Mega-star discoveries and Florence Pugh's perfect first audition | Casting with Shaheen Baig

In this episode, Joe Bini joins Rhianna and Michael to piece together the world of film editing. From his collaborations with Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man), Andrea Arnold (American Honey) and Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here), discover the essence of this cut throat craft, and what goes into (or comes out of) the creation of award-winning cinema. WATCHING Grizzly Man (documentary) One of few of Joe's films that he'd gladly watch again, this poignant and hilarious documentary from Werner Herzog follows a man who lived among the bears. Watch on Prime VideoYou Were Never Really Here (film) Joaquin Phoenix gives a committed performance as a hitman on a rescue mission in Lynne Ramsay's lean and muscular thriller. Watch on Prime Video. Into the Abyss (documentary) Werner Herzog takes on capital punishment in a haunting portrayal of death row Watch on Prime VideoLittle Dieter Needs to Fly (documentary) US Navy pilot Dieter Dengler returns to the Laotian jungle where he was kept captive during the Vietnam War with Werner Herzog in tow. Watch on Prime Video with MUBIRescue Dawn (film) Herzog adapted his own documentary to create an intense exploration of the Vietnam War.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Jim Dowdall joins Rhianna and Michael to provide a crash course in stunt coordination. Hear from the man who has worked on more Bond movies than Roger Moore about the daring, dizzying and sometimes downright impossible parts of his job. Jim has been working in the world of stunts since 1972, traversing the lunar surface with Bond and galaxies far, far away with Star Wars. He's worked on Indiana Jones, Bourne, Batman and surprisingly The Vicar of Dibley as well. With almost 50 years of experience, there's no one better to guide us through the potentially dangerous world of stunts.Welcome to Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows.SHOW NOTESWATCHINGIndiana Jones: The Last Crusade (film). Indy goes on the hunt for his father (played by the late, great Sean Connery) who has disappeared on the Holy Grail in the third installment of the epic franchise. Watch on Prime Video.The Grand Tour (TV series) Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May pull off a series of spectacular (and silly) vehicular-based stunts. Watch on Prime Video. The Bourne Supremacy (film) Arguably the franchise that has made the best use of stunts, ever. Car chases, fight sequences, kidnapping. This espionage thriller has it all. Watch on Prime Video. Brazil (film) Terry Gilliam's dystopian sci-fi about a daydreaming civil servant, starring Jonathan Pryce and Robert DeNiro. Watch on Prime Video.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, hot off of working on Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's Truth Seekers, Ruth Sullivan joins Rhianna and Michael to reflect on the forgotten world of foley. From creating the sounds of swishing dresses and creaking corsets for period dramas such as Peterloo and Jamestown to stabbing melons and cabbages for murder scenes in the likes of Killing Eve, discover the many, messy layers of composing sound effects. This is Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows.SHOW NOTESWATCHING Truth Seekers (TV series). Nick Frost plays a paranormal investigator in a creepy comedy where things most certainly go bump in the night. Watch on Prime Video. Peterloo (film). Mike Leigh's rousing depiction of the cavalry charge that massacred peaceful protestors in Manchester in 1819. Some celery may have been harmed in the making of this film. Watch on Prime Video. Jamestown (TV series). Following the first settlers of England's colony in Virginia, featuring a whole New World of 17th-century textures and sounds. Buy via Prime Video.The World Is Not Enough (film) Pierce Brosnan's Bond protects the daughter of an oil tycoon in this explosive blockbuster. The secret ingredient to the skiing scene? Salt. Table salt. Rent via Prime Video.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Shaheen Baig joins Rhianna and Michael to spell out the magic of casting. From nationwide searches to discovering the next generation of Oscar-nominees, Shaheen discusses her audition process, why her job is a bit like matchmaking and casting Florence Pugh, Tom Holland and Rhianna’s teenage crush, Aaron Taylor-Johnson in their breakout roles. This is Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows.SHOW NOTESWATCHINGHanna (TV series) Esme Creed-Miles literally had to jump through hoops to land the part of the teenage assassin in this exhilarating high-concept thriller. Watch on Prime Video.The Impossible (film) This heartstopping drama about a family caught in the 2004 tsunami gave Tom Holland his first big role. Watch on Prime Video.Free Fire (film) A starry cast play cat-and-mouse in this explosive 70s-set action-comedy from Ben Wheatley. Watch on Prime Video. Locke (film) Tom Hardy in a car is the basic premise of this surprisingly taut and cinematic psychological drama, featuring the voices of some prestigious acting talent. Watch on Prime Video.