India delivers her first Christmas ad
India Appleton, a former pupil of Mary Hare School has recently featured in her first daytime TV ad. India tells us about her experience.
How did you get into this line of work?
I studied Performing Arts at GCSE at Mary Hare but I have always had a passion for modelling. I have previously done some shoots and some in house training videos for a company, but this was my first tv advert. When the opportunity came up, I thought I would give it a go.
How did you find out about the possiblity of taking part in the advert?
I work for Zebedee Management as a model and was put forward by them to audition for the Deliveroo Christmas advert.
Did you have to audition beforehand?
Due to COVID restrictions, I had to audition for Deliveroo via video clips. We auditioned as a family because the advert was made up of family scenes. As I live at home with my family, it made auditioning together possible because we are in the same bubble.
What was the process like? Was it fun? Hard work?
On the day of filming we had to get up really early to leave for London. The whole process took us half a day to complete all the filming. It was a great experience.
I really enjoyed the filming. We had to do a lot of repeating of the sound you make when you see really yummy food. I was thinking all day, ‘I wish I could eat it!’
We were filming inside a house. The only downside was that it was really cold because they had to keep the windows and doors open due to restrictions. The film crew and make up artists and everyone else working on the set were really nice and helpful. They were constantly making sure we were comfortable throughout the day.
Did being deaf make a difference to the filming experience?
The crew were all aware that I was deaf. It didn’t bother them of course which is good. They were always making sure that I understood what was being said and what I should be doing during the filming. I would say the only downside was that during the day we had to wear a mask but then had to keep taking the mask off for filming. The constant on and off was quite difficult for me.
What else would you like to say about the experience? What would you like to tell other families and other deaf young people who may want to do something similar?
Keep following your dreams. I am full on at the moment with University and two jobs but always make time for doing something I love. I really wasn't expecting to be on daytime TV where everyone I know can see me. It was weird to see myself on TV. I would say to anyone else that is deaf and wants to do something like this, to just go for it. It is all a learning curve!
To watch the recent video, click here