THREE hundred budding stars took the first step on the road to film stardom in a town centre nightclub.

Utopia threw open its doors to hundreds of extras dancing for a film being made in Blackburn, and the youngsters braved the rain to turn up and dance like it was a Friday night on the town.

The extras were told to wear 'going out clothes' for the filming of Northern Souls, a film being made in the area for release in cinemas at the end of 2005.

Most dancers were in the dark about the plot, but one thing they were sure about was the £20 they were getting for playing their part.

Some turned up out of curiosity, others for the experience and some for more serious reasons.

Student Ryan Berry, 17, from Livesey, said: "It's my first time doing anything like this.

"I was in the town centre the other day when someone handed me a leaflet saying they were looking for extras, so I thought I'd see what it's like and if I like it, who knows, maybe I'll look for other jobs like it."

The film is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet and is being shot without a script, with every scene improvised, so even the film-makers do not know what could happen next.

Two of the extras, Jemma Crawford, 20, and Dean Simpson, 21, both from Galligreaves, Blackburn, were both excited at the possibility of appearing on the big screen.

They were also recruited through leafleting. Jemma said: "We're not really interested in getting into acting. We're just here for the experience and to see what happens when they film a film."

Kerry Higham, 17, arrived for the filming accompanied by her mother. She was approached while working at McDonald's and is interested in a possible acting career.

She added: "I'm really excited, it would be great if I got spotted while I'm here."

Film-makers from London-based Northern Souls Films chose Blackburn as a location after touring most of the towns in Lancashire and have set up a production office at Glenfield Business Park.

A spokesman for the firm said: "We looked at nearly every town in the North West and in the end Blackburn just had everything we wanted. It's the mix of modern and old world."

Paul Astley, 25, and Lee Couzing, 25, from Darwen, are both in the army and are back home for a few days. Paul said: "We thought just thought we'd come along for the laugh.

"We've both got full time jobs and are home for a while and our girlfriends are at work, so why not see what happens? It should be good."

Jamie Roberts, 17, a media studies student at St Mary's College, Blackburn, turned up with some friends. He said: "I'm not really interested in acting, but perhaps going into other areas of films, maybe directing."

The film is being directed by Dominic Savage whose last film, Out Of Control, won Best Film at the Edinburgh Film Festival last year. It is being co-funded by the British Film Council and BBC Films.