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, multiple Emmy winner Bill Groom joins Rhianna and Michael to take us on a tour of the world of production design. Having created diners, comedy clubs, gin joints and recording studios for the likes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl, his sets are extraordinary feats of period detail. But discover why he’s more intent on making the scenery forgettable…This is Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows.SHOW NOTESWATCHING The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV series) Beneath the pink and frothy frosting of this 50s set comedy about a woman cracking the world of stand-up is a show with serious bite. Watch on Prime Video. Milk (film) Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic - set in 1970s San Francisco - features full drawers (at Sean Penn's request) and production design to take pride in. Watch on Prime Video, Awakenings (film) Penny Marshall's adaptation of Oliver Sacks' memoir saw the beginning of a fruitful working relationship for Bill. Watch on Prime Video. A League of their Own (film) Bill Groom got his first hit in the major leagues with Penny Marshall's baseball comedy starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. Rent via Prime Video. The Preacher's Wife (film) Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington star in an angelic dramedy from Penny Marshall.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Isobel Waller-Bridge joins Rhianna and Michael to wax lyrical about the world of composition. As she recalls creating the unapologetic score for Fleabag in her bedroom and ditching the piano for period drama Vita & Virginia, find out where her inspiration comes from, how to score a sexy priest and why she enjoys ruffling feathers with an unconventional composition. This is Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows.SHOW NOTESWATCHINGFleabag (TV series) A generation-defining TV show about an unapologetic young woman navigating grief, lust and love, created by none other than Isobel's sister, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, featuring a grungy score perfect for head-banging. Watch on Prime Video. Mozart in the Jungle (TV series). Isobel is particularly thrilled there's a show devoted to an oboist, as in this flamboyant comedy drama set amid New York's symphony scene. Watch on Prime Video. Jurassic Park (film) John Williams' elegiac score is arguably one of the most iconic themes ever created and perhaps his most hummable, after Jaws. Watch on Prime Video.Emma (film) Music video director Autumn de Wilde brings rock'n'roll panache to Jane Austen's classic tale of a match-making meddler. Rent via Prime Video.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Stacy Osei-Kuffour joins Rhianna and Michael to untangle the labyrinthine world of script and story editing for TV. Who writes what? Where do ideas come from? How do you pitch them? And who gets the credit? Stacy answers all these questions and more as she discusses her contribution to shows such as Hunters, the Emmy award-winning Watchmen, Run and PEN15. Welcome to Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows.SHOW NOTESWATCHINGHunters (TV series). Al Pacino and Logan Lerman play vengeant Nazi hunters in 70s New York in this stylish, cool and genre-bending thrill ride. Watch on Prime Video.Run (TV series). The writers had to get creative in this thrilling rom-com show exec produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, set for the most part on a train, as two ex-lovers go on the, well, run. Buy via Prime Video. The Power (TV series). Currently in pre-production with Amazon Studios. We are hotly anticipating this adaptation of Naomi Alderman's novel. Watchmen (TV series) Damon Lindelof's pulpy, politically-minded drama, based on the graphic novel about a band of masked vigilantes. A perfect playground for Stacy's weird and wild ideas! Buy via Prime Video. Lost (TV series). JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof's serpentine story of plane crash survivors stranded on a sinister island. We'd love to know the crazy ideas that *didn't* make it into the show. Watch on Prime Video.