TheDirectorsTake - Podcast Details

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The Directors’ Take PodcastE234 - The Season 2 Finale with Marcus & OzThis is episode 34 and the FINAL EPISODE in our second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad do a round up of their 2024 highlights, lowlights and their favourite episodes from the second season of the podcast, before throwing out some optimistic feels for the year ahead. It’s been a tough year, but we are here to bring you some positivity for 2025 with a little help from our friends and guests of past episodes. Our wonderful sponsor for this episode is THE NA...2025-01-051h 15

The Directors’ Take PodcastE233 - Directing Continuing Drama to Apple TV Series with Jim O'HanlonThis is episode 33 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Director Jim O’Hanlon, whose directorial work has been nominated for BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Emmy’s. Jim began his career working in continuing Drama on Coronation Street and has since gone on to direct Inside Number 9, 100 Streets with Idris Elba, Netflix’s The Punisher, Catastrophe with Sharon Horgan & Rob Delaney and also on Apple TV’s hit show Trying. Jim is a fountain of knowledge an...2024-12-292h 03

The Directors’ Take PodcastE232 - A Conversation with NFTS Director of School Dr. Jon WardleThis is episode 32 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by the Director of the National Film & Television School, Dr. Jon Wardle. In this episode we demystify exactly what the NFTS is to give you all of the information necessary to understand how it can fit into your pathway into the industry. This episode covers: -What is the NFTS? -What is the NFTS’ mission statement? -Is the NFTS the only...2024-12-221h 27

The Directors’ Take PodcastE231 - How we created EMILIA PÉREZ with Jacques Audiard & Thomas BidegainThis is episode 31 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s special episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined in conversation by legendary French Director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust and Bone) and his long-time Writer and Artistic collaborator Thomas Bidegain to discuss their latest project in partnership with Netflix, the musical crime comedy film EMILIA PÉREZ. This live conversation which was conducted as part of a NFTS masterclass covers the following: -What is Directing? -How did they have to ad...2024-12-1556 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE230 - The Journey to Directing ONE PIECE with Marc Jobst - Part 2This is episode 30 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by High-End TV Director Marc Jobst for the second part of our conversation. Marc began his career working in continuing drama on Casualty and Eastenders before working his way up to creating exceptional work on Hannibal, Daredevil, The Witcher and most recently as the lead director on the hit Netflix show One Piece. This conversation covers the following: -What’s the first thing you do af...2024-12-081h 13

The Directors’ Take PodcastE229 - The Journey to Directing ONE PIECE with Marc Jobst - Part 1This is episode 29 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by High-End TV Director Marc Jobst. Marc began his career working in continuing drama on Casualty and Eastenders before working his way up to creating exceptional work on Hannibal, Daredevil, The Witcher and most recently as the lead director on the hit Netflix show One Piece. This conversation covers the following: -How did you become a director? -What does collaboration mean...2024-12-0159 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE228 - TDT LIVE PODCAST: Filmmaker Pathways with Actor, Writer, and Director Charlotte HamblinThis is episode 28 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Award winning actor, writer and director Charlotte Hamblin. This conversation was recorded at the Norwich Film Festival 2024. In this chat we cover:- The importance of preparation in development Developing an idea Preparation Meets Improvisation: Rehearsals and Blocking Navigating vulnerability. The creative grind of development. Problem-Solving on Set: From Challenges to Creativity Moments of Magic: When Everything Clicks The Development Process: Poli...2024-11-2451 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE227 - The Production Diaries Space Plug & Opening UpThis is episode 27 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad take you behind the scenes of their short films, Space Plug and Opening Up. Recorded in June 2023, the episode gives you their fresh thoughts on the wins and challenges of production one week after they wrapped on set. This conversation covers: - We break down the lessons learned, the challenges faced, and what it takes to bridge the gap between short films and long-form projects. Expec...2024-11-171h 15

