The Essential List: Ella Jones

Ella Jones is an award-winning director from London. Blending humour and wit with realism and incisive social commentary, her lush visual style and intoxicating storytelling create an immersive viewing experience that is not soon forgotten.

A graduate of Cambridge University, Ella began her career as a professional actress and has also worked as a script editor on TV series, including 'Hanna', David Farr’s episodic series for Amazon. She was mentored by BAFTA-winning director Becky Martin ('Veep', 'Succession') through BFI Network's BAFTA crew scheme and has also taken part in BFI Network@LFF and Berlinale Talents. 

Ella has just finished post-production as series director and executive producer on 'SWEETPEA', a new 6x1hr darkly-comic drama starring Ella Purnell ('Fallout') for Sky and Starz.

Other recent television work includes the final block of HBO's comedy-horror series 'The Baby', series two of 'Back to Life' for BBC/Showtime, and Pandemonium for BBC1. Ella won Best Comedy Director at the Royal Television Society Craft Awards for Series Two of BBC3 Comedy series 'Enterprice', and was nominated again the following year for her work on 'Back to Life'. Ella's short films have played at festivals internationally, including Aesthetica, Phoenix, LOCO, Cambridge, and Encounters.

Lifestyle 

• Place of birth: London
• Hometown: London
• Staycation: The New Forest or The Cotswolds (if they count as staycations?!)

• Vacation: Corfu (I got married there!) or anywhere with a beach and good food

• Pet: One day! Until then, I’ve fallen in love with my friend’s whippet
• Place of work: Wherever it takes me!
• Place of workout: Home/Gym
• Side project: Singing in a band  
• Mode of transport: Bicycle
• Bonus travel essential: A cryptic crossword book

Culture

• Artist: Yayoi Kusama
• Musician: Aretha Franklin
• Commercials / music video director: Raine Allen-Miller
• Film director: Greta Gerwig, The Coen Brothers
• Photographer: Martin Parr, Gregory Crewdson, Petra Collins 
• Film: Aah too many to pick! 'The Lives of Others', 'Fargo', 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'
• Series: 'Succession'
• Commercial: I liked the Loewe one recently
• Board game: Pandemic Legacy (and turns out the pieces make great shot planning counters!)
• Book: 'A Little Life' (fiction) or 'Notes to Self' (non-fiction)
• Podcast: Pod Save America, ‘Where Should We Begin?’ with Esther Perel
  
• Newspaper (off or online): Guardian

Food and Drink

• Breakfast: Peanut butter toast and an oat flat white
• Restaurant: Levan in Peckham Rye
• Cheap bite: Falafel wrap from the van on Rye Lane
• Working lunch: Greek salad
• Favourite dish: Anything with butter beans
• Signature dish: Vegan Ragu
• Snack: Hummous and Pitta
• Guilty pleasure: Dark chocolate
• Booze: Japanese plum wine
  
• Not booze: Sparkling water

Kit

• Phone: Google Pixel
• Computer: Macbook Air
• TV: Samsung Frame
• Headphones: Bose
• Camera: My phone (although a cinematographer friend recently bought me a little Kodak film camera and I love it!)
• Soundsystem: Alexa when I’m lazy, my record player when I’m not
• Pen / pencil: My iPad pencil!
• Where you document an idea: On my phone
• Casual clothing: Jeans, T-shirt
• Smart clothing: Add a blazer!
• Footwear: Veja 
• App: Citymapper
• Website: Filmgrab
• Favourite social media feed: Well my insta algorithm currently thinks it’s anyone who has a butter bean recipe!
• Work program: Dropbox
• Digital work tool: iPad
• Analogue work tool: Moleskin notebook
• Morning grooming / makeup essential: Tinted moisturiser and curly-girl approved hair products!
• Bonus kit essential: My iPad in its shock-proof case!