Zaur Bolotaev: TV series are the future
Zaur Bolotaev is truly one of the best directors and cameramen of modern Russian television, a revolutionary in a way. He says he founded his own production company Focus Plus Cinema solely as a creative workshop and not a money making machine. It doesn’t come as a surprise that such a person is the first in the history of television to have filmed an entire series with a subjective camera. His project has been recently sold for adaptation in the US to FOX Television Studios. The producer and director of Moimi Glazami (Thru My Own Eyes) shared details with Alexandra Egumenova on the production process, the sale of the format abroad and the people behind the development of progressive Russian television.
How did you come up with the idea for the project? Did the script come first or just the plan to make a subjective camera show?
Ilya Kulikov wrote the script and the dramaturgy and the story itself suggested that it has to be filmed subjectively. It couldn’t be any different way – there is a soul flying around after all. Thus we decided to do it exactly this way.
How hard was it to shoot the series? According to TNT’s General Producer it took more than two years to produce it.
There were some technical difficulties for it is an innovative thing. It is easy to film short episodes in the movies. But when you film everything subjectively, you need a new technology, which we developed. The production took two years indeed. The casting for the pilot lasted 6 months; then we were thinking how to film. Then, thanks to TNT, Dulerain and Petrenko, we filmed the pilot. Valera Fyodorovich joined our team around that time. All in all, I would like to thank all the people who decided to take a risk and gave us the opportunity to film.
Which scenes were most difficult to shoot?
There are some acts where the actors talk a lot and you need to organize everything the right way. This can be difficult. But here we are all multi-professionals, having different professions at the same time; and what is difficult for us is even more difficult for others (laughing).
If you look at the innovative technology, everything is equally difficult. There are certain rules in filming that have existed for a very long time and those that are being taught. You also watch movies from which you learn the film language: you can shoot everything from a long shot. But here you need to film everything with a subjective camera. Imagine now that we are talking and I suddenly start undressing. How do we show your reaction if we are filming from your subjective? This is difficult because since we cannot see your face – we have to come up with something new. You cannot just look into the mirror to show us your reaction. When you cannot use the standard forms, everything starts changing.
It took you more than a year to negotiate the deal for the format. How hard is it for an independent Russian producer to sell a show internationally?
This is a long story. I need to clarify here that Moimi Glazami is not a format of Focus Plus Cinema, but a format of TNT. And the idea belongs to TNT, Dulerain and Petrenko; we are just the studio that produced the series. When it comes to negotiations, we just played the part of intermediary looking for potential buyers for the format. Thus, it wasn’t really a negotiation process but searching. We talked to BBC among others. At the end through Bazelevs we were able to find an American company which in turn led us to FOX, to Lawrence Bender Production. As a matter of fact, the deal was signed between TNT and FOX.
On a side note, we were expecting FOX to be foxy and nimble, but everything was very simple. They are interested in everything – the crisis for ideas there is not smaller than here in Russia. America is the world’s leader in many things, including television. That’s why they absorb everything more or less interesting. It’s easy. Everything is built on agents: they run the whole process and try to make it good for us too. Also there is a very strong copyright base; the terms are very clear.
We are just in the beginning and still getting used to this. Now we are talking to a different company and maybe in the near future we will launch a feature film in America, with American directors and actors. Focus Plus Cinema will be among the producers.
Are you going to work with the American produces? Which nuances do you think they can learn from the Russian TV industry?
It is still early to talk about working. It is possible that my colleagues and I will be hired as consultants. And since the deal has just been signed, the showrunner has not been chosen yet. And the showrunner has the right to choose the director. Maybe they will not even like my candidacy. I am not worried about that. Instead what is important for me is that a Russian series will be produced in America; the precedent is important. Usually we come to them for ideas, but now it’s vice versa.
When it comes to our TV industry… We used to have a so called Soviet school of film until it was destroyed and disappeared. Since the 90’s we all have been learning from the American school. What can they learn from us? There are talented people everywhere in the world, roughly evenly. But it is not about talent. The question is in the openness of the market. For now I think they do not see us as a format market. Israel and the Netherlands are markets for them. We just need to prove to the world that we can make good series.
When should we expect the premiere of the American adaptation? What is the budget?
The budget is around 2 million dollars per episode. The season will consist of eight hour-long episodes. They also want to change the script a lot. The main idea will stay the same, and of course, the subjective will stay as well. When should you expect the premiere? It is still not clear, the deadlines keep being pushed. According to the contract, they have to launch the project within two years. By the way, right after visiting FOX, I started receiving numerous letters from agents with proposals from different channels. It means that our project is already on the market and perceived adequately.
Will the format travel to other countries?
I am not interested in other countries for the sale of the format. We tried to sell to BBC. Where else? France, Germany? I am not good at this, but I think there is no business for us to go there – not very strong markets. We talked to one Spanish guy, a very smiling and tanned Spaniard. He promised us the entire Spanish-speaking world. But it didn’t go further than just words.
What new projects are you working on now?