The Directors’ Take PodcastE226 - TDT LIVE PODCAST: Demystifying Producing 2 with BAFTA Winner Chris HeesThis is episode 26 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by BAFTA winning producer Chris Hees, who works across both animation and live-action. This conversation was recorded at the Spirit of Independence Film Festival in Sheffield alongside a bunch of other industry talks, as we aim to demystify producers. In this chat we cover:- -What is producing? -What opportunities did a BAFTA win and an Oscar nomination bring? -H...2024-11-101h 00

The Directors’ Take PodcastE225 - The Insider's Guide to Notes, Script Editing & Development with Venetia HawkesThis is episode 25 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad discuss the process of giving and receiving notes as a Writer & Director. We were joined in this conversation by Venetia Hawkes, who is the author of the book We Have Some Notes… The Insider’s Guide to Notes, Script Editing and Development. This book is an excellent resource and features chapter interviews from some of the finest Writers & Directors in the UK such as Edgar Wright, Lynne Ramsay, Russell T Davies...2024-11-031h 41

The Directors’ Take PodcastE224 - How Do We Direct Actors?This is episode 24 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad get candid about directing actors and building trust on set. From early mistakes to big lessons, they share stories about casting, blocking, and working with actors to elevate on-screen moments. Drawing on experiences from their respective works, they break down the craft of guiding performance. This episode covers: First experiences directing actors The role of blocking and “business” on set The impact of blocking and micro-blocking How to collab...2024-10-271h 04

The Directors’ Take PodcastE223 - Acting in Netflix's 3 BODY PROBLEM with Jess HongThis is episode 23 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Jess Hong a New Zealand actor who since graduating from Drama School landed the lead role in Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss Game of Thrones follow up, the Multi-Emmy award nominated show 3 BODY PROBLEM, which was also created by Alexander Woo. In this episode we break down her early journey, successes and learnings in order to help demystify what the actor and director relationship can lo...2024-10-201h 33

The Directors’ Take PodcastE222 - Acting in A24's A Different Man with Adam PearsonThis is episode 22 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Adam Pearson who is an actor and star of the new A24 feature film, A Different Man alongside Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) and is written & directed by Aaron Schimberg. Adam got his first acting break in Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin starring Scarlett Johansson and he has used his platform to become an award-winning disability righ...2024-10-131h 02

The Directors’ Take PodcastE221 - The Art of Sound Design with Paul DaviesThis is episode 21 in our second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Paul Davies, the legendary Sound Designer who is best known for being one of Director Lynne Ramsay’s closest collaborators, with their relationship spanning all the way back to her first feature film, Ratcatcher. He is exceptional in his own right however and his unique style has landed him work with directors such as Stephen Frears, Yann Demange, Rose Glass, Steve McQueen and Guillermo Del Toro amongst countless others. 2024-10-061h 30

The Directors’ Take PodcastE220 - From Directing Shorts to Continuing Drama with Writer/Director Nichola WongThis is episode 20 in our second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Nichola Wong, a Writer and Director who has successfully navigated her way from making short films to directing over 20 episodes of the continuing drama Hollyoaks. The transition from shorts to TV is one of the most challenging leaps to make as a filmmaker and continuing drama’s often come with a very systemic approach to delivering a constant stream of episodes for their audiences, so we brought on Ni...2024-09-291h 34

The Directors’ Take PodcastE219 - Demystifying the Road to BAFTAs & OSCARs with London Flair PR's Catherine Lyn ScottThis is episode 19 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Catherine Lyn Scott from London Flair PR, who specialise in running BAFTA and Oscar award campaigns for short films. Catherine has helped her clients gain 32 Oscar nominations including 6 wins with films such as An Irish Goodbye (2023), The Long Goodbye (2022) starring Riz Ahmed and The Silent Child (2018). She was also attached to the most recent BAFTA nominated short Yellow and the eventual BAFTA winner Jellyfish and Lobster. She is...2024-09-221h 11

