For the 8th episode of Making It: Women in Film, Shania and I had the pleasure of sitting down with British artist and documentary filmmaker Jeanie Finlay. With years in the industry, her body of work consists of a wide range of stories – but with a common thread of providing insight to the hidden side of pop culture.
From Orion: The Man Who Would be King (2015) which follows Jimmy Elis – a man who in 1979 would become an Elvis for hire, and The Great Hip Hop Hoax (2013) which is about two Scottish rappers who would go on to convince America that they were true American rappers.
Most recently, Jeanie directed HBO’s Game of Thrones: The Last Watch; a two hour documentary that follows the makings of the final season of one of the biggest TV-series of the past, present, and future – Game of Thrones.
“It is like being the conductor of an orchestra. So it was really interesting to follow the directors and producers and sort of see. One of the producers on Game of Thrones used to say “You can only eat the meal in front of you, you must never be fazed.”
#8 | The Art of Documentary Filmmaking with Jeanie Finlay
The art of observation, of seeking and presenting all the many truths, of catching the right moments, and creating a narrative of a story you do not yet know how will end, takes long to master. If you want to learn more about Jeanie’s story, experiences, and advice, you can listen to the full episode now – on all major podcast platforms.
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