In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Ian Sellar, a Director, Screenwriter, Script-Editor and tutor from the National Film and Television School. He has had a key hand in the development of all the major success stories you have seen that have passed through the halls of the NFTS, such as Rose Glass, Nick Rowland, Mahalia Belo and our most recent guest Lewis Arnold to name but a few. Often cited as a genius, we brought him on for a chat to break down the building blocks of cinema so that you can interrogate it more clearly as an art form. This conversation includes:   -How breaking down stories informs your preproduction? -We talk through various film exercises. -When is a story ready to be executed? -How do you sustain tone?   Ian Sellar is a Scottish director, screenwriter, Script-Editor and tutor of Fiction at the National Film and Television School. He began his career as an assistant to Bill Douglas, after which he went on to directing shorts and studying at NFTS. His first features, 'Venus Peter' and 'Prague', were in official selection at Cannes and went on to be distributed worldwide. He runs feature writing and directing workshops internationally.   Nugget of the week   Ian: Ahir Shah (Comedian) Oz: DVD Extras (YouTube Channel) Marcus: In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish (Book) Credits Music by Oliver Wegmüller   Socials Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast Twitter: @DirectorsTake   If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at [email protected].