The Directors’ Take PodcastE218 - A conversation with DIRECTORS UK CEO Andy HarrowerThis is episode 18 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Andy Harrower who is the CEO of DIRECTORS UK, who help amplify the collective voice of working directors in the UK in tackling the multitude of issues that they might face. The TV & Film industry has undergone massive amounts of change over the last decade and beyond, so we wanted to get Directors UK’s perspective on the challenges faced by its 8,000 strong membership of Directors and by the wide...2024-09-1550 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE217 - Demystifying VFX with BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE’s Angus BickertonThis is episode 17 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by legendary VFX Supervisor Angus Bickerton, whose career has stretched over 40 years and landed him jobs on films such as Lost in Space, Tim Burton’s - Dark Shadows & Batman (1989), Kingsman Gold Circle, Rocketman, HBO’s House of the Dragon and most recently on Tim Burtons sequel to his 80s hit BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE starring Michael Keaton. This chat includes: How does a VFX supervisor collaborate with th...2024-09-081h 46

The Directors’ Take PodcastE216 - The Journey to Directing PRESUMED INNOCENT with Greg Yaitanes Part 2This is episode 16 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by legendary TV Director Greg Yaitanes, whose career has stretched over 30 years and landed him jobs on shows such as House M.D., Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Prison Break, Banshee, House of the Dragon and most recently on Apple TV’s most watched Drama of all time, PRESUMED INNOCENT starring Jake Gyllenhaal. In Part 2 we go in-depth to explore his time directing the exceptional cast and crew on Presum...2024-09-011h 02

The Directors’ Take PodcastE215 - The Journey to Directing PRESUMED INNOCENT with Greg Yaitanes Part 1This is episode 15 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by legendary Emmy winning TV Director Greg Yaitanes, whose career has stretched over 30 years and landed him jobs on shows such as House M.D., Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Prison Break, Banshee, House of the Dragon and most recently on Apple TV’s most watched Drama of all time, PRESUMED INNOCENT starring Jake Gyllenhaal. In Part 1 we cover his journey of directing over 200 hours of TV and unpick...2024-08-251h 03

The Directors’ Take PodcastE214 - The Journey to Directing SUPACELL with Sebastian Thiel Part 2This is Episode 14 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Sebastian Thiel for the second part of their conversation on how he directed three episodes of the global number one Netflix show, SUPACELL. Sebastian is also a writer, producer and all-round creative, so we brought him on to talk us through his journey toward Directing the phenomenon that is SUPACELL. This conversation covers the following… -The jump to lead directing on Riches. -How did he...2024-08-1857 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE213 - The Journey to Directing SUPACELL with Sebastian Thiel Part 1This is Episode 13 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Sebastian Thiel, who is one of the directors on Netflix’s global number one show, SUPACELL. Sebastian is also a writer, producer and all-round creative, so we brought him on to talk us through his journey toward Directing the phenomenon that is SUPACELL. This conversation covers the following… -What is directing? -How did he come into storytelling? -The story...2024-08-1155 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE212 - The Art of Performance with Brian Gilbert - Part 2This is Episode 12 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Brian Gilbert, a BAFTA and Oscar Nominated Director and one of the lead tutors at the National Film and Television School, who specialises in the art of performance and working with actors. This is the second part in our conversation with Brian, as we break down the fundamentals of working with actors and how you shape their performances for screen. PART 2 covers… -How...2024-08-0458 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE211 - The Art of Performance with Brian Gilbert - Part 1This is Episode 11 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Marcus Anthony Thomas and Oz Arshad are joined by Brian Gilbert, a BAFTA and Oscar Nominated Director and one of the lead tutors at the National Film and Television School, who specialises in the art of performance and working with actors. Your ability to draw performances from actors is at the heart of the directors’ job, so we brought on an absolute expert in Brian Gilbert to break that all down for you all. PART 1...2024-07-281h 03

