- You know, Oleg, I feel sore about people. When I was a child, I was the only one who had a notebook of white sheets at school. All other pupils used notebooks made of glued sheets of newspaper. When the teacher asked me where I got that new notebook, everyone started to point at me with fingers and shouted that my mother sells goods at the bazaar. It was a shameful activity at that time. My mother worked as a teacher until my father was taken away from home because of „inappropriate for party“ behavior. Since then we had to think how to survive. We became different, we became „others“ to compare with another people. Being „others“ meant uncomfortable and also dangerous status at that time. When Stalin died, everybody cried. But the special people were spying out who was not crying. They wanted to find „others“.
- But everybody chooses whom to believe and what to be! It is own choice!
- What choice? They weren’t aware of any choice! They sincerely believed and sincerely cried.
- I can understand your pain, Edward. I feel sore about the present generation also. Most people are unaware of their choice. Everybody aspire to financial success and appreciate each other only for the level of such success. Worst of all is they appreciate themselves also for the success. People sincerely believe. They believed in Stalin formerly, now they believe in material success. So how did you survive then? You was absolutely„other“, wasn’t you?
- I found myself in the theatre. I could always be real there, be myself. I created my world in there…
When Edward read the film dialogue, he said: „Give me this role”! He just asked where and what time he must come.
- Oleg, the role is not only acting! You must have a position and reveal it through the screen! The screen will show any false and the audience will see it! You must feel your hero, merge with him, be him!
I felt my hero. I wanted this role particularly. A person is very important for me and I want to understand how to help him. But at the same time I have doubt – is it possible to help somebody to know himself? A person knows himself during all his life. All what we can do is to remind him about the search sometimes.
This film started from the idea to make a film about coaching. Coaching asks questions which help a person to determine his place in life and find the desired directions for changes. The purpose of our film is to ask you the right question. I remembered all the people with whom I worked recently to understand what question is right. Just a year ago everybody ran safely, they were creating and consuming but all of them are in confusion now. They hardly understand what they want and what do they work for. It is difficult to find the desirable direction if there is nothing you want.
We understood that it is very important to show for a person who is he; to help understand himself, his place in life, his abilities and vocation. Victor became inspired by the idea to explain that everybody is the centre of own life. Wearing headphones and listening to the music from the movie „Gladiator“, he was escaping to the forest for a few hours. He was waiting for the desired image under the inspiration of the music. Sometimes he was coming back empty but sometimes he was grabbing the empty sheet of paper and writing something on it. It was the real search! It was the search of desirable image and desirable sense.
We must show that people are searching for happiness in wrong place. There is no happiness in all gewgaws of the world. We must seek God in our life and then the meaning will fill it upBeing very religious person, Victor wanted to show the value of God in life of everybody. Person who discovered faith in God is able to change his life for the better and to fill it up with meaning.
- Victor, no. We must give no advices, no answers. Everybody goes his own way. The question has a much bigger power than the answer. Someone believes in fate, someone in God and someone in himself. I want everybody to discover a personal value in this film and come closer to this value.
Each of us pursued to preserve the essence of the idea while making this film. In some ways we didn’t agree with each other but the main thing that has united all of us, was a common desire to do something valuable for people.
Over time the pictures finally formed in Victor’s head and we started filming. We filmed the empty city to show the loneliness. We filmed each other at different angles. We filmed little James. He always liked to watch himself filmed. After each take Victor patiently looked over all filmed material together with him. He knew how to create necessary mood for the boy. Many times we filmed the same pictures. It was necessary to create enough material to turn it into the right mood later.
When a sufficient number of gigabytes of live material were filmed, we started a creative work. From the enormous number of cuts we had to choose the best ones and join them consecutively. We changed the sequence and duration of pictures and created completely different atmosphere of the film. And the most important thing is that you never know what is the best choice. You try to be a spectator and watch the film over and over again. You feel small details and try to reach the best result by managing them.
When the film was ready, it was necessary to adapt the music to it. We relied to the professional musician and his ability to feel the energy of the film. Eugene got a feeling for this film. At nights, when „normal“ people were sleeping, he was trying to catch the moments and creating. He created melodies from feelings which further deepened the film.
When I got the music, I realized that this project has no end. We changed the subject right after the music. It became calmer. Then again we wanted to change the music. And I know that later we will want to improve the film again. Already the film has several final versions. But I think this is not the end. Like any creative project, this film will never be perfect and we will always want to improve it.
I was asked why I created this film, I replied:
- For me it's like an „experiment of faith“. You can never know how far can be your belief in what you do. It's so hard to continue the journey when there is no logical explanations for it. To invest time, energy and money - only with a slight feeling that everything what you do, IS RIGHT! And it is just an experiment for me. I want to know how far my little faith can take me into this great affair!