Love, family intrigue, naval maneuvers plus the detective line. In the TV series “St. Andrew’s flag” miraculously United different genres of movies, and in the shot of the actors at least three different generations. “MK” with the film’s Director Vitaly Vorobiev studied the backstage side of the project.
For two decades, his film career Vitaly Vorobyov became a true expert in the military genre. He made “the Confrontation”, “I’ll remember”, “the bomber” and other highly successful military history series. Despite the fact that the Director himself was born in the family of an officer, and from childhood familiar with military paraphernalia, initially he dreamed of a movie in the genre of science fiction. As a student and does shooting rock videos: the videos for “Curly” of the group “VA-Bank”, “I live in Moscow,” joint track “VA Bank” and IFK, hits Garik Sukachev “give me water” and “fast train” — his handiwork. However, it is the second film project as a Director was based on a scenario about the great Patriotic war, and since Vitali returned to the battle theme quite often.
the TV Series “St. Andrew’s flag” became for the Director a challenge. The main characters in the movie — men in uniform, however, the specifics of the project was to Vitaly access to a new field.
“I shot the combat history of shooting, explosions and all this was from the retro about the war. Even the TV series “Desantura” is also somewhat historical, because the action is happening in 1991 — said Vitaly Vorobiev in an interview with “MK”. — About our days, I never took off and at first felt this project is not very confident. Besides, there’s still not much adventure, how much military romance, where all sorts of love troubles. I find it easier about the shooting and military operations, where the sweat, blood, fear, heroism.”
as a generous compensation for the postponement of action in the unusual scenery and melodramatic line of the plot, the Director has provided a truly unique location for filming. A large part of the series is filmed in Kaliningrad on the basis of the Navy, so in the frame all present: ships, submarines, and even combat crews, which had allowed a film crew.
“This, of course, majestic, massive. Although there were difficulties, — says the Director. — Still, we worked at a military facility, so each of us had people from the special Department, who saw that the shot did not hit what can not be removed. We have passed inspections, training. We had a quadrocopter for shooting panoramas with height, but it was banned to use, because it could remove something secret. In addition, we allocated certain days and had to catch”.
If the scenes maneuvers of submarines and launch torpedoes have been used in computer graphics, the inter��ery submarines filmed in the wild. On the one hand, this is a big plus, because the scene was present, but to place in a submarine actors, lights, cameras, and other crew members — a task that is under force unless to magicians. However, the choice of the Director was not.
“Reliable model submarine is very expensive, — said Vitaly Vorobyov. — When I first started the movie, then saw Vladimir Khotinenko filmed in the first pavilion “Mosfilm” his film “72 meters”. They had a real submarine, which is sawed lengthwise, put half the ship in the pavilion and it was a decoration. Accordingly, there remains room for movement of cameras and stuff. But we have such a budget was not, so had to make room, fortunately, modern cameras don’t require much additional lighting equipment”.
Shooting a melodramatic line of the show passed in much more comfortable surroundings and joined on the platform by actors of different generations. A Navy Admiral retired and his wife was played by the legends of Soviet and Russian movie Anatoly Vasiliev and Elena Proklova. The role of the son of the hero Vasilyev, commander of the submarine, Sergei Chernobelskogo, went to Mr Miller. The image of the wife of the submariner is embodied on the screen by Olga Balashova. Finally, their son played the young actor Simon Shemes. They played one family, however, the approach to the work they have turned out to be completely different.
“With the older generation work harder. Such actors need to talk, to draw in your vision that is not always possible, because they have a different school, their ideas about work that are difficult to change. If invited to the film is De Niro, he’s De Niro, and will remain, will work in track and it is hardly possible to expect a complete reincarnation in the role. And this must be considered, — says the Director of the series. The easiest way with the artists of the middle age, because they are already accustomed to work in modern cinema and we take off speak the same language. Young people have a certain energy and, even if lacking professional skill it is possible to compensate enthusiasm. It’s very cool. And I already have experience with young actors. At the time, in my films starred a young Kirill Pletnev, young Liza Arzamasova and Tanya Arntgolts.”
Shooting in picturesque places, which, of course, is the area around Kaliningrad is not always great pleasure. After all, the sea provides recreation, not to work to a hard schedule. However, the crew of “St. Andrew’s flag” weather has helped.
“Relax did not work, — recalls with a smile Vitaly Vorobyov. For example, in one episode, our hero finds himself in the African page��not and is on the shore of the ocean. It too was filmed in Kaliningrad on a sand spit. In the frame everything is fine: the sun, the wind. But really, the breeze was penetrating everywhere flying sand which got into the eyes and ears. So the feeling of a resort at anybody did not arise. Wanted somewhere to hide.”
Not done on the set without kilocuries. Large projects can be quite difficult to bring together the schedules of all the actors and sometimes had to act in a “deceptive” way.
“In one of the climactic scenes of the fight on a fishing boat could not take part actor Alex Cucumbers. Schedules just didn’t match, — says the Director. But I had to work and had to find an understudy, which was filmed from the back. And closeups of Alex were finishing two weeks later in a totally different place. And in the episode on the ship hero Ogurtsov interacts with the girl. And the actress who played her on the set was. In the end, she played with a backup, and then Alexey has already starred with the understudy of the actress. But mounted, and even now I don’t see that where removed. Here’s the Director’s balancing act”.