The Directors’ Take PodcastE210 - How We Became Writer/Directors with Marcus & OzEpisode 10 of The Directors Take Podcast is AVAILABLE NOW on all major platforms. In this week’s episode your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by absolutely no-one, as they break down how they became Writer/Directors… With a special emphasis on the writer part. Writing is one of the first skills we learn as humans and writing stories is a craft that can be learnt just like any other… So we will tell you how we did it. This chat covers: -How did we both start writing? -H...2024-07-2154 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE209 - How I Directed HOUSE OF THE DRAGON with Clare KilnerThis is Episode 9 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast… and we’ve hit a very special milestone as this is our 50th Episode overall! To mark this special occasion your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by one of the directors of HBO’s HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and our mentor Clare Kilner. She is an exceptional filmmaker whose craft has allowed her to direct shows such as Pennyworth, The Alienist, Snowpiercer, Gen V and the other recent smash hit show, FALLOUT. Clare is working at the absolute pinnacle of the...2024-07-141h 16

The Directors’ Take PodcastE208 - Showrunning BBC's Domino Day with Lauren SequeiraThis is Episode 8 in the second season of The Directors Take Podcast. In this week’s episode your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Writer & Showrunner Lauren Sequeira. A BAFTA nominated writer and a member of the BBC’s Hotlist, they wrote on Kiss Me First and seasons 1 & 2 of Gangs of London before Showrunning their very own show, BBC3’s original series Domino Day. As ever we break down Lauren’s journey and craft to uncover those delicious nuggets of information. This chat covers… -How Marcus and Lauren met…...2024-07-071h 14

The Directors’ Take PodcastE207 - Oliver Kassman on Producing Modern HorrorsThis is Episode 7 of our brand new season of The Directors Take Podcast. This week's episode is a conversation with Producer Oliver Kassman from Escape Plan, who have made waves in the genre space in creating films such as SAINT MAUD, OUT OF DARKNESS and the recent feature LOVE LIES BLEEDING starring Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian & Ed Harris. Oliver is a champion for first time filmmakers having made the above work with Rose Glass and Andrew Cummings, and there are absolutely many more on the way. In this chat we cover… -Wha...2024-06-301h 15

The Directors’ Take PodcastE206 - Is Perfectionism Killing Your Creativity? With Dr. Thomas CurranThis is Episode 6 of our brand new season of The Directors Take Podcast. This week's episode is a conversation with Dr. Thomas Curran, a renowned Psychologist and Associate Professor in the esteemed Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Author of ‘one of Bloomberg’s best books of 2023’, The Perfection Trap. In this chat we cover… -What is perfectionism? -Where does perfectionism come from? -How is perfectionism linked to mental health? -How is perfectionism linked to ‘deficit thinking’ or ‘imposter syndrome...2024-06-231h 36

The Directors’ Take PodcastE205 - After 16 Months on House of the Dragon, What Did We Learn?This is Episode 5 of our brand new season of The Directors Take Podcast. This weeks episode is a chat between Marcus and Oz, where they talk about their experience as Director Shadows/Mentees on House of the Dragon for the very first time. -What was the scheme and selection process? -Our first few weeks on the production. -Reading the scripts. -Creating our workflow. -How we helped the production. -How we constructed our learning. Our w...2024-06-161h 08

The Directors’ Take PodcastE204 - Costume Designing on Rye Lane with Cynthia Lawrence-JohnThis is Episode 4 of our brand new season of The Directors Take Podcast. This weeks episode is with the exceptional Costume Designer, Cynthia Lawrence-John. She has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world such as Adidas, Samsung, Amex and with a slew of directors such as Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Kibwe Tavares (The Kitchen) and Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive). She also recently earned herself a BIFA nomination for her work on the beautiful RomCom RYE LANE and helped to elevate the film’s colourful aesthetic. In our chat we cover: -Wh...2024-06-091h 06

The Directors’ Take PodcastE203 - How Directors Shape StoriesThis is Episode 3 of our brand new season of The Directors Take Podcast. This weeks episode is a chat with just Marcus and Oz, where they break down exactly how YOU as a director need to be thinking, planning and prepping in order to shape the story that you’re working on. This is a deep dive on directing craft and this conversation covers: -How do you find your way into a story? -How do you think about the story as a director? -Crafting characters with actors. -Work...2024-06-021h 04