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ita O’Brien joins Rhianna and Michael to demystify the art of intimacy co-ordination. A recent and incredibly important addition to film sets, Ita explains her integral role in creating realistic and safe sex scenes, including working with Michaela Coel on I May Destroy You and Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones on Normal People. But intimacy doesn't just mean sex, Ita's work extends to all physical contact and movement, such as building up believable parental relationships in Hanna or making zombies move in The Girl With All the Gifts. Listen to Wrap Party to learn more about one of the most important roles in modern film and TV craft.Welcome to the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows. And in this new episode we're talking about one of the newest crafts in filmmaking.  SHOW NOTESWATCHINGHanna (TV series). A genetically-modified teenage assassin - a role requiring an enormous amount of physicality - must navigate the pursuit of a relentless CIA agent. Watch on Prime Video.The Girl With All The Gifts (film). A post-apocalyptic horror in which Ita helped choreograph both zombie movements, and how creatures dictated by primal instincts would behave. Rent via Prime Video.Normal People (TV series). The buzzy adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel that got most people, including Rhianna, through lockdown. Come for the authentic depictions of sex, stay for the extraordinary performances. Buy via Prime Video. I May Destroy You (TV series). Michaela Coel's gob-smackingly good exploration of the (50 shades of) grey areas when it comes to consent.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Teddy Blanks joins Rhianna and Michael to articulate the art of title design, perhaps not the titular role in the world of film, but a pivotal one nonetheless. Having designed titles for (don’t hold your breath): Lady Bird, Little Women, Mozart in the Jungle, The Lighthouse, The Farewell, Midsommar, Her Smell, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Hereditary and many many more, there’s arguably no-one in the business better equipped to hype up the type(face). Welcome to Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows.SHOW NOTESWATCHINGMidsommar (film). Ari Aster's pagan horror about a young woman's entanglement in a Swedish cult, feat. sinister flowers and a bear scene to rival The Revenant. Watch on Prime Video. Mozart in the Jungle (TV series). A heady cocktail of a show exploring New York's classical music scene. Watch on Prime Video.Hereditary (film). Ari Aster's horror about a family haunted by their ancestors' cryptic secrets: a film so existentially terrifying Teddy couldn't finish it in one sitting. Rent via Prime Video.Lady Bird (film). Greta Gerwig's directorial debut about a young woman's turbulent final year at her Catholic high school. Rent via Prime Video.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Claire Anderson joins Rhianna and Michael to delve into the craft of costume design, discussing her work on TV shows such as Good Omens, American Gods, State of Play and movies like A Royal Night Out, The Limehouse Golem and Human Traffic. As well as pinpointing what exactly being a costume designer entails, topics include: approaching contemporary versus period dramas; how to achieve timelessness with costumes; mood boards and how Claire prepares for a project and the difficulty of jeans! Welcome to Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows.SHOW NOTESWATCHING Good Omens (TV series); a “big” fantasy show that Claire herself doesn’t fully understand, in which Michael Sheen plays the angel Aziraphale who “looks like he could walk the streets of Soho today” and David Tennant channels Keith Richards as the demon Crowley, in this lively and irreverent adaptation of the 1990 fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Watch on Prime Video.American Gods (TV Series); Neil Gaiman’s magnum opus sees a battle erupt between Gods old and new, in this dizzyingly cinematic adaptation, featuring lots of sharp tailoring. Watch on Prime Video.The Limehouse Golem (film); a serial killer, dubbed The Limehouse Golem, terrorises Victorian London in this Hammer-horror style period drama (think corsets, hats and lots of feathers! But no bonnets because they’re “difficult to light”), starring Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth and Olivia Cooke. Watch on Prime Video.State of Play (TV series); a “timeless” edge-of-your-seat political thriller with an infinitely dress-able cast including John Simm, Bill Nighy, Kelly McDonald and James McAvoy. Rent via Prime Video.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.