessions with the film’s stars after the premieres.