The Directors Take Podcast

In 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 notes to actors.

-What the future looks like.

Nuggets of the week

Oz: People say this tool will replace me, so I made a movie with it by Corridor Crew.

Marcus: The Filmmakers’ Podcast - How to Direct & Adapt a Stephen King classic with The Boogeyman’s Rob Savage.

Callie: Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

Callie's socials: Twitter & Instagram

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

In 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 communicating with a composer.

-The purpose of music in films.

-How to make the most out of music.

Adiescar Chase is an exciting, emerging and very distinctive composer and multi-instrumentalist based in the UK, composing and performing in a wide variety of contemporary, musical styles.

With a diverse collection of projects in her portfolio ranging from video games, tv drama, short film and animation, Adiescar is the composer for Netflix’ YA drama HEARTSTOPPER, directed by Euros Lyn for See-Saw Films. She is the composer for Rope Ladder Fiction and Wall to Wall Media’s WATERLOO ROAD drama series broadcasting on BBC.

After graduating with a first class B.mus (Hons) degree in composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2017, Adiescar went on to study for a Masters in Composition for Film and Television at the National Film & Television School graduating in early 2021.

Nuggets of the week

Oz: BetterSnapTool

Marcus: 3-Iron by Kim Ki-Duk

Adiescar: Composer Henry Jackman and TV show The Flatshare with Composer Nitin Sawhney.

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

Adiescar's socials: Twitter & Instagram

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

In 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.

-How she got her first TV credits.

-How she works within a tough filming schedule. 

-How to direct comedy.

-The difference between being a middle block and lead block director.

-Managing work/life balance as a working director.

Joelle Mae David started making her own short documentaries that shone a light on undiscovered talent from marginalised backgrounds which ultimately got featured on BBC3. She has since set up a company Bluebird Pictures with a focus on more narrative storytelling, that will further help give marginalised talent a chance and to tell stories that challenge the status quo. 

She’s obviously a filmmaker on the rise, having success with her short films Greasy Spoon and Cycle, before most recently landing the role as second block director on the wonderful Dreaming Whilst Black created by Adjani Salmon who stars in it too, Max Evans and Natasha Jatania. She’s also currently working as Lead director on Queenie from Showrunner Candice Carty-Williams for Channel 4.

Nuggets of the week

Oz: Oppenheimer (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Ludwig Göransson

Marcus: Documentary - The Phenomenon

Joelle: The Firm by Sydney Pollack

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

Joelle's socials: Twitter & Instagram

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

In 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.

-Her work within childrens TV and directing children.

-Her work in development and development hell!

-Navigating the industry as a woman of colour.

-What the future holds.

Raisah Ahmed is a Writer & Director based in Glasgow Scotland. Her first funded short ‘Meet me by the water’ was commissioned by the Scottish Film Talent Network and premiered at Edinburgh International Film Festival, with a feature based on the same short further developed under the mentorship of Olivia Stewart and was also shortlisted for Sundance Writers Lab.

Raisah has since gone on to gain several TV directing credits as a part of BBC’s The Break, Sparks and also with childrens TV shows Princess Mirror-Belle and Molly and Mack. She hasn’t stopped writing though… Oh no. 

She wrote on the hit Channel 4 Show We Are Lady Parts created by Nida Manzoor and currently has several feature films in active development which have been done in partnership with the BFI and Film4 and her producer Zorana Piggott. And it has just been announced that you are adapting Martin Sixsmith’s follow up to Philomena, a family drama, detective story and thriller titled Ayesha’s Gift into a 6 part TV series. 

Nuggets of the week

Oz: Cadrage App

Marcus: Ponysmasher - Communicating Your Vision as a Directo

Raisah: Get out of the house and experience something outside of your own art form.

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

Raisah's socials: Twitter & Instagram

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

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?

-How do you create tone?

-We discuss tone coming from writing, referencing the scripts for Hereditary and Moonlight.

-Tone in prep, production & post-production referencing our films CUR:FEW and The Retreat.

Nuggets of the week

Oz: Don't be a knobhead.

Marcus: You can create - YouTube channel

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Writer/Director Remi Moses, a recent attendee of the prestigious London Film School. There are no clear routes into the film industry as a director and many people see film schools as a clear pathway, but this isn't entirely the case. With Marcus and Oz's affilliation to the National Film and Television School and Remi's to LFS, we have a chat which aims to demystify film schools for those who haven't attended. This conversation covers:

-How Remi got into filmmaking.

-The challenges he faced which made him apply to film school.

-The application and entry process.

-A bit about the curriculum.

-What did we learn through attending?

-Is there an academic aspect to them?

-Did it improve your prospects/entry into the industry?

-Listener experiences and observations.

-Do you need to go to film school?

About Remi

Remi is a British born filmmaker who has been film-making for 9 years and likes to tell stories about disability, invisible illnesses/struggles and intimately complicated queer relationships. He has an affinity with intimate black stories, often told from his own experiences growing up in a Caribbean household.

