The film studio at BOK-MCC has been operating since 2010; its establishment coincided with the completion of renovations at the cultural centre. “We received excellent equipment for the studio,” says Michał Szwed, the studio instructor. “This includes a camera with Zeiss optics, a complete graphics, editing and 3D animation workstation. The studio was fully equipped for sound production. We also have quite a good control room at our new premises in CIK Orzeł,” Michał adds.
Another valuable acquisition for the studio is a Steadicam (a camera stabilisation system). The system consists of a vest worn by the operator, an arm and a sled, with a camera at one end and a counterweight—usually a monitor and battery—at the other.
The first short film
The workshop participants began by making the cultural programmes “Stacja kultura” and programmes about the Forum cinema schedule. “The young people who came to the workshop for the first time had to learn how to operate specialised equipment,” Michał Szwed recalls. “At first, we had to explain to them what a camera and a mixer were and how to record sound on set. We organised our first serious workshop with Przemek Filipowicz (film director).
“Those were three very exhausting days, during which the short film ‘Kasa’ was made,” says workshop participant Szymon Wasylów. “The film—from the screenplay through recording to editing—was made in record time for us.”
The film “Kasa”, made during the workshop, tells the story of a cinema cashier who gets into serious trouble because of a gambling addiction. The cast of “Kasa” included: Szymon Wasylów (Marek), Bartosz Amroziewicz, Michał Żak, Kamil Sałek (director), Monika Bachciak (cashier 1), Monika Szoka, Oliwia Żabińska, Aleksander Ulatowski, Joanna Trawniczak, Przemek Filipowicz and Bartosz Jusypenko.
The first award-winning production
The studio’s next production was the film “III Zasada”. It was the studio’s first serious independent project, and filming lasted several months. “This production took some time; it was supposed to be a ten-minute feature, but it turned out to be seventeen minutes,” Michał Szwed says about the film.
The actors, especially the leading trio (Eryk Ochendzan, Kuba Brzezicki and Paulina Sudół), faced a difficult task, as the plot was based on a simple story about oppression, sensitivity and mental weakness. The film was well received—not only by viewers, but also by the jury. In 2012, “III Zasada” won second place at the nationwide Wylęgarnia Festival and was recognised as the best feature film at the -18 Youth Film Festival (Youth Film Festival -18).
“We are very happy about the award, but I feel the greatest affection for the early short films,” says Szymon Wasylów. “They were more fun to make. The larger productions involved stress and more tedious work.”
As the studio’s leader, Michał Szwed knows the difficulties involved in making films with young people, as well as the advantages of such work. “Young people have unlimited imaginations,” the instructor says. “It is as if nothing were impossible. But it is harder to bring them together for longer periods. They have lessons, tutoring, exams and, finally, family holidays. The common feature of our three major films—‘III Zasady’, ‘Negatywu’ and ‘II Życia’—was that the crew changed during filming. Either the lead actors or the supporting actors changed. And when we wanted to shoot additional scenes, there was no longer anyone available. We had to adapt ‘II Życie’ to the logistics, not the screenplay. This requires great flexibility from us. That is the nature of workshops for young people,” he adds.
The mayor’s award for promotion and another film
At the end of 2012, the film studio presented its next film, “Negatyw”, the story of a teenager named Adrian who lost his mother. After her death, he was raised by his father, who could not cope. The roles of parent and child were reversed. In the film, the authors asked whether the protagonist would be able to bear the burden of the family tragedy and help his father. Work on the film lasted several months. It was shot in Bolesławiec and Lwówek Śląski.
The city mayor recognised the work of the young filmmakers and awarded them a prize for promoting the city in 2012. The entire year 2013 was devoted to recording the studio’s final film, “II Życia”. The work was conducted under the supervision of instructor Michał Szwed. First, the screenplay was written, followed by several casting sessions, and finally filming began.
At the screening of the film at Forum in winter 2014, the young people from the Film Education Studio gave special thanks to those who had contributed to the film’s production. Commemorative statuettes were presented, among others, to Małgorzata and Bogusław Kalita, Małgorzata and Mirosław Korniewicz, Renata and Wojciech Szajna, and Bogumiła and Kazimierz Szwed.
Those who helped produce the film included: the Bolesławiec City Office, the County Police Headquarters in Bolesławiec, the State Fire Service in Bolesławiec, Resecu Medical, Helicopter – Service, KKS Turów Zgorzelec – Gabriela Grzyb, the County Hospital in Bolesławiec, and GA Partner – Arek Gadziński.
Today, 15 people are learning at the studio and working on new productions. Krzysztof is a taciturn chief sound engineer, highly resilient and patient. Marek, a new addition, will support him in this work. The studio has three camera operators: Bogdan, Michał and Maciek. Filip operates the HEXACOPTER – DRONE, while Szymon is an excellent director. Angelika and Lidka are production managers—the women in charge who organise logistics and keep everything in order. They sometimes also play minor roles, but they definitely prefer to remain on the other side of the camera rather than act.
Everyone contributes to each production according to their needs and abilities, and they have ideas for more films.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)