Show Notes
Half the Picture’s guest this episode is John Ottman, the Oscar-winning film editor and composer who has cut and scored some of the most popular and biggest blockbusters of the last 25 years such as Bohemian Rhapsody (edited), X-Men: Days of Future Past (edited/composed), The Nice Guys (composed), Superman Returns (edited/composed) and The Usual Suspects (edited/composed) amongst many others.
John joined Billy on the pod’ to chat about his process cutting ‘Michael’, the new biopic centred around the life and music of Michael Jackson and the behind the scenes process of editing the film with producer Graham King. He also delved into how he’s managed to straddle both the editing and composing disciplines across his career, his memories of working on the X-Men franchise, how he edited The Usual Suspects in his living room and his retrospective thoughts on Superman Returns. For all this and more, listen on!
Note: This interview was recorded on 27th April, 2026.
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‘Film Editor/Composer JOHN OTTMAN talks Bohemian Rhapsody, Michael, X-Men & Superman Returns' is a non-profit project intended for educational purposes only. No copyright laws were intended to be broken. All rights to any material used remain courtesy of their respective owners.
More from Half the Picture
Enjoy this extended cut of our chat with actor and writer Mark Gatiss featuring more of Mark's thoughts on the state of horror cinema today and the potential future "youthification" of popular music acts best seen in ABBA Voyage Mark joined Billy on the pod' to chat about the second series of 'Bookish', his explorations of the post-war British psyche through the show and his experience working with the menagerie of talent he assembled for the cast. He also touched on his time writing and acting for 'Doctor Who' and why he believes the show should stop, the joy and pressure of making 'Sherlock', his favourite horror film of recent years and Tom Cruises's reaction to watching 'The League of Gentlemen' on the Mission Impossible set. For all this and more, watch on! #markgatiss #doctorwho #daleks #sherlock #mycroft #benedictcumberbatch #martinfreeman #leagueofgentlemen #missionimpossible #tomcruise #fantasticfour #gameofthrones #horror #jamesbond #podcast #interview #film #movie #TV Note: This interview was recorded on August 17th, 2026. Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the channel so you don’t miss any of Billy’s interviews! Full Episodes: @halfthepicturepodcast Listen to the podcast online... SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7btEvvp7BrhusFCCeBBNyg?si=RhrL53N0RySSNifKZ5v_1g APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/half-the-picture/id1768054211 Follow us online! Half the Picture Instagram: / halfthepicpod Half the Picture TikTok: / @halfthepicpod Half the Picture Twitter/X: @HalfThePicPod Billy on Instagram: / billybarnellhtp 'Mark Gatiss - Episode Extended Cut (4K)' is a non-profit project intended for educational purposes only. No copyright laws were intended to be broken. All rights to any material used remain courtesy of their respective owners.
Half the Picture's guest this episode is Phoebe Fox, the actor perhaps best known for starring as Serena in the slick and combustible new HBO legal drama War as well as her work as Marial in The Great, Eve in The Woman in Black: Angel of Death and Queen Anne in The Hollow Crown: The Wars of The Roses amongst so many others.
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Half the Picture's guest this episode is Lara Pulver, currently starring as Bella Harrigan in the second season of Guy Ritchie's 'MobLand', now streaming on Paramount+. The Olivier-nominated actress is also well known for her unforgettable turn as Irene Adler in 'Sherlock', as well as her work on projects as diverse as 'Spooks', 'Maternal', 'The Split', 'Da Vinci's Demons' and 'Edge of Tomorrow', amongst so many others. Lara joined Billy on the pod' to chat about returning to 'MobLand' and what it's like holding her own opposite Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Tom Hardy in one of TV's most unhinged crime families. She also reflected on moving back to London after more than a decade in the US, the lasting legacy of Irene Adler, the stage career that first made her name and the advice she'd give to an actor starting today. For all this and more, watch on! #HalfthePicture #HTP #halfthepicture Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the channel so you don’t miss any of Billy’s interviews! Note: This interview was recorded on 16th September 2026 Check us out here! SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7btEvvp7BrhusFCCeBBNyg?si=RhrL53N0RySSNifKZ5v_1g APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/half-the-picture/id1768054211 Follow us online! Half the Picture Instagram: https://instagram.com/halfthepicpod Billy on Instagram: https://instagram.com/billybarnellhtp
Half the Picture's guest this episode is none other than Alan Moore, the extraordinary writer responsible for some of the most original and daring fiction of the last few decades such as The Long London series, Jerusalem, Voice of the Fire, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell and Marvelman amongst so many other great works. Alan joined Billy on the pod' to chat about his process writing The Long London novels, the third of which 'Blow Away, Dandelion' he recently finished and what a day in the life as a writer looks like for him. He also touched on his experience recording his iconic guest appearance on The Simpsons, his explorations of anarchy and eternalism in his work, what Watchmen's true purpose was in pushing the boundaries of comics and why creators should be brave and aggressive with their beauty and art in today's world. For all this and more, watch on! #alanmoore #longlondon #ihearanewworld #jerusalem #thegreatwhen #illuminations #watchmen #vforvendetta #thekillingjoke #swampthing #superman #batman #marvelman #fromhell #promethea #tomstrong #maxwellthecat #leagueofextraordinarygentlemen #writer #prose #comics #interview #podcast #film #tv Note: This interview was recorded on September 7th, 2026. Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the channel so you don’t miss any of Billy’s interviews! Full Episodes: @halfthepicturepodcast Listen to the podcast online... SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7btEvvp7BrhusFCCeBBNyg?si=RhrL53N0RySSNifKZ5v_1g APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/half-the-picture/id1768054211 Follow us online! Half the Picture Instagram: / halfthepicpod Half the Picture TikTok: / @halfthepicpod Half the Picture Twitter/X: @HalfThePicPod Billy on Instagram: / billybarnellhtp 'Alan Moore talks Long London, Watchmen, The Simpsons & why he walked away from comics (4K)’ is a non-profit project intended for educational purposes only. No copyright laws were intended to be broken. All rights to any material used remain courtesy of their respective owners.