Kharmel Cochrane is one of the most recognised casting directors in the British film and television industry. Her latest project, the newly-released Rye Lane, is a rom-com set in South London over the course of one day. Directed by Raine Allen-Miller, this heart-warming, upbeat film caught the attention of critics when it premiered at Sundance and is coming out on Disney. The film owes much of its success to the fantastic central characters, expertly selected by Kharmel.

Rye Lane is just one of an array of films that Kharmel has worked on. Having casted projects such as The End of the F**king World, The Lighthouse, Mothering Sunday and Emerald Fennell’s upcoming project Saltburn, Kharmel is one of the most recognised casting directors in the British film and television industry.

At just 25 years old, she set up her own casting company, and in the time since has developed her own unique casting process which she tailors to each project. She’s also harnessed the ability to listen to her gut, noting that her fingers start tingling when she knows she’s found the right actor for the job.

Kharmel also shares her insights into the pressure that the film industry places on women, and her advice for reframing your definition of success; her own definition has evolved from wanting to win awards to being able to take a holiday without having to justify herself.

In this episode, Kharmel shares her advice on:

• Setting boundaries between work and your personal life
• Amplifying your voice
• Discovering your own definition of success to experience true creative fulfilment

Please note that there may be some spoilers relating to the film in this episode

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Women Behind the Scenes is hosted by Eloise Singer and produced by Ben Weaver-Hincks for Singer Studios. 

Executive Producers - Eloise Singer and Cathy Anderson 

Production Manager - Hannah Alexander

Post Production - Matt McGuinness

Editing, Mixing and Mastering - Tom Fred Bradshaw [iGame.Audio]

Music - PremiumBeat.com

Production Assistant - Lucy Davidson

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Social Media:

Twitter @singerstudiosuk 

Instagram @singerstudiosuk 

Website: www.singerstudios.co.uk

Kharmel Cochrane:

Twitter  @kharmelcochrane

Instagram @kharmelcochranecasting

Website: https://kharmelcochrane.com/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welsh-Egyptian director and writer Sally El Hosaini is the director and co-writer of BAFTA nominated ‘The Swimmers’, a moving biographical drama that follows two teenage Syrian refugees who swim alongside a sinking dinghy full of refugees, guiding it to safety.

As a writer and director of Welsh and Egyptian heritage, Sally didn’t know she wanted to work in film until, as an Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Studies university student, she realised that she wanted to pursue a career that combined ‘images, words and people’. 

She started out as a ‘do-it-all’ self-shooting AP, an experience she describes as ‘film school’, and ended up coming on board as a co-writer with Jack Thorne on ‘The Swimmers’ because she wanted to help create a genuine story for her teenage self.

However, ‘The Swimmers’ nearly didn’t come to fruition. Its production hampered by the pandemic, it was in part because of Sally’s ability to keep the faith and rally those around her that it finally hit our screens in 2022.

In this episode, Sally talks about the process of learning to let go of her expectations, and the beautiful, spontaneous discoveries that she made as a result of trusting that her path would find her.

In this episode Sally shares her advice on:

• following your joys and passions to find your career path  
• building the right cast and crew for a project 

In sharing her path into filmmaking, Sally reminds us of the importance of sharing stories as a tool to connect and understand more about the world

Please note that there may be some spoilers relating to the film in this episode

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Women Behind the Scenes is hosted by Eloise Singer and produced by Ben Weaver-Hincks for Singer Studios. 

Executive Producers - Eloise Singer and Cathy Anderson 

Production Manager - Hannah Alexander

Post Production - Matt McGuinness

Editing, Mixing and Mastering - Tom Fred Bradshaw [iGame.Audio]

Music - PremiumBeat.com

Production Assistant - Lucy Davidson

–

Social Media:

Twitter @singerstudiosuk 

Instagram @singerstudiosuk 

Website: www.singerstudios.co.uk

Sally El Hosaini

Twitter: @sallyelh

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Odessa Rae is the producer of the Oscar-nominated film ‘Navalny’, a powerful, fly-on-the-wall thriller documentary about the Russian politician who dared to speak out against Putin and survived a targeted assassination attempt as a result.

Odessa's belief in telling stories that need to be heard and her conviction in following her intuition is remarkable. A multi-lingual actor, writer and producer, Odessa and director Daniel Roher travelled to the Black Forest to film with Navalny and his team, sometimes for up to 20 hours a day, in the hopes of providing an intimate glimpse into his inspiring journey.

They also aimed to answer the question, ‘who tried to kill Navalny?’ Eventually, they captured an extraordinary conversation on camera, which went viral overnight and forms the heart of the documentary itself, which is both thrilling and harrowing in equal measure.

‘Navalny’, which has been described as ‘stunning’ (The Guardian) and containing ‘perhaps the most jaw-dropping phone call in the history of cinema’ (Filmspotting) premiered at Sundance in 2022, where it won ‘Best of Fest’ and the coveted ‘Audience Award’ for the US documentary competition.

In this episode Odessa tells us about 

• following your intuition and taking risks 

• navigating personal safety and security on a high stakes project

In sharing how she put everything on the line for this documentary, Odessa demonstrates the power of risk taking and trusting your gut in the creative process. 

