Simon Joanes, Freelance Director
Simon Joanes is a freelance director. He has worked his way up in the music television industry over the past few years, now working with some of the biggest names in pop and rock.
As a director of festival and concert performances, music-based documentaries and short films, Simon has directed artists such as Britney Spears, the Beastie Boys, Snow Patrol and Paolo Nuttini.
Simon graduated from Salford University in 1999 with a degree in design studies. As part of his final year dissertation he made a music video and knew it was the career path he wanted to follow.
"That little taste made my mind up for me, but getting your foot in the door is hard. I managed to get work experience with a company called Rapido TV which makes entertainment programmes like Euro Trash. I then became a paid runner where I really learnt a lot. I was lucky and able to get heavily involved in research, going on shoots; setting up shoots and sitting in on edits."
Simon then moved onto Talent TV working on Sky One's The Villa as a runner, on location in Spain. In 2002 Simon began his love affair with music-led TV when working for At It Productions on programmes like Popworld for T4. Here he was given the chance to shoot multi camera pieces for the live performances on the pop magazine show.
Branching out into music documentaries in 2004 he directed Chancers, a nine-part fly on the wall series for T4, following the progression of six young musicians as they cross the Atlantic aiming to break into the American market.
Continuing to direct performances on Popworld, Simon later directed eight five-minute pilots for Fresh One Productions of which three were commissioned for the BBC, Channel 4 and five.
This talented director from London has since proved his skill on such diverse projects as The Wasted Youth Prison Gig film shot within Pentonville Prison, Nike's Jonga Bonita football finale, and multi camera shoots for BBC Radio 3's Sir John Eliot Gardner Presents Bach Christmas Special.
Simon's fantastic understanding of the craft of direction is facilitated by his knowledge of operating a camera, and he has endeavoured to work on as many great shoots as possible to further his awareness and ability. Keeping with the live performances he shot Truck Fest and Electric Proms 06, two musically unique and eclectic events for Channel 4 and BBC Online.
For the web, Simon has directed several projects, including Dirty Pretty Things for Yahoo Music, which featured the band playing an exclusive acoustic set. The Tchaikovsky Experience which was set within the dramatic interior of the Imperial War Museum for BBC Radio 3. This striking and offbeat setting provided him with the chance to frame the incongruous relationship between orchestral music and the darker side of human capabilities. Cutting between numerous cameras Simon offered an alternative view of classical music performance, as well as capturing some unique views and distinctive angles.
More recently Simon was approached to direct the main stage at the music festival Bestival, the three documentaries made for Channel 4 included performances by The Gossip, Beastie Boys, Madness and Primal Scream.
He also directed a selection of JD Set Presents - a 24-part series for CC Lab on Channel 4. These twelve-minute films featured live performances and interviews showcasing some of the best emerging new talent on stage, including The View, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and The Rapture.
"This is a tough business but it's also very rewarding. My advice to anyone trying to get in to it is to be as keen as possible. Everyone starts with work experience or as a runner. Employers want to see that you are competent and only when they do will they put opportunities your way. So get as much hands on experience as you possibly can and also stay keen and enthusiastic. That's what will get you noticed and open doors. As much as the hours are long and the wages low when you are a runner, it gives you the opportunity to experience all of sides of the business, be it producing; directing; production managing; or the more technical aspects. You can then decide which one suits you best."
