The seventh week of RyePod podcasts from Rye Arts Festival introduces Jonathan Haswell, the man who has taken inside (usually) outside broadcasting of cultural events to a whole new level for ‘remote’ audiences to enjoy.
Jonathan worked for the BBC Classical Music department for 20 years, on events such as the Proms where multiple cameras are used to broadcast the performances and their output is then edited together for viewers at home, watching on TV. But seven years ago he branched out on his own as a freelance multi-camera director and producer of live events screened into cinemas around the world.
So, be it the Royal Opera House or the National Theatre, or commemorations of the Battle of the Somme, there is a good chance that Jonathan was in charge of the set-up of multiple cameras and lighting before the event, and then directing during the show to bring the experience into cinemas, or on to TV or online.
Since the Covid outbreak many organisations have re-screened these performances for us to enjoy at our leisure and Jonathan talks about the relative merits of live versus recorded performances.
Jonathan is in conversation with Alisdair Kitchen, the deviser, producer and editor of the RyePod series, and talks about how he was a child flautist of some note, and then looked to go into drama after his degree in Cambridge. Instead, he had a hiatus in business, before returning to the arts with the BBC, ending up as the man not just behind the camera but directing them.
Episode 7 of RyePod goes live at 9am on Friday, June 19. You can listen to this and all the previous podcasts as and when you like, including actress and director Selina Cadell, the Royal Opera House’s musical director Sir Antonio Pappano, and the former Level 42 drummer Phil Gould, which reflects Rye Art Festival’s diversity and desire to cover all the arts.
RyePod can be found on all the major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. A full list is available at anchor.fm/ryepod
Image Credits: Jonathan Haswell .