Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre – Post production diary update 22:

Posted on June 18, 2013 by vakhtangov

+Michael Craig and Copernicus Films +Russian Theatre Documentary Series #theatre #theater #russiantheatre #copernicusfilms

Feeling like I am coming close to the completion of the full edit of Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre. Almost everything added in and mixed (sound,V/o etc) The final part will be adding effects and colour correction and basically fine tuning the entire film.

The whole project from inception to researching, writing, shooting and post production has taken a lot longer than I expected, so there is an urge to get it finished quickly. This is one thing that I will have to avoid. I need to keep working on the edit at this stage step by step in order to do the material justice.

In some sense it is the most important part of the edit as it determines the shape and feel of the film. The main thing is tackling the weak parts of the film either by discarding them altogether or reshaping, shortening or lengthening in order to add rhythm and atmosphere. Rhythm in a film is perhaps the most important quality of film making itself.

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Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production update 21:

Posted on June 16, 2013 by vakhtangov

Preliminary sound mix complete and now ready to go for a full edit which will more or less be the final editing/post production stage. This may take some time but the film is starting to take shape in something which can be called a film.

I will make a rough cut of the film and iron out any problems and add footage or take away footage as and where necessary. Some of the material will not be able to be included in the film so I may, if appropriate, use this material in an additional short film for the web which will also attract people to the main film.

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Vakahtngov and the Russian Theatre Post production update 20

Posted on June 16, 2013 by vakhtangov

Vakahtngov and the Russian Theatre Post production update 20

Vakhtangov Apartment Museum

Just tidying up the final bits of the preliminary sound mix for Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre due for release in mid summer 2013. Sound mixing will take a lot more work but its good to get something edited and mixed together (Music, soundtrack and voice over) so that I can now start blending the images with the sound in a more concrete fashion

Posted in Museum of Vakhtangov Moscow, Russian Theatre, theatre, Vakhtangov, Vakhtangov Post production updates | Tagged russian, russian theatre | Leave a comment

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre – Post production update 19:

Posted on May 16, 2013 by vakhtangov

vakhtangov.copernicusfilms.com for the +Russian Theatre Documentary Series Post production progress after a brief absence in the UK for a while Voice over is now completed and integrated into an ongoing 2nd draft edit. Their maybe some tweaking and one or two changes as the edit progresses but that’s to be expected. James Langton has done an excellent job with the text and voice over and I’m very happy with the results as I was with the film Stanislavsky and the Russian Theatre – stanislavskyfilm.copernicusfilms.com on which he did the voice over as well.

I am a quarter to a third of the way into a second cut of the film which I hope will soon be in a sufficient state of readiness to work on the sound track/music. Progress is good but of course there is always something which may crop up which might delay things.However things are developing to the next stage and that is the main thing. I need to re-shoot one or two thing around Moscow but is not a problem as I am here all the time and they are not major objects or locations.

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Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production update 18:

Posted on May 9, 2013 by vakhtangov

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production update 18:
+Michael Craig and Copernicus Films

Completed recording of voice over for the arts documentary film *Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre”. vakhtangov.copernicusfilms.com Maybe some reworking of a few phrases but as far as I can see at the moment nothing major to alter here – perhaps some pronunciation to correct here and there as well. That’s normal where there are so many Russian words and names to pronounce plus unusual words like Dybukk which always causes problems for an actor trying to maintain a rhythm and sense of drama while reading the text.

For me as a film maker its always a psychological boost to get to this stage as it means a major component of the film is ready and we can start to integrate it with some of the other elements and get a better idea of the pace and rhythm of the whole film. All day I have been adding the material into the edit and making necessary adjustments – weeding out unnecessary footage, rearranging the order to create a better sequence of material in various places. Its a long process and requires a lot more attention to detail than in the previous stages. However it is one of the most rewarding aspects of the film. A great deal more to do of course but that’s to be expected.

Preparing for our UK trip where I hope to set up a few meetings with people involved in the film as well as publishing of a book in the future about the Russian Avant-garde. A meeting at the Stanislavski Centre +Theatre Futures at the +Rose Bruford College is on the cards to discuss future plans for the film and also the possibly the series +Russian Theatre Documentary Series Collapse this post

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Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production update 17

Posted on April 10, 2013 by vakhtangov

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production update 17.

Process of recording text now by the actor James Langton underway for Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre. vakhtangov.copernicusfilms.com Will have a first draft recording of the entire voice over probably by the weekend baring any mishaps. This will be a huge step forward for the film and once ready will bring the post production stage of the film much closer to completion.

I will be travelling to the UK shortly for discussions about releasing the film and where to hold the premiere. This will probably take the same form as the premiere for the film Stanislavsky and the Russian Theatre stanislavskyfilm.copernicusfilms.com but more about that in a later post.

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Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post prodcution Diary update 16:

Posted on March 13, 2013 by vakhtangov

+Michael Craig and Copernicus Films copernicusfilms.com russiantheatrefilmseries.copernicusfilms.com

Two volume work of Vakhtangov’s writings edited and with commentary by Vladislav Ivanov

Text for recording voice over for Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre vakhtangov.copernicusfilms.com completed and ready for recording. I will now be getting in touch with the actor James Langton to start preparations for getting the voice over done. Always a big moment when the voice over is ready for recording as it indicates a point of no return – where the project starts to move into a new phase. One more day of double checking and then we start the recording.