When it comes to visual storytelling, Remi has a very poignant and romantic style. He takes huge pride in bringing heavy emotions and realism to his drama's, often elevating the genre by fusing it with horror, thriller or mystery.

Remi has won awards for his films and had them screened all around the world. Notable festivals include: BAFTA qualifying Norwich Film Festival and Aesthetica Film Festival, Los Angeles Short Film Festival and other smaller festivals in New York, Australia, Sweden and Glasgow.

https://rmmoses.co.uk/

Film School Information

The National Film and Television School

https://nfts.co.uk/directing-fiction

London Film School

https://lfs.org.uk/full-time-study/ma-filmmaking/course-overview

https://lfs.org.uk/full-time-study/ma-filmmaking/curriculum

Marcus' NFTS Entry Film

Watch No Exposure Here

Nuggets of the week

Oz: Harry's Podcast

Marcus: Best Girl Grip Podcast 

Remi: The scent of flowers at night – Leila Slimani

What Editing a Big Movie Looks Like – This Guy Edits

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

Remi Moses socials:

Twitter

Instagram

Vimeo

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

In 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.

-The highs and lows of 'Hollywood'.

-Reconnecting with your own voice and what that is?

-Taking ownership of your own career and work.

-Building momentum.

-The pathway into the industry.

-What is directing?

Sam Baron is a filmmaker based in London.

His films have played at festivals worldwide and he won the Nicholl Fellowship for my script The Science of Love.

He's now developing a slate of film and TV projects with companies including Netflix, Sony Pictures, New Pictures, DNA Films and Rollout Productions and is represented by Curtis Brown and UTA.

https://www.sambaron.com/

Nuggets of the week

Oz: Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo Del Toro & Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The " Three Amigos", Take Us On An Odyssey Through Their History And The Future Of Cinema.

Marcus: Aperture Science - YouTube Channel

Sam: Sam provided an anecdote about keeping your intentions pure when creating art or pursuing a passion.

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

Sam Baron socials: Twitter & Instagram

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

In 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:

-What are film festivals?

-How he created LSFF.

-What makes a good short film?

-What is the ideal length for a short film?

-Is there unconscious bias in the selection process?

-Why don't film festivals provide feedback on the shorts submitted?

-What does the festival programming process look like?

-Do film festivals have an agenda?

-What does he think about the film festival pathway?

Philip co-founded LSFF with Kate Taylor in 2003 under its original moniker Halloween Short Film Festival, following ten years of running its predecessor The Halloween Society through its various guises as a film and club night.

Philip has previously programmed for BFI London Film Festival, East End Film Festival, Cork Film Festival, Branchage Festival, Latitude and Curzon Soho.

Nuggets of the week

Oz: The Making of Rocky vs Drago by Sylvester Stallone

Marcus: Arnold - Netflix TV Mini Series

Philip: Whatever happened to the C86 Kids?: An Indie Odyssey by Nige Tassell 

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

LSFF socials: https://shortfilms.org.uk/

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

In 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 hired on a show and how he breaks his script down.

-A day in the life of how he works on set, his approach to coverage and what documents he keeps with him on set.

-Things that have gone wrong on set and how he has resolved them. 

-Post production.

-The lessons he has learnt after directing HETV.

Sam most recently directed all four episodes of You Don't know Me, a brand new drama series for Snowed-in Productions, written by Tom Edge. It is based on the bestselling novel by Imran Mahmood.Sam previously directed the Bulletproof  Special for Vertigo and Sky set in Cape Town, having also directed the Season 2 finale. He also recently directed on Ackley Bridge  for The Forge and Channel 4. His first feature My Pure Land,  is set and filmed in Pakistan and based on the extraordinary true story of one woman and her family who defended their home and land from 200 bandits. It premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was the UK submission to the Oscars in the Foreign Language category. 

Nuggets

Oz: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Factfulness-Reasons-Wrong-Things-Better/dp/1473637465

Marcus: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtSupport1/videos

Sam: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/dark-matter-9781839023408/  

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

Sam’s twitter: @Sammasud37

If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].

In 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 a way.

-His successful short film, TWO DOSAS (Himesh Patel) funded by Film London and was voted best film in their London Calling Plus category by David Yates.

-Struggles to get a job which lead to him working as an Art Dept runner. 

-The long arduous journey of making his debut indie feature MY PURELAND.

-Having lunch with his man crush, Danny Boyle.

Sam most recently directed all four episodes of You Don't know Me, a brand new drama series for Snowed-in Productions, written by Tom Edge. It is based on the bestselling novel by Imran Mahmood and aired on Sunday 5th December at 9pm on BBC One.Sam previously directed the Bulletproof  Special for Vertigo and Sky set in Cape Town, having also directed the Season 2 finale. He also recently directed on Ackley Bridge  for The Forge and Channel 4. His first feature My Pure Land,  is set and filmed in Pakistan and based on the extraordinary true story of one woman and her family who defended their home and land from 200 bandits. It premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was the UK submission to the Oscars in the Foreign Language category. 

Credits

Music by Oliver Wegmüller

Socials

Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast

Twitter: @DirectorsTake

Sam’s twitter: @Sammasud37