Poppy de Villeneuve: The idea comes first. My ten years as a photographer seems the perfect way to have collected images and thoughts. It shaped the way things came about to be undertaken as projects. I keep reference books, notes, sketchbooks and have catalogues of articles pulled from magazines, including things of interest seen online.

The beginning is the hardest for me, as I struggle with writing. Each time I sit to write a treatment, it’s like doing homework and I was awful at homework the first time around! However, having to push through that is exactly what I need to do to really see and feel an idea. Once I’ve worked on the treatment for a couple of days, I go over it and over it and over it until I really understand it before I go to the next stage.

Poppy de Villeneuve: The more I learn, the more prepared I like to be. For me, it’s best to have a very clear plan, see all possible obstacles and then throw ideas out the window in the moment if new inspiration comes. I enjoy environments and situations that are real, from music festivals to prisons, with the extras being real people. It can make things a little trickier, but creates an authentic environment.

I use a small crew and like production and equipment to also be as minimal as possible. Sometimes working this way can be hard, without a lot of back-up and often feeling less forceful at dealing with what you come up against. I’m pretty nibble on my feet and not knowing completely what you are letting yourself in for is part of the thrill. Shooting a music video recently, fans were literally falling onto me and screaming, but the footage was so alive. Nothing beats reality.