Joanne Mitchell: From Acting to Producing Indies to Directing 'Broken Bird', Shooting in Serbia & The Actor-Director Relationship
The Filmmakers PodcastShow Notes
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 on Gut Instinct: Choosing cinematographer Igor Marovic without a showreel via a Zoom call (he has since worked with Martin Scorsese!).
Leading a Foreign Crew: Overcoming language barriers, using literal look-books, and earning the trust of a Serbian crew as a British female director.
Directing Actors: Why Joanne's background as an actress makes her hyper-empathetic to performers, the danger of actors absorbing each other's energy, and the power of private notes.
Producing vs. Directing: Why Joanne prefers the director's chair, but how her producing background gave her a realistic understanding of budget constraints.
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