We produce many projects for TNT, plus we work together with Comedy Club Production – those are production projects. Now there is a directing project as well, but all I can say is that it is a comedy.
Do you work with other channels?
For now we are not working with anyone except TNT. First of all, now TNT has an absolutely unique editorial line-up and great management team. Primarily it is Sasha Dulerain who is a multi-brain, he directs everybody very precisely, gives expert advice and without him many things wouldn’t be happening. Then we have large budgets, one of the best. Plus TNT gives us the opportunity to work long time on one project, to elaborately pick actors. They do not rush, letting us edit the script during the filming, and also reshoot. I do not know better conditions, and for now we are very happy. It is also far from certain that we could do well on another channel. I have worked on motion pictures for 15 years, and for the last 4 years I have been working with TNT. During that time I have and still keep on learning a lot.
Which Russian companies do you think are more inclined to such experiments as Moimi Glazami?
I have no experience in working with other channels, but I would say Channel One. They did Gay Germanika’s School (Shkola). We have a range of other revolutionary projects – TNT and its management encourages us to produce them. You can see that on this channel there is always something new, something interesting is happening. Take Interns (Interny) for example. I worked there as producer, director and cameraman. Slava Dusmukhametov (Comedy Club Production) did everything, and we were just realizing everything technically. TNT gave him the opportunity and he gave the opportunity to us. Before Interns there were only the Betacam series. And when we came, we were given the opportunity to implement all new technology. We did the first sketch-coms, Our Russia (adaptation of Little Britain) for example. Moimi Glazami is not the first innovative project of TNT.
What are your favorite TV shows?
I have many favorites, but the coolest one from the existing is Breaking Bad. It’s just shocking. Very powerful. It blew my mind with its dramaturgy, very distinct concept, and the work of all departments. The series of HBO usually stick out. From the Russian ones – Ottepel (Thaw) is very good. I like what we produce as a studio. Interns is a very cool series: so many episodes and the quality does not decline, which is very difficult. I like what Slepakov does. He is a modern Zoschenko. I don’t know how Zoschenko was perceived during his times, but here very deep things are touched, though with humor.
Who or what inspired you to become one of the best young Russian cameramen and directors?
Many people. It is not an inspiration, it is studies and work. I worked as the second cameraman in Cargo 200 (Gruz 200) and Dead Man’s Bluff (Zhmurki) with Alexey Balabanov. I learnt many interesting things. Balabanov is very wise. He was not the easiest person to deal with, but as a cinematographer – he was absolutely amazing. Dulerain gave me many things. Slava Dusmukhametov. Before Interns I never filmed series, just the movies. And Slava was the first person who I worked with on the series. He used to say that ‘we needed to marry movies and television’. I listened to what he said, he listened to me. This helped a lot. Before that I used to think that series was an easy work, and I don’t think so anymore. I think series is the thing of the future.
Ilya Kulikov wrote the script and the dramaturgy and the story itself suggested that it has to be filmed subjectively. It couldn’t be any different way – there is a soul flying around after all. Thus we decided to do it exactly this way.
How hard was it to shoot the series? According to TNT’s General Producer it took more than two years to produce it.
There were some technical difficulties for it is an innovative thing. It is easy to film short episodes in the movies. But when you film everything subjectively, you need a new technology, which we developed. The production took two years indeed. The casting for the pilot lasted 6 months; then we were thinking how to film. Then, thanks to TNT, Dulerain and Petrenko, we filmed the pilot. Valera Fyodorovich joined our team around that time. All in all, I would like to thank all the people who decided to take a risk and gave us the opportunity to film.
Which scenes were most difficult to shoot?
There are some acts where the actors talk a lot and you need to organize everything the right way. This can be difficult. But here we are all multi-professionals, having different professions at the same time; and what is difficult for us is even more difficult for others (laughing).
If you look at the innovative technology, everything is equally difficult. There are certain rules in filming that have existed for a very long time and those that are being taught. You also watch movies from which you learn the film language: you can shoot everything from a long shot. But here you need to film everything with a subjective camera. Imagine now that we are talking and I suddenly start undressing. How do we show your reaction if we are filming from your subjective? This is difficult because since we cannot see your face – we have to come up with something new. You cannot just look into the mirror to show us your reaction. When you cannot use the standard forms, everything starts changing.
It took you more than a year to negotiate the deal for the format. How hard is it for an independent Russian producer to sell a show internationally?
This is a long story. I need to clarify here that Moimi Glazami is not a format of Focus Plus Cinema, but a format of TNT. And the idea belongs to TNT, Dulerain and Petrenko; we are just the studio that produced the series. When it comes to negotiations, we just played the part of intermediary looking for potential buyers for the format. Thus, it wasn’t really a negotiation process but searching. We talked to BBC among others. At the end through Bazelevs we were able to find an American company which in turn led us to FOX, to Lawrence Bender Production. As a matter of fact, the deal was signed between TNT and FOX.
