Directing
Most of the following productions have links to pages
with more details about them - if you are interested....
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0108465/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
This should go to my
IMDb page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Briant
These days most of my 'creative' time is spent making videos for
my YouTube channel
here Sailing Gently
but my past
professional activities on
Dr Who, and
Blakes 7
have come alive again!
The BBC have published a Blu-Ray boxes of all of Season 8 & 9 of Dr Who which
features my first 'Who' production - Colony in Space and The Sea
Devils
Doctor Who The Collection: Season 9 is
a Blu-ray set released on March 20th, 2023
The Collection range.
This release features Michael
E Briant at the Helm -
a profile on the director
of The
Sea Devils among
other Pertwee stories and
Location, Location, Location: Some years ago I made voice
over commentaries of all the episodes in both productions with some
of the actor, the producer and story editor of
those productions.
DR WHO
my experience working on show from Hartnel days onwards
as a AFM, PA & Director
here
I
worked with all the 'classic series Doctors' up to and including Tom Baker.
Had
the pleasure of directing Cybermen, Sea Devils, Daleks and one of my teo favourites - the
Robots from the space miner... the other being:
Sea Devils -
with interviews and
commentary
Colony
in Space
Robots
of Death
Death to the
Daleks
Revenge of the
Cyberman
The
Green Death
BLAKE'S
7
THE WAY BACK,
THE
WEB,
PROJECT AVALON,
DELIVERANCE
I directed the first ever episode and then several more
from the first series.
Great fun to do - And still amazingly popular
Bravely going where others had been before!
More
here
SECRET ARMY
Has been re-released on DVD
Beautifully presented box of 4 DVDs of the 3rd Series.
in UK High Street shops such as HMV, Smiths
http://www.play.com
Prisoner of War
The last Run
Ring of Roses
Ambush
Light the Blue Touch Paper
Collaborator
I considered that directing Secret Army turned me into a proper mature
director - I was very proud to work on the show.
KESSLER
re-released on DVD
and is now available from high street stores and Amazon
Clifford Rose & Alison Glennie
Alan Dobie
Nitza Saul &
Nick Young
Wonderful TV All Film Drama Series of 6 x
50' episodes
Staring
Claire
Higgins- Ken Hutchinson - Gabrielle Anwar
Being a crook isn't a very pleasant way of life. It is particularly
disagreeable to be married to someone in the underworld and worse still
to be a mobster's daughter.
'There
is little peace for a man who lives amongst hoodlums and there may be no
hiding place'.
There
is certainly no honour
BLOOD
ROYAL
BECAME
BLOOD MONEY
Really well written by Arden Winch this 6 x 50' serial was very well received
and a pleasure to direct!
ONEDIN LINE
I
directed several episodes over a couple of seasons of this popular
series.
eter was a delightful actor to work with and most of the success of the
series was down to his portrayal of James Onedin.
Worked again with him on One by One
One by One
Zoo Vet series about work with exotic animals - lots of fun - very
interesting working with Jimmy Clubb
&
Sally Chipperfield's Circus.
I direct a mean elephant!
TREASURE
ISLAND
We shot the West Indian island sequences on the southern tip of Corsica
- that was as far as the budget allowed us to go! The Jungle was shot on
the Mildmay estate near Plymouth which has been home location to
several previous versions of this 'Sea Story'.
A Tale of Two Cities
BBC Sunday Classic 6 part Serial .
I
wrote the adaptation as well as Directing
Won an
Emmy.
Tangier
Feature film aimed at the new VHS market produced by Linked Ring Productions - My own production
company - shot in Gibraltar - Morocco & UK
Billie Whitelaw & Ronnie Cox
Available from Amazon and eBay
Warship
A
very good BBC 1 drama series about life in a Leander Class Frigate
HMS HERO.
Created and mainly written by Ian Mackintosh a serving RN officer. He
was awarded a posthumous MBE for his work in Intelligence - a real
life James Bond!
Locations in Hong Kong, Plymouth & Portsmouth.
Southerland’s Law
BBC Scotland - recorded in Glasgow - Oban and other
beautiful places!
Breakaway
Francis
Durbridge 6
part mystery serial with a huge following in Germany where it was called
Die Handschuhen
Howard's Way
From my original idea
Very successful 'boating and between the sheets' drama series set on the
Hamble River.
As well as directing I created the sailing sequences that backed the end
credits.
A really fun days shooting with a helicopter, speed boats and some
splendid craft to photograph!
The cast
Maurice Colbourne
as all round good-guy Tom Howard,
Jan Harvey as the glamorous Jan Howard
and
Stephen Yardley as the manipulative Ken Masters.
DUTCH TELEVISION
DRAMA
(My brief sojourn in Netherlands
Television)
SPIJKERHOEK
Had the pleasure of directing
the first & second series.
My real function was to bring UK TV
drama production
techniques to Netherlands TV.
Friends for life/Vrienden voor het Leven
Found the Scripts, did the casting,
created the recording techniques and imported the UK system of Sit Com
to the Netherlands - with the help of some UK technicians who flew in
for a week!!.
After Henry/Zonder Ernst
Found the script, Produced and Directed the Pilot
then got fired by Joop v/d Ende! For not obeying orders!
