Antonio Lukic: I advise you to get more experience shooting moments of everyday life and family
Today, participants of the XII DYTIATKO International Children’s Media Festival communicated with a young Ukrainian Director Antonio Lukic in online format. “My thoughts are quiet” is Antonio’s first full-length film. The lyrical comedy received recognition among the cinematographic community: the award of the national contest “Kinokolo” and the victory in several categories of Odessa international film festival, including the award for the best film. The film was released in 2020.
The Film Director answered the questions of students and managers of children’s film and TV schools and clubs – finalists of the festival, in particular, they were interested in how inspiration arises, what to pay attention to when choosing a title for a film, how the process of selecting actors goes, what is more in directing – planning or improvisation, what qualities are inherent to a professional director.
“Many people romanticize the process of shooting movies. If you take it seriously, when it becomes your life’s work, you will have to give up a lot. A good director is completely immersed in the process, then you get a good result that is interesting to the audience. You need to carefully choose the name of the film. This is a responsible step, because it should strengthen the semantic line of the movie. “My thoughts are quiet” is the statement of the hero of the picture in a scene that was not included in the final version of the movie, but somehow it seemed that these words reflect the essence of the film – a line of words that were not articulated,” the Film Director says.
According to Antonio, in his directorial work, not planning or improvisation play a key role, but adaptation, because the Director has to be flexible, that is, adapt the scene to the location or rewrite the text for the actor. If an actor can’t play a scene the way the Director expects, then it is necessary to think over about what needs to be changed directly in the scene.
“The actor is a kind of repeater of the Director’s ideas, a conductor of content,” Antonio shares his thoughts.
Directing is the art of manipulation and the ability to organize talented people around the idea of a particular movie. On the set, I manage much more talented people than I am, actors first of all. I think this is my talent as a Director.”
“I get creative when I watch movies by other directors, and I always think that I could shoot this scene from a different angle, change the text, and so on. I love different genres. However, I prefer films that encourage reflection. Such works are better to watch in the morning, but in the evening I prefer entertainment movies. I think it’s good when important meanings are also revealed in the entertainment genre. For example, we are currently shooting a youth series in which young talented actors play, who personally give me a lot of energy. Modern youth is interested in inner world, not the outer world,” the Director said.
In addition to questions about professional aspects of directing, Antonio answered personal questions and shared memories from his childhood. He