The Directors’ Take PodcastE202 - How I Directed Love Lies Bleeding with Rose GlassHello again... This is Episode 2 of our brand new season of The Directors Take Podcast. This weeks episode is our live podcast recording with Writer/Director Rose Glass, which was recorded at our very first live event and was performed immediately after the screening of her latest film LOVE LIES BLEEDING, which stars Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian and Ed Harris. This is a SPOILER FILLED conversation on craft and it includes: -How she dealt with the level of expectation after her first film SAINT MAUD was so well received. -What aspect of...2024-05-261h 04

The Directors’ Take PodcastE201 - How I Directed Baby Reindeer with Weronika TofilskaWE'RE BACK! This is the very first exciting episode of our brand new season of The Directors Take Podcast, In this episode we'll be speaking to Weronika Tofilska who is the lead director (Eps1-4) of the Netflix global phenomenon BABY REINDEER. As ever we break down directing craft to gain a greater understanding of how this smash hit show was created. This conversation includes: -Weronika's journey into filmmaking. -Her experience of film school in Poland and in the UK. -How she navigated the filmmaking wilderness. -How sh...2024-05-191h 47

The Directors’ Take PodcastE141 - How We Made a BAFTA Nominated Short In this Bafta Special episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by BAFTA nominees Yasmin Afifi and Elham Ehsas. Yasmin is an award-winning writer/director based in London and her her grad film Jellyfish and Lobster has gone on to receive widespread industry acclaim, screening in festivals all over the world, including the BAFTA/BIFA Qualifying Underwire, Encounters, LFF among others. Elham is a BAFTA nominated and Oscar shortlisted writer/director and Actor working in Film and Television. His latest short film Yellow was B...2024-02-161h 32

The Directors’ Take PodcastE140 - This Is The EndIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by absolutely nobody, as they do a recap on all of The Directors' Take Podcast episodes so far... This is the end... In this episode we talk about the following:- -Why we started the podcast -The initial response to it. -What we gained from it. -Why we think it has resonated. -A recap of the episodes and our thoughts and feelings on each. ...2023-12-101h 06

The Directors’ Take PodcastE134 - Halloween Special: Directing Ghostwatch with Lesley ManningIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Lesley Manning, the director of 1992's cult classic British horror, Ghostwatch. The highest rated single drama for 48 years on the BBC and named by Channel 4 as the most controversial TV drama, Ghostwatch has had a a resurgence around its 30th anniversary and is now being credited as one of the films to have popularised the use of found footage, comfortably predating The Blair Witch Project. Lesley is also a tutor at the prestigious National Film and Television School, so we...2023-10-291h 28

The Directors’ Take PodcastE133 - Demystifying Editing with BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Mdhamiri Á NkemiIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by the prodigiously gifted editor Mdhamiri Á Nkemi. A BAFTA Breakthrough Brit and Screen Daily Star of Tomorrow, he has a long list of credits which includes The Last Tree by Shola Amoo, Blue Story by Rapman and Ear for Eye by Debbie Tucker Green. With a natural sense of story and rhythm, we do a deep dive with Mdhamiri on the craft of editing. This conversation includes: -His journey into editing. -How he chooses his co...2023-10-221h 11