Possibly not the brightest light on the Netherlands
Christmas tree but rich and powerful...
Firsts are always interesting!
Jansen
Jansen
working for the Vara I directed this clever sit com based on Swedish
Series. 3 series of it!
Won lots of awards for Netherlands TV drama and got to
live in Amsterdam!
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0108465/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
This should go to my
IMDb page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Briant
To be a young television director in the 60's 70's & 80's was
wonderful.
I was 24 when I did the (then 6 week) directors
course at the BBC then a few weeks later directed my first broadcast television drama production.
Television was growing at a rate and the creative
side was run by people from the theatre or film industry. Directors in
those days did the casting, were consulted during the writing process and had a
freedom impossible today.
Because I was on the staff of the BBC, as a
Production Assistant - production manager/first assistant in film terms - I was
allowed to direct shows whilst still on the staff. (All drama directors are
freelance in UK TV) Until 1970/1 I would direct a show then have to go back to
being a PA - Always a bit difficult but with a wife, children and a mortgage, it
had it's attractions but I hated the system and wanted to go freelance.
In 1970 Ronnie Marsh, then head of drama serials, gave me
a years contract worth of freelance directing engagements. I left the staff and
became freelance television director. What a nice man and what a kind thing to do!
Television has now grown up and
on soaps the role of the director is primarily to point cameras. The speed and
instant acting required to-day has taken much of the fun out the work and many -
particularly BBC soaps - are run by committee.
Not sure if this is good or
bad, but for young directors it is very sad.
I would have paid to do
the directing work that came my way - certainly it was a bit
intimidating sometimes, very scary even, but it never was boring and I
was allowed to experiment and sometimes to fail - the most exciting
thing I can imagine.
I was so lucky.
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The following
is what I have been doing in the Film and Television part of my life...
The E in Michael E Briant came about because of the same problem
I had as a child actor and changed my name to Tennant - The actor Michael
Bryant was/is much more famous than me - He started to get phone calls about his
directing abilities! and I started to get letters and calls from his fans!
Michael Byiant's correspondence was much more interesting than mine but none the
less I decided to insert my E initial into my credits!
1966
Z Cars Film and Studio
1967
The Newcomers
4 episodes
1968/9
The Doctors
12 episodes
1970
Dr Who
Colony in Space
Freelance Director
1970/1
Z Cars Old Bones, Bits
and Bats, The fighter etc etc
1971
Dr Who
Sea Devils + Christmas Spectacular – 6 episodes
1973
Dr Who
Death to the Daleks
1974
Z Cars First series shot all OB
1974
Southerland’s Law
A Murmur of Malice
1975
Dr Who
Revenge of the Cybermen
1975
Southerland’s Law
A Slight case of Matrimony
1975
Dixon of Dock Green
Black Monday – Hired Man
1976
Onedin Line
4 x 50’ episodes
1977
Dr Who
Robots of Death
1975
Angels Hospital Series about nurses
1975
Breakaway
Francis Durbridge
6 part mystery serial
1976 Dixon of Dock Green
Alice - Jackpot
50’ Episodes
1977
Warship
And Wings of Gold - Knight Errant
1977
Treasure Island
6 part serial of Stevenson’s Classic novel
1977
Blake’s 7
First episode + 3 others
1978
Warship
Windsong - Girl from the Sea - A Matter of History
1977/8 Secret Army
Prisoner of War – the last Run – Ring of Roses
- Ambush – Light the blue touch
Paper – Collaborator
-
1979
Blood Money
6 part
serial about kidnapping of royal child by terrorists- written by Arden
Winch.
1980
Tale of Two Cities
6 part serial of Dickens Classic Novel – I also wrote the adaptation - It won an Emmy
1981
Kessler
Sequel to Secret
Army about today's Nazi party leaders
1981/2 Link Ring
Films Started my own production company
1982/3
Tangier
Feature film – Produced and Directed
1983
Emmerdale
Yorkshire
1983/4
One by One
Zoo Vets drama series
1985
Emmerdale
Yorkshire TV
1985/6
Hideaway
6 x 50 Film series all on
location in London and Derbyshire
1987/8
Howard’s Way
Sailing Series - based on my original concept
1989
Eastenders
BBC
1990
Spikerhook/Nail Corner Netherlands
Drama series
1991/2
Emmerdale
Yorkshire
1993/4
Friends for Life
Netherlands sit com Vrienden voor het Leven
UK title 'The Two of Us'
(First
Netherlands sitcom series made with UK production techniques)
1995
After Henry/Zonder Ernst Netherlands sit com -
produced & directed
1996
EastEnders BBC
1997/8
Jansen-Jansen Netherlands
Sit Com
1999/0
Blue Water Cruising Produced and
Directed in Caribbean
2000
Blue Water Destinations Trinidad
to Panama
2001
Blue Water Destinations Panama
to Galapagos
2002
Blue Water Destinations Marquises
to Tahiti
2002
Blue Water Destinations Society
Islands to Fiji and Tonga
2003
Blue Water Destinations Australia
to Timor
2003/4
Blue Water Destinations Indonesia
to Sri Lanka
And I am still making little films for my YouTube channel
SAILING VIDEOS
here
YouTube@SailingGently
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0108465/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
This should go to my IMDb page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Briant
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