First Assistant Director: Organising Challenging Takes

Anatomy of a Scene is a podcast where the people behind French film and TV walk us through their creative process.In this episode, we talked to Valentin Rodriguez about his work on TV series Oussekine and with Célie Valdenaire for Bloody Milk.In this discussion, we talk with two first assistant directors about the invisible choreography that keeps a set moving.First, Valentin Rodriguez, who shares what it takes to stage a large-scale protest scene for Oussekine : from helping direct dozens of extras to helping recreate a recent historical moment through costumes, bodies, and streets. With him, we explore the strange mix of logistics and emotion that comes with working on a story set in a past that isn’t so distant.We also speak with Célie Valdenaire, now a seasoned first AD in feature films, who tells us about Bloody Milk and the surprising expertise required on that set: learning from a farmer, navigating the unpredictability of animals, andcoordinating the delicate, high-stakes moment of a calf being born on camera.An episode about scale, precision, and the quiet mastery behind scenes that feel alive.-----Anatomy of a Scene is produced and hosted by Jeanne BoëzecMusic by Fanny MartinEditing and mixing by Fanny Martin and Jeanne DelplancqArtworks by Lisa CarpagnanoSpecial thanks to Valentin Rodriguez and Célie Valdenaire for their participationThis podcast is commissioned by UnifranceFollow @myfrenchstories on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok and Threads to keep up with the latest news on French cinema and TV worldwide© 2025 UNIFRANCE – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.