The Directors’ Take PodcastE132 - The Art of Cinema Part 2 with Film Guru Ian SellarIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Ian Sellar, a Director, Screenwriter, Script-Editor and tutor from the National Film and Television School. He has had a key hand in the development of all the major success stories you have seen that have passed through the halls of the NFTS, such as Rose Glass, Nick Rowland, Mahalia Belo and our most recent guest Lewis Arnold to name but a few. Often cited as a genius, we brought him on for a chat to break down the building blocks...2023-10-1558 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE131 - The Art of Cinema Part 1 with Film Guru Ian SellarIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Ian Sellar, a Director, Screenwriter, Script-Editor and tutor from the National Film and Television School. He has had a key hand in the development of all the major success stories you have seen that have passed through the halls of the NFTS, such as Rose Glass, Nick Rowland, Mahalia Belo and our most recent guest Lewis Arnold to name but a few. Often cited as a genius, we brought him on for a chat to break down the building blocks...2023-10-0850 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE129 - Lewis Arnold Part 1: Breaking into TV DirectingIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Director Lewis Arnold, whose directing credits include MISFITS, BROADCHURCH, DARK MONEY, CLEANING UP featuring Sheridan Smith, DES featuring David Tennant, TIME featuring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham, SHERWOOD with Adeel Akhtar and he has most recently directed all seven episodes of the upcoming ITV series based on the victims of the Yorkshire Ripper, THE LONG SHADOW. There aren't many better working directors in the UK that we could bring on to discuss how you can become a successful jobbing director a...2023-09-241h 30

The Directors’ Take PodcastE128 - Demystifying the art of Production Design with Jacqueline AbrahamsIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Jacqueline Abrahams, a BAFTA and BIFA winning Production Designer who has worked with directors such as Michael Winterbottom, Yann Demange and Yorgos Lanthimos. We used this conversation to tap into their creativity and to dig down into the collaboration that can happen between a Director and Designer to ultimately create the best work. This conversation covers: -What is a Production Designer? -What was her journey into the industry? -How do Production Designers i...2023-09-171h 37

The Directors’ Take PodcastE127 - How to make a movie at Film4 with Amy O’HaraIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Amy O'Hara who is a Development & Production Exec at Film 4. We began this podcast as people who are actively working at making our own TV and Feature Film projects, but the pathway towards this goal is extremely rocky, murky, difficult etc... So we brought Amy on to help break this process down for us/you all. This conversation includes: -What are Development and Production Execs? -How do they find, develop and nurture new and e...2023-09-101h 26

The Directors’ Take PodcastE126 - Demystifying Intimacy Co-ordinators with Louise KemptonIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Louise Kempton, who is an intimacy co-ordinator that has worked on projects such as The Great, Gangs of London and the upcoming feature film Hoard. Intimacy co-ordination is a relatively new role and directors may feel that they are losing control of intimate sequences with this being a barrier between them and performers... So we brought Louise on to help demystify the process of working with an intimacy co-ordinator so you can get the most out of this collaboration. This...2023-09-031h 21

The Directors’ Take PodcastE125 - Demystifying Online Releases with Short of the Week’s Rob MundayIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Rob Munday, who is the current Managing Editor of Short of the Week and co-founder of Directors Notes. As a director looking to break into the industry, you may think that gaining laurels from physical film festivals is what you need in order to gain industry recognition, but this isn't necessarily always the case. So we've brought Rob on to help demystify releasing your short films online and the decision-making process that goes into it. This conversation covers: 2023-08-2758 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE124 - The Director/Actor Relationship with Henpocalypse! Star Callie CookeIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Henpocalypse! and general TV star Callie Cooke to help break down what the relationship between a director and an actor can look like. This conversation covers: -Callie's journey from Northamptonshire to the Film & TV industry. -How she got her first acting gig. -The preparation she does for a role. -The conversations she has with directors during preparation. -The relationship with directors on set. -How to give n...2023-08-201h 19

The Directors’ Take PodcastE123 - Composing for Heartstopper with Adiescar ChaseIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by composer Adiescar Chase, to talk us through her journey into composing and how she ended up as the lead composer on Netflix's hit coming of age TV show Heartstopper. This conversation covers: -How Adiescar got into composing music for TV & Film. -The journey into the industry. -How she got her first break as composer on Heartstopper. -The relationship between a director and composer. -The do's and don'ts of c...2023-08-131h 29

