This tale doesn\u2019t begin with the words \u201cI had a million to spare\u201d, nor a hundred thousand or even ten thousand floating around. Things don\u2019t work that way.
\nA film needs business calculation, true. It\u2019s got to have a defined budget and some prospect \u2013 no matter how distant \u2013 of making gains. Yet if you equate gains with turning a monetary profit alone then again you\u2019ll be mistaken. They might also include building up or reinforcing the producer\u2019s image, and even the discussions your work triggers. It all stems from the assumptions you have made. But there is one thing you must know: what you want to achieve. This is crucial for the plan.<\/p>\n
I started with videos illustrating my music. A modest beginning, but I have very fond memories of it. If not for that first step, I would quite certainly not have decided to participate in further \u2013 and larger \u2013 film productions.
\nThe milestone came with the Screen & Sound Festival. The idea itself was unusual and inspiring \u2013 to see music. To put visual effects on top of the sound, so that they created a new artistic quality. The participants presented works so fascinating that they stuck with you and literally, almost physically, drew you into the world of the image. That may have been the time when I first really knew that I belonged there, and that I had a message to share.<\/p>\n
I was lucky to meet friendly people and excellent professionals in the film world. I found it a great experience and a lesson: the actors were always dedicated, yet never focused on themselves to a degree that might cause conflict on the set. I\u2019m fully aware this is not always the case, yet the great artists I\u2019ve had the opportunity to work with were down-to-earth people who heeded the arguments and could be persuaded that certain options were the best to follow. A producer must not only be a great organiser but also a decent psychologist. As life decreed, Italy became my other homeland, and it was there that we shot the videos for Funny<\/em> and Summer Heat<\/em>. Oktavvia proved not only a gifted performer but also a deeply empathetic person, bridging the distances in no time at all. There was no sign of any barriers on the set. Nothing of the \u201cI am the star, and you are a dancer, extra, or food delivery guy\u201d style. We managed to create an atmosphere of not only understanding but also honest friendship. A smile, a kind word, and a nice gesture don\u2019t cost much and can work miracles. All you need is to take that one step.<\/p>\n A characteristic feature of our times is easy access to sound and image recording gear and technologies. We all have them at our fingertips. This tale doesn\u2019t begin with the words \u201cI had a million to spare\u201d, nor a hundred thousand or even ten thousand floating around. Things don\u2019t work that way. A film needs business calculation, true. It\u2019s got to have a defined budget and some prospect \u2013 no matter how distant \u2013 of making gains. Yet if […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-columns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1123,"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1122\/revisions\/1123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/januszbielecki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe feature films noticed, talked about, and acclaimed with awards, and the short Hycel<\/em> \u2013 The Dog Catcher<\/em> had a shot at an Oscar nomination. Yes, I feel proud and satisfied. That was good work. I will certainly return to cinematic productions to feel that warm thrill of unique emotions they bring. For nothing provides them in the intensity offered by the cinema, irrespective of whether you\u2019re sitting in the audience or working in the whirlwind of production.
\nI am attracted by the very process of making the film. From the moment when I decided to become an independent producer, I have been part of the creative core. A far greater responsibility than coproduction, with much more numerous and difficult duties, yet coming with a greater satisfaction from the final result. The selection of cinematographers, sound engineers, and actors, as well as working with screenwriters and the director \u2013 it\u2019s like building a huge edifice from multiple elements.<\/p>\n
\nYou need to spot the promise of stardom in someone, and carefully observe their behaviour and instincts. A true stage presence is not about ego and putting on airs, but is ready for hard work, failures, and all the hardship that work on a piece of music or film entails.
\nThis is precisely what struck me in Oktavvia, a singer with whom I have already produced four music videos.<\/p>\n
\nItaly obviously means beautiful landscapes for sets and perfect lighting. Yet there were also other arguments in favour of producing there. Not least because, thanks to the right contacts and acquaintances, cordoning off streets for this or that production was never a major problem.
\nThe set is where you actively look for new solutions. The script is modified more often than not, which requires extra needs and extra funds, not accounted for in the original cost estimate. You need to be flexible and take decisions quickly. The final effect always soon gives an indication of whether you made the right choices.
\nAll the cogs in this machine must turn efficiently, and it\u2019s the producer who is responsible for all the elements communicating and fitting together. He must know how to handle a range of matters, scout for and find suitable shooting locations, deal with the head of the catering company, the police chief and the mayor, and finally, pay the invoices. It is his duty to make sure that all the cast and crew cooperate without a hitch. Everyone present on the set \u2013 director, camera crews, extras, stunt performers, make-up artists, dancers, and actors \u2013 must feel that the production is taken care of. The greater the comfort of the people on board, the smoother and faster the production. And time is money.
\nDozens of people work from 4 am to 9 pm. Day in, day out. But when they see the commitment of the person responsible for overseeing the project, and the purpose behind it, nobody even remembers to grumble about lack of sleep or to become tired or discouraged. What counts for everyone is the best final effect, because they all feel it is their shared creation.<\/p>\n
\nSomebody once jokingly suggested that I do a reality show with a camera following my every step, recording every moment of my own and my family\u2019s life. A joke is a joke, and it can make you smile. However, in all seriousness, I believe that the camera needs to be left to the cinema, and let life follow its unrecorded track. For life is meant to be lived, not produced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"