SPECIAL effects students got a backstage glimpse into some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters.

They were left spellbound after hearing from film-industry insiders including a University of Bolton graduate about working on Harry Potter and Star Wars.

University students on the SFX and VFX courses heard from Malcolm Watts, who graduated in 2010, and now works for Oscar- winning visual effects studio Double Negative and award-winning special effects artist Nick Dudman.

Malcolm, who is now a lead modeller at the company, said: “This year I finished up on Star Trek Beyond, but the very first project I worked on was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

“I’ve also been lucky enough to work on many of the superhero films such as Thor 2 and Superman.”

Double Negative is the visual effects studio behind the blockbuster, Oscar-winning hits Inception, Interstellar and Ex-Machina, and Watts gave a tantalising indication of what graduates from the university’s course might expect should they also move into the industry.

Malcolm said: “I learnt a lot of stuff at the University of Bolton that I knew I was going to need to start off in the entry-level roles. The course gave me a really good grounding.

“It’s nice to come back and give a little something to today’s students to show what it is like and my experiences.”

Mr Dudman said: “One of the main things I wanted to get across to the students was how the industry actually works, rather than how they think it works.”

He said the Harry Potter series was his favourite to work on, describing it as a “joy to be part of” because it offered the opportunity to “refine techniques”.

Mr Dudman’s first experience of being part of a blockbuster movie was while still an apprentice, working on the Jedi master, Yoda, on The Empire Strikes Back.

He headed up the English make-up prosthetics shop for Ridley Scott’s Legend, applying Tim Curry’s “Darkness” makeup amongst others.

Mr Dudman created Jack Nicholson’s Joker —and Judge Dredd among many others. He is currently working on new elements of the Harry Potter Studio Tour.

Special Effects senior lecturer Richard Mcevoy-Crompton said: “Industry talks are essential to how we run our course. The insight and feedback gained during these sessions are invaluable for the course team and the students. Nick is a superstar and to be able to give our students the opportunity to spend some time with him makes me very proud.”

Senior lecturer Richard Jones added: “What we’re trying to do with this module is to show that these jobs are achievable. Malcolm works is at an Oscar-winning firm who have won three Oscars in the last six years. I think that sometimes students, especially those based in the North West, feel that these big London jobs and films can feel unachievable. However, if they are dedicated and focused like Malcolm was, those jobs are very realistic indeed.”