The Directors’ Take PodcastE122 - Directing Dreaming Whilst Black with Joelle Mae DavidIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by director Joelle Mae David to talk us through her journey into the industry and how she went about directing the middle block of the hit BBC and A24 show, Dreaming Whilst Black from creator Adjani Salmon. As ever this is a craft focused conversation which covers the following: -Joelle's journey into the industry. -The challenges of making her first narrative short film, Greasy Spoon. -Setting up and running her own production company.2023-08-061h 19

The Directors’ Take PodcastE121 - Navigating Development & TV with Writer/Director Raisah AhmedIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Writer/Director Raisah Ahmed. Raisah talks us through her journey into filmmaking, discussing her work as a writer in Sundance Writers' Lab, gaining her first TV directing credits, navigating the tricky world of development and her work on the hit Channel 4 TV show We are Lady Parts. This chat covers: -Why did she get into films and TV? -What made her begin writing? -The journey toward directing her first short. ...2023-07-301h 18

The Directors’ Take PodcastE120 - What is tone?In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by absolutely no-one. As filmmakers you may have heard someone mention tone in relation to yours or another directors' work and tone can be created instinctually because of past experience and taste or it can be more consciously crafted. Either way... we thought we would talk about it to outline exactly what it is and how you can think about it when producing your own work. This chat covers: -Tone vs Mood, what's the difference? 2023-07-2359 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE118 - To Hollywood and Back Again with Writer/Director Sam BaronIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Writer/Director Sam Baron. He talks us through his journey into filmmaking and how he came to win the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowship screenwriting competition, which propelled him into the industry. Not everything panned out in the way that you would imagine though and Sam openly talks us through all of these challenges here. This chat covers: -Why he began filmmaking. -How he came to applying and winning the Academy Nicholl Fellowship competition. 2023-07-091h 36

The Directors’ Take PodcastE117 - Demystifying Film Festivals with London Short Film Festival’s Philip IlsonIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Philip Ilson, the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the BAFTA and BIFA Qualifying London Short Film Festival. As a director looking to break into the industry, you need to get your film into reputable film festivals to platform your work and gain industry attention. The rejection and lack of feedback associated with this process can be disheartening to many, so we brought Philip on to help break down their decision-making process for you all. This conversation covers: ...2023-07-021h 07

The Directors’ Take PodcastE116 - Sarmad Masud Part 2: Directing Sky’s Bulletproof & BBC’s You Don’t Know MeIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas continue with part 2 of their discussion with Director Sarmad Masud, whose credits include Hollyoaks, Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge, BBC’s You Don’t Know Me and Sky’s Bulletproof. He also wrote and directed the indie feature My Pure Land which he shot in Pakistan. In Part 2, Sam takes us through: -How he lead directed Sky’s Bulletproof S3 and BBC’s You Don’t Know Me. -Working with bigger cast. -How he preps when he is...2023-06-251h 10

The Directors’ Take PodcastE115 - Sarmad Masud Part 1: Directing Shorts to an Indie FeatureIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Director Sarmad Masud, whose credits include Hollyoaks, Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge, BBC’s You Don’t Know Me and Sky’s Bulletproof. He also wrote and directed the indie feature My Pure Land which he shot in Pakistan. Sam takes us through: -His early start back in 1999 at Hull School of Art and Design. -The journey to find his voice and make shorts whenever he could. -Missteps, mistakes and finding...2023-06-1851 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE113 - Demystifying First ADs with Blue Story’s Steven EniraiyetanIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by First Assistant Director Steven Eniraiyetan, whose recent credits include Netflix's The Strays, Dreaming Whilst Black by Adjani Salmon and Blue Story by Rapman. As a Director, the people you will be working with closest on a film set is the First AD and the cinematographer, so we decided to bring one on to talk about exactly what that relationship looks like. This chat covers: -What is a First Assistant Director? -What does the relationship loo...2023-06-041h 23

