From Immersive Horror to Esports: Celebrating Our Students’ Major Projects

At the Academy of Live Technology, our Major Projects give third-year students the chance to put everything they’ve learnt into practice before heading out into the world of live events, entertainment and creative industry. Working together with students across all of our undergraduate degrees, students take their ideas from concept to reality, tackling the creative challenges, technical demands and teamwork that come with bringing a live experience to life.

This year, our students delivered three very different projects: Blackwood Circus, an immersive horror experience; gearSHIFT, a high-energy esports event; and Access All Areas, an interactive project exploring how technology can make creative experiences more accessible.

Each project reflects the imagination, hard work and technical ability our students have developed during their time at the ALT and gives them the opportunity to show what they can do as they prepare to take the next step into industry.

Blackwood Circus: Step Inside the Horror

Set within the eerie remains of an abandoned Victorian circus, audiences were invited to step inside the world of Blackwood Circus. This immersive walkthrough horror experience invited audiences into a world where paranormal rumours had become reality and the spirit of a fortune teller had been reawakened.

As audiences moved from room to room, the story unfolded around them. Ghostly visions, unexpected jump scares, darkness, flashing lights, loud noises and pyrotechnics all helped create an experience where you never quite knew what was coming next.

But bringing the circus to life took much more than a good horror story. Behind every scare was a huge amount of creative thinking, technical planning and teamwork.

With a large number of Live Visual Design and Production students involved, the project made extensive use of creative visual technology, using ROE LED video walls, hologauze and projection mapping alongside lighting, sound and scenic design. More than 15 Epson projectors were used throughout the experience, creating eerie visuals and supernatural effects that helped draw audiences deeper into the story.

And, of course, no haunted circus would be complete without a few spectacular effects. With support from BPM SFX, the team incorporated G Flames, Sparkulars, EcoJets, Powershots, smoke effects and bubble units. From explosive bangs and confetti bursts to smoke-filled bubbles, these additions helped make the experience as unpredictable as it was immersive.

gearSHIFT: Turning Up the Energy with Esports

gearSHIFT saw our students deliver their biggest esports event to date, putting the capabilities of Studio 002 and Studio 003 to the test.

Centred around Rocket League, the event brought together leading university student teams for a fast-paced competition packed with high-skill gameplay, live commentary and plenty of excitement.

But this was about much more than the matches themselves. The students created a complete live event, with an opening show, half-time entertainment, dynamic visuals, immersive lighting, powerful audio and pyrotechnics helping build the atmosphere from start to finish.

Behind the scenes, students from across our undergraduate degrees worked together to make it all happen. From production and technical operations to lighting, sound, visuals and live entertainment, every element needed to come together to deliver a seamless experience for the audience.

And the team didn't stop at the main event.

To build excitement ahead of gearSHIFT, students created an innovative promotional campaign featuring projection mapping onto cars and an F1 simulator from Live Wire, giving audiences, staff and fellow students the chance to get behind the wheel.

It was a brilliant example of how live production skills can be used across gaming, esports, entertainment and audience engagement and how much goes into creating an event that feels bigger than the competition itself.

Access All Areas: Making Creativity Open to Everyone

Not every project is about creating the biggest spectacle. Sometimes, the most exciting thing you can do with technology is find a new way for people to get involved.

That was the idea behind Access All Areas, a student-led project designed to create an accessible, interactive experience using music, lighting and technology.

The team developed custom-built music controllers and interactive lighting equipment that allowed participants to create sounds, experiment with visual effects and express their creativity without needing any previous technical experience.

Working in partnership with a special educational needs (SEN) school, the students ran sessions with the school's students, giving them the opportunity to explore the equipment and discover what they could create. The team also hosted a showcase for staff and students to share the project and demonstrate the experience.

This project challenged students to think differently about how an experience is designed. Rather than simply focusing on what the technology could do, they had to consider how people would interact with it and how they could make that interaction engaging and accessible.

The Power of Industry Partnerships

A huge thank you to all our industry partners for their expertise, equipment and continued support in helping our students bring these ambitious projects to life

Our industry partners play a huge part in making the student experience at the Academy of Live Technology what it is. Their ongoing support, from providing industry-standard equipment and software to delivering workshops, sharing their knowledge and creating opportunities for students to gain real-world experience, makes a real difference. Without their generosity and collaboration, projects of this scale and ambition, or the level of industry-focused teaching we deliver, simply wouldn't be possible. We're incredibly grateful for their continued support in helping our students develop the skills, confidence and experience they need to take their next steps into the industry.

Want to see the projects in action?

Head over to the Academy of Live Technology YouTube channel to watch the Major Projects roundup videos and get a closer look at what our students have been creating. You can also step inside Blackwood Circus with a full walkthrough of the immersive horror experience and see the creativity, technology and hard work that went into bringing it to life.

What's Next for Our Students?

Finishing a degree is a big milestone, and these Major Projects are a brilliant way for our students to round off their time at ALT. Many of our graduates have gone straight into roles across the live entertainment industry, working on festivals and tours, as well as securing positions with leading industry names such as Disguise and TAIT.

They've taken ideas from the drawing board to the real world, tackled complex technical challenges, worked across disciplines and created experiences for audiences to enjoy. Most importantly, they've had the chance to put their skills into practice and show what they're capable of as they prepare to start the next chapter of their careers.

We're incredibly proud of what they've achieved, and we can't wait to see where their talent, creativity and passion take them next.

Interested in turning your own ideas into live experiences?

Find out more about studying at the Academy of Live Technology and how you could develop the skills to take your place in the industry.