{"podcast":{"title":"The Filmmakers Podcast","slug":"the-filmmakers-podcast-743342","podcast_index_feed_id":743342,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/GLT5297495551","website_url":"https://thefilmmakerspodcast.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/ca1ed098-1bf7-11ee-aa04-7baab7c5683a/image/show-cover.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Giles Alderson","episode_count":520,"summary":"A podcast about how to make film and TV by filmmakers who actually make them. Interviewing guests from the film-making world from Indie film to Hollywood and everything in between. Hosts Giles Alderson (The Dare), Dom Lenoir (Winter Ridge) Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar (Wolves of War), Tori & Matthew Butler-Hart (Two Down), Phil Hawkins (Prancer: A Christmas Tale), Stephen Follows (Film Data Analyst), Christian James (Fanged Up), Andy Rodger (Three Day Millionaire) and many others explore the world behind-the-scenes of making films and TV, talking to the actors, writers, directors and producers who make them!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-19T14:18:07.843909+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-filmmakers-podcast-743342"},"episode":{"title":"Joanne Mitchell: From Acting to Producing Indies to Directing 'Broken Bird', Shooting in Serbia & The Actor-Director Relationship","slug":"joanne-mitchell-from-acting-to-producing-indies-to-directing-broken-bird-shooting-in-serbia-the-actor-director-relationship","published_at":"2026-05-11T23:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-filmmakers-podcast-743342/joanne-mitchell-from-acting-to-producing-indies-to-directing-broken-bird-shooting-in-serbia-the-actor-director-relationship","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-filmmakers-podcast-743342","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/KILM5410853502.mp3?updated=1778538683","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/KILM5410853502.mp3?updated=1778538683","summary":"Joanne Mitchell on Broken Bird, Directing in Serbia, and the Actor-Director Journey How do you take a story set in the rolling hills and local pubs of Northern England and shoot it entirely in Belgrade, Serbia? This week on The Filmmakers Podcast, Giles Alderson sits down with actor, producer, and director Joanne Mitchell to discuss her incredible feature directorial debut, Broken Bird. Originally developed from her award-winning short film Sybil, the film was an opening night selection at FrightFest and is now available on all major VOD platforms! Joanne pulls back the curtain on her amazing journey from producing gritty, micro-budget indies with her partner Dominic Brunt, to landing a $2 Million ($1.5M GBP) budget through Catalyst Studios as part of an incredible all-female slate. She breaks down the massive logistical challenges of shooting in Serbia, including navigating brutalist architecture, 85-degree heat, and the language barrier of working with a local crew. We also dive deep into the actor-director dynamic. Drawing from her own extensive acting career, Joanne shares her philosophy on why directors must protect an actor's rhythm, the importance of private notes, and how she cast her incredible lead, Rebecca Calder. Plus, we hear the amazing story of how she hired her brilliant cinematographer, Igor Marovic, purely on gut instinct over a Zoom call! 🎬 IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: Catching the Directing Bug: Transitioning from learning on micro-budget sets to directing shorts (Sybil, The Outing) and her debut feature. The Catalyst Studios Deal: Securing a $2M budget as part of an all-female slate of six films. Shooting in Serbia: The intense challenge of doubling Belgrade for Northern England, and how a disused royal palace kitchen became her mortuary set. Hiring…","meta_description":"Joanne Mitchell on Broken Bird, Directing in Serbia, and the Actor-Director Journey How do you take a story set in the rolling hills and local pubs of Nor…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5352,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-filmmakers-podcast-743342/episodes/joanne-mitchell-from-acting-to-producing-indies-to-directing-broken-bird-shooting-in-serbia-the-actor-director-relationship/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-filmmakers-podcast-743342/joanne-mitchell-from-acting-to-producing-indies-to-directing-broken-bird-shooting-in-serbia-the-actor-director-relationship.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}