The Sandbox: A See-Saw Podcast On Creativity

We do a deep dive case study into producing Tenzing with Liz Watts, one of Australia's most successful producers — we get into working with a cross-cultural cast and crew, the detail required to stay on top of budgets, and the creative philosophy that held the whole production together.

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Liz Watts. Part 1 was released last week.

Host: Emile Sherman

Producer: @jonahprimo on Instagram, Jonah Primo on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/cjFIF

Composer: @Adiescar

Artwork: @studiostromberg
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we sit down with Liz Watts, Head of Film and Television, Australia at See-Saw Films. Liz is one of Australia's most successful producers, with credits including Animal Kingdom and The King. Since joining See-Saw, she's executive produced Apple Cider Vinegar for Netflix, produced The Royal Hotel, and led us up a mountain with See-Saw's upcoming Apple Original film, Tenzing.

We get into the art of producing — a job that's a little hard to understand from the outside. We talk about the relentless drive it takes to bring a project together, the instinct and taste behind choosing what to spend years of your life on, and what it really means to back the talent you work with.

Next week in part two, we do a deep dive case study into producing Tenzing — working with a cross-cultural cast and crew, the detail required to stay on top of budgets, and the creative philosophy that held the whole production together.

Host: Emile Sherman

Producer: @jonahprimo on Instagram, Jonah Primo on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/cjFIF

Composer: @Adiescar

Artwork: @studiostromberg

A See-Saw Films Production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BAFTA winning casting director Nicky Barrett returns for part two, pulling back the curtain on how movies actually get cast: where star power, financier lists, and directors who need "director-proof" actors collide with the search for something real. The conversation widens into acting styles across cultures, the messy politics of authenticity casting, and closes on a genuinely unresolved question: can an AI performance ever have charisma, or is that something only a human being pretending to be someone else can give you?

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Nikki Barrett. Part 1 was released last week.
Host: Emile Sherman
Producer: @jonahprimo on Instagram, Jonah Primo on Letterboxd
Composer: @Adiescar
Artwork: @studiostromberg
A See-Saw Films Production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"It's not who fits where — it's what is the world we're making." BAFTA award-winning casting director Nikki Barrett joins the show to talk about what makes a great actor, casting as world-building rather than list-filling: the difference between naturalism and truth on screen, why she's drawn to anthropological projects and non-actors, and how the best actors find the "safety to take risks.”

This is Part 1 of our conversation with Nikki Barrett. Part 2 will be released next week.
Host: Emile Sherman
Producer: @jonahprimo on Instagram, Jonah Primo on Letterboxd
Composer: @Adiescar
Artwork: @studiostromberg
A See-Saw Films Production

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

Joe Locke shot to fame playing Charlie Spring in See-Saw's beloved coming-of-age series Heartstopper — and now, with the release of Heartstopper Forever, that story comes to a close. Host Emile Sherman is joined by See-Saw co-founder Iain Canning to sit down with Joe and look back on the whole journey: what it was like stepping onto set as a newcomer to acting, navigating a whirlwind rise to fame, and what it took to bring Nick and Charlie's story to its conclusion. They also dig into what the show has come to mean to fans around the world. This is a warm, reflective conversation to send off one of the most-loved series of the past few years.

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Host: Emile Sherman

Producer: @jonahprimo on Insta & Letterboxd

Composer: @Adiescar

Artwork: @studiostromberg

A See-Saw Films Production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.