The Directors’ Take PodcastE112 - What is Directing?In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by absolutely no-one... It's just the two of them, and they ponder and breakdown what they believe the fundamentals of directing is. This chat covers: -What is directing? -What is your voice? -What is blocking? -How do you communicate information visually? -What is visual language? Nuggets of the week Marcus: The Directors Cut - A DGA Podcast - Glass Onion A Knives out My...2023-05-2839 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE110 - Demystifying BFI Network Funding with Film Hub North’s Ben TaylorIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Film Hub North's very own Ben Taylor, a BFI Talent Exec. With BFI Network funding being one of the most widely accessible funding pots for aspiring filmmakers in England, we decided to bring on one of the people who has a say in which projects are successful, all in an effort to demystify that process for each one of you. This chat covers: -What is the job of a talent exec? -When should you b...2023-05-141h 23

The Directors’ Take PodcastE109 - Amit Shah: Acting in Happy Valley In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by prolific actor Amit Shah (Happy Valley, His Dark Materials, Doctor Who). One of the most important collaborations on a film set is between a Director and their cast, so we do a deep dive into what that process looks like to help demystify what it is to work with actors. This covers: -Amit's journey into acting. -Amit's range as an actor. -What is the role of an actor? -What's the d...2023-05-071h 30

The Directors’ Take PodcastE108 - Demystifying Producers with Helen Simmons In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus are joined by Producer and Writer Helen Simmons (F*CK & KLOKKENLUIDER). With the BFI Network funding applications currently open and there being a lack of Producers available, we did a deep dive to uncover the mystery of Producers. This covers... -What are the different types of Producers? -What do Producers do? -How do Producers choose their collaborators? -How do you find/approach Producers? -How do you get projects funded? -How do y...2023-04-301h 25

The Directors’ Take PodcastE107 - Alice Seabright Part 2: Showrunning BBC’s Chloe In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus are joined by Writer & Director Alice Seabright (SEX EDUCATION & CHLOE) for a deep dive on directing craft... We dove so deep that we had to split this conversation into two. This is Part 2, which covers.... -A sincere apology for the excellent cliffhanger at the end of Part 1. -Alice details how she got her very own TV show. -What the greenlight process was like. -What were the differences between being a lead director and 2nd block d...2023-04-231h 07

The Directors’ Take PodcastE106 - Alice Seabright Part 1: Directing Sex Education In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus are joined by Writer & Director Alice Seabright (SEX EDUCATION & CHLOE) for a deep dive on directing craft... We dove so deep that we had to split this conversation into two, with Part 1 covering the following... -Alice talks us through her journey into directing. -We talk about how she got her first job as a working director. -We talk about the biggest issues she faced in transitioning from short films to high-end TV. -We did a d...2023-04-161h 08

The Directors’ Take PodcastE105 - The biggest mistakes early directors make!In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus discuss the biggest mistakes that young directors make! Using their own learnings that they've made whilst navigating the pathway into the industry, they outline the things they wish they had known at the start. They cover: -The failure to finish work. -Chasing the 'film look'. -Searching for shortcuts. -Waiting for permission. -Detrimental perfectionism. Nuggets of the Week TV Show: Project Greenlight Film: Stutz (available on Ne...2023-04-0949 min

The Directors’ Take PodcastE104 - Demystifying Agents with Mark Brennan of United AgentsIn this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus are joined by Mark Brennan from United Agents and we have a very candid conversation which demystifies the process of being signed by an agent and what that relationship then looks like. We cover... -At what point should you being looking for representation as a Director. -How should you approach agents? -What do agents look for in potential clients and how do they make their decisions on who to sign? -What happens when you sign w...2023-04-021h 37

The Directors’ Take PodcastE103 - How we shadowed on TOPBOY and HOUSE OF THE DRAGON.In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus are joined by Director and visual artist Riffy Ahmed, where they talk you through the experiences they had in shadowing the Directors' on Season 1 of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and the upcoming season of TOPBOY. -Riffy tells us her incredible story of how she had a show featured in the Saatchi Gallery. -We talk practically about how you should shadow on a high-end TV show. -We talk about our relationships with the Directors and Showrunners. ...2023-03-261h 26