On a side note, we were expecting FOX to be foxy and nimble, but everything was very simple. They are interested in everything – the crisis for ideas there is not smaller than here in Russia. America is the world’s leader in many things, including television. That’s why they absorb everything more or less interesting. It’s easy. Everything is built on agents: they run the whole process and try to make it good for us too. Also there is a very strong copyright base; the terms are very clear.
We are just in the beginning and still getting used to this. Now we are talking to a different company and maybe in the near future we will launch a feature film in America, with American directors and actors. Focus Plus Cinema will be among the producers.
Thru My Own Eyes / TNT
Are you going to work with the American produces? Which nuances do you think they can learn from the Russian TV industry?
It is still early to talk about working. It is possible that my colleagues and I will be hired as consultants. And since the deal has just been signed, the showrunner has not been chosen yet. And the showrunner has the right to choose the director. Maybe they will not even like my candidacy. I am not worried about that. Instead what is important for me is that a Russian series will be produced in America; the precedent is important. Usually we come to them for ideas, but now it’s vice versa.
When it comes to our TV industry… We used to have a so called Soviet school of film until it was destroyed and disappeared. Since the 90’s we all have been learning from the American school. What can they learn from us? There are talented people everywhere in the world, roughly evenly. But it is not about talent. The question is in the openness of the market. For now I think they do not see us as a format market. Israel and the Netherlands are markets for them. We just need to prove to the world that we can make good series.
When should we expect the premiere of the American adaptation? What is the budget?
The budget is around 2 million dollars per episode. The season will consist of eight hour-long episodes. They also want to change the script a lot. The main idea will stay the same, and of course, the subjective will stay as well. When should you expect the premiere? It is still not clear, the deadlines keep being pushed. According to the contract, they have to launch the project within two years. By the way, right after visiting FOX, I started receiving numerous letters from agents with proposals from different channels. It means that our project is already on the market and perceived adequately.
Will the format travel to other countries?
I am not interested in other countries for the sale of the format. We tried to sell to BBC. Where else? France, Germany? I am not good at this, but I think there is no business for us to go there – not very strong markets. We talked to one Spanish guy, a very smiling and tanned Spaniard. He promised us the entire Spanish-speaking world. But it didn’t go further than just words.
What new projects are you working on now?
We produce many projects for TNT, plus we work together with Comedy Club Production – those are production projects. Now there is a directing project as well, but all I can say is that it is a comedy.
Do you work with other channels?
For now we are not working with anyone except TNT. First of all, now TNT has an absolutely unique editorial line-up and great management team. Primarily it is Sasha Dulerain who is a multi-brain, he directs everybody very precisely, gives expert advice and without him many things wouldn’t be happening. Then we have large budgets, one of the best. Plus TNT gives us the opportunity to work long time on one project, to elaborately pick actors. They do not rush, letting us edit the script during the filming, and also reshoot. I do not know better conditions, and for now we are very happy. It is also far from certain that we could do well on another channel. I have worked on motion pictures for 15 years, and for the last 4 years I have been working with TNT. During that time I have and still keep on learning a lot.
Which Russian companies do you think are more inclined to such experiments as Moimi Glazami?
I have no experience in working with other channels, but I would say Channel One. They did Gay Germanika’s School (Shkola). We have a range of other revolutionary projects – TNT and its management encourages us to produce them. You can see that on this channel there is always something new, something interesting is happening. Take Interns (Interny) for example. I worked there as producer, director and cameraman. Slava Dusmukhametov (Comedy Club Production) did everything, and we were just realizing everything technically. TNT gave him the opportunity and he gave the opportunity to us. Before Interns there were only the Betacam series. And when we came, we were given the opportunity to implement all new technology. We did the first sketch-coms, Our Russia (adaptation of Little Britain) for example. Moimi Glazami is not the first innovative project of TNT.
What are your favorite TV shows?
I have many favorites, but the coolest one from the existing is Breaking Bad. It’s just shocking. Very powerful. It blew my mind with its dramaturgy, very distinct concept, and the work of all departments. The series of HBO usually stick out. From the Russian ones – Ottepel (Thaw) is very good. I like what we produce as a studio. Interns is a very cool series: so many episodes and the quality does not decline, which is very difficult. I like what Slepakov does. He is a modern Zoschenko. I don’t know how Zoschenko was perceived during his times, but here very deep things are touched, though with humor.
Who or what inspired you to become one of the best young Russian cameramen and directors?
Many people. It is not an inspiration, it is studies and work. I worked as the second cameraman in Cargo 200 (Gruz 200) and Dead Man’s Bluff (Zhmurki) with Alexey Balabanov. I learnt many interesting things. Balabanov is very wise. He was not the easiest person to deal with, but as a cinematographer – he was absolutely amazing. Dulerain gave me many things. Slava Dusmukhametov. Before Interns I never filmed series, just the movies. And Slava was the first person who I worked with on the series. He used to say that ‘we needed to marry movies and television’. I listened to what he said, he listened to me. This helped a lot. Before that I used to think that series was an easy work, and I don’t think so anymore. I think series is the thing of the future.
