How to be a Television Director with Jon East

#filmmakingpodcast #television #directing 

This week on the podcast I talk to Television Director Jon East. Jon has an impressive list of credits having director shows like Killing Eve, The Last Kingdom, Lost in Space, Pennyworth and Downtown Abbey. He's worked in the industry for over 40 years in numerous roles, starting as an editor.  

I talked to Jon about some of the amazing shows he's worked on, what it's like working with show runners and executives, we also talked about directing actors, perfect if you're a first time director. Valuable tips for anyone wanting to work in the industry this long and he also gave me some great tips for actors, working on performance and connecting with emotion. Enjoy!

Books Jon mentions:
Directing Actors by Judith Weston
Directing Actors by Lee Michael Cohn

Check out Jon's projects: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1113890/

Check out the re-release of Jim's first solo directing feature The Witches Hammer - out now on amazon 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0F235F4T8/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

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Are you about to leave Uni with a filmmaking degree? Or want to change careers and work in a creative industry? We want to give you the tools you need to enter the real world of production or freelancing. Honest and open career advice from people in the business.

We also talk to those in other creative industries to discuss their careers, the potential cross over with film production and practical tips for a successful and fulfilling career.

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Chapters

• 0:00 All about Jon and his career
• 1:15 How did Jon get into the industry?
• 2:47 Eastenders - chief storyline writer - what did Jon do?
• 4:55 Killing Eve - What was it like working on it?
• 7:09 What was it like working on a big project for the first time?
• 8:51 The Last Kingdom - working on big sets with hundreds of extras
• 10:41 Directing actors - advice for mew directors
• 14:15 Having the right vocabulary through preparation
• 17:45 Advice for actors
• 21:58 Reichian body work for actors
• 25:01 Is there any difference when working with different platforms? Netflix, Apple etc
• 27:05 Working with television executives - managing expectations
• 30:14 Does Jon have a motto?
• 31:58 If Jon could reboot or remake an existing TV show what would he choose?
• 33:19 Reasons to subscribe