Please note that there may be some spoilers relating to the film in this episode

—

Women Behind the Scenes is hosted by Eloise Singer and produced by Ben Weaver-Hincks for Singer Studios. 

Executive Producers - Eloise Singer and Cathy Anderson 

Production Manager - Hannah Alexander

Post Production - Matt McGuinness

Editing, Mixing and Mastering - Tom Fred Bradshaw [iGame.Audio]

Music - PremiumBeat.com

Production Assistant - Lucy Davidson

–

Social Media:

Twitter @singerstudiosuk 

Instagram @singerstudiosuk 

Website: www.singerstudios.co.uk

Odessa Rae:

Instagram: @odxssarae @navalnydoc

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Multi-award winner Charlotte Munch Bengtsen is the editor of ‘All That Breathes’, a remarkable documentary that tells the story of two brothers who run a bird hospital for black kites in New Delhi, India. It has broken records, being the first film to ever win Best Documentary at both Cannes and Sundance. In addition, it was nominated for a BAFTA and Academy Award, while Charlotte won a coveted International Documentary Association (IDA) award for Best Editing.

However, Charlotte’s path to becoming an editor was a surprising one. Originally a professional contemporary dancer, upon first walking into an editing suite, Charlotte was, in her words, ‘struck by lightning’. This encounter catalysed a new lifelong passion, so in her early 30s, Charlotte made the seismic decision to leave dancing behind and learn how to edit films at the National Film & Television School.

Her decision paid off: with titles such as ‘The Act of Killing’ and ‘The Truffle Hunting’ already under her belt, Charlotte’s latest film, ‘All That Breathes’, has struck audiences across the world both because of its intimate feeling and universal themes, all of which is fully realised through Charlotte’s masterful editing.

In this episode Charlotte shares her advice on how to:

• challenge anxiety about your creative work
• overcome feelings of loneliness and build a powerful team around you.

In sharing her journey from dancer to editor, Charlotte reminds us of the power of leaning into your other skills to enhance your creative work. 

Please note that there may be some spoilers relating to the film in this episode

–

Women Behind the Scenes is hosted by Eloise Singer and produced by Ben Weaver-Hincks for Singer Studios. 

Executive Producers - Eloise Singer and Cathy Anderson 

Production Manager - Hannah Alexander

Post Production - Matt McGuinness

Editing, Mixing and Mastering - Tom Fred Bradshaw [iGame.Audio]

Music - PremiumBeat.com

Production Assistant - Lucy Davidson

Special thanks to The Dorchester for hosting us for this episode. 

–

Social Media:

Twitter @singerstudiosuk 

Instagram @singerstudiosuk 

Website: www.singerstudios.co.uk

Charlotte Munch Bengtsen

https://monami.dk/talent/charlotte-munch-bengtsen

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lesley Paterson is a triathlete, screenwriter and producer. She co-wrote and executive produced the critically-acclaimed film 'All Quiet on the Western Front'; the first international film to be nominated for fourteen and win seven awards at the BAFTAs. In addition, it was nominated for nine Academy Awards. The film follows a young German soldier as he experiences the horrors of the First World War.

Scottish-born Lesley began competing in triathlons when she was just 14 years old, and went on to become a five time world champion. Later on, she studied English and Drama, and spent time working as an actor.

However, it was after discovering the novel 'All Quiet on the Western Front' in a bookshop in Los Angeles that Lesley embarked upon one of the toughest challenges of her career to date: a 16-year journey to bring the film to life. 

After a gruelling and expensive struggle to have the film made, producer Malte Grunert and director Edward Berger joined Lesley’s team, the film went into production, and it was released on Netflix and in theatres in late 2022.

In this episode Lesley shares her advice on:

• how to maintain motivation to get your project made

• focusing on the mastery of a craft rather than a fixed outcome 

Lesley’s journey from the world of sport into filmmaking and her utter dedication to getting this film made is a great inspiration to us all to keep persevering despite the odds. 

Please note that there may be some spoilers relating to the film in this episode

– 

Women Behind the Scenes is hosted by Eloise Singer and produced by Ben Weaver-Hincks for Singer Studios. 

Executive Producers - Eloise Singer and Cathy Anderson 

Production Manager - Hannah Alexander

Post Production - Matt McGuinness

Editing, Mixing and Mastering - Tom Fred Bradshaw [iGame.Audio]

Music - PremiumBeat.com

Production Assistant - Lucy Davidson

–

Social Media:

Twitter @singerstudiosuk 

Instagram @singerstudiosuk 

Website: www.singerstudios.co.uk

Lesley Paterson:

Twitter @lesleydoestri

Instagram @lesleydoestri 

Website: http://www.lesleypaterson.com/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in the film industry?

Join host and filmmaker Eloise Singer as she explores the stories behind some of the most impactful and acclaimed movies of the moment.

In each episode, Eloise sits down with a different guest - from directors to producers, and editors to writers - to talk about their experiences, challenges, and successes.

From difficulties in production to Oscar nominations, hear the journey each filmmaker took to reach where they are now and discover what goes into creating outstanding cinema.

Singer Studios, a female-led UK-based production company and creative studio, uses the power of storytelling to help break boundaries, question the status quo, and spark change.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.