The attached photo is of the two volume work by the author Vladislav Ivanov with whom I consulted here in Moscow regarding some elements of the text. His input has been exceptionally important and is one of the reasons that there has been a delay in the project. In the light of his advice I have rewritten certain sections and revised others.

His input about the Habima Theatre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habima_Theatre was the most benificial as it helped me make sense of some of the trickier aspects of Vakhtangov’s work and thinking. The work with Habima is crucial to Vakhtangov’s development of his theory of Fantastic Realism. One of the important things to note about Vakhtangov was that unlike Meyerhold, Stanislavsky and other theatre directors of the early 20th century Russian theatre, Vakhtangov was able to present his ideas and theories about theatre to the public in a form which was understandable to them and accessible to a wide audience. This was probably due to the power of his intuition and ability to grasp the essence of a play or production with imeadiacy and clarity. Vakhtangov was also a hard worker and dedicated himself absolutly to his art and actors to the detriment in the end of his own health. When his theatre was plagued by conflicts of groups of rival actors, he left his teatment for a severe illness and returned to Moscow to bring together the rival factions and carry on with the work of his theatre.

Posted in acting, Russia, Russian Theatre, theatre, Vakhtangov, Vakhtangov Post production updates | Tagged Ivanov, russia, russian theatre, vakhtangov, Vakhtangov Post production, Vladislav Ivanov | Leave a comment

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production diary update 15:

Posted on March 5, 2013 by vakhtangov

Vakgtangov production of Princess Turandot

Reaching the end of the first draft edit of Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre vakhtangov.copernicusfilms.com for the +Russian Theatre Documentary Series which will include the voice over. I’ve overdubbed my voice reading the text onto the edited material to get some idea of rhythm, timing and generally how things will work together. Will take a short break from the work and then a final check and re edit of the text ready for recording with the actor James Langton who also did the voice over for the previous film in the series, Stanislavsky and the Russian Theatre stansilavskyfilm.copernicusfilms.com. I have had to cut a lot of text out of the script for one reason or another. However it will not disappear as I will use this surplus material for blog posts and suplimentary material for the film itself as additional reference and information.Collapse this post

Posted in Russia, Russian Theatre, Vakhtangov, Vakhtangov Post production updates | Tagged russia, russian theatre, theatre, vakhtangov, Vakhtangov Post production, Vakhtangov Theatre | Leave a comment

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre. Post production diary update 14:

Posted on February 23, 2013 by vakhtangov

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production diary update 14:

Gearing up for the voice over on Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre. – vakhtangov.copernicusfilms.com A first draft edit is completed which gives me a fair idea of how long each section will be with timing etc. I will record the text using my own voice at first just to get a rough version of how things will sequence together and how long it will take. Then once the text is finalised I will pass it on to the actor, James Langton (http://ow.ly/hTj8z )
who did the voice over for Stanislavsky and the Russian Theatre. stanislavskyfilm.copernicusfilms.com Its very important to maintain the continuity between the various films in the series +Russian Theatre Documentary Series Then we will go about recording it together. Very pleased to be able to get to this stage.preparing for the voice over I find is always a big milestone in the progress of any project. The point when all the different elements, visual and sound and story are beginning to be put together.

copernicusfilms.com +Russian Theatre Documentary Series +Michael Craig and Copernicus Films

Posted in Russia, Russian Theatre, theatre, Vakhtangov, Vakhtangov Post production updates | Tagged russia, russian theatre, vakhtangov, Vakhtangov Post production | Leave a comment

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production diary update 13:

Posted on February 4, 2013 by vakhtangov

Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre Post production diary update 13:

vakhtangov.copernicusfilms.com +Russian Theatre Documentary Series copernicusfilms.com russiantheatrefilmseries.copernicusfilms.com

Yesterday I was out in the the snow filming some pick ups for Vakhtangov and the Russian Theatre. I have several fragments of archive footage of snow bound Moscow and I have been waiting for the right weather conditions to shoot some footage around Teatralnaya square across the road from the Bolshoi Theatre and in front of the Meterpol Hotel.

While it was snowing it wasn’t in fact very cold so filming was without the discomfort of a bitter cold wind blowing in from the east or the north. I have been working on the Turandot section of the film. This needs a great deal of work and development still as well as some script adjustment.

In the meantime with the footage that I shot on Teatralnaya square I have started editing together a bridging section of the film which draws together a lot of different elements of the film. This section is difficult to give a name to but it functions as a focal point in the film for other sections, a bit like a hub or centre around which ideas and themes congregate. It explains a lot of what is going on in the film and what Vakhtangov’s main concerns, in particular in relation to the concept of “fantastic realism”. For instance where and when they began to develop into something new and distinctive – departing from Stanislavsky’s theories but at the same time incorporating many of Stanislavsky’s ideas . In this sense it is extremely complex and dense and therefore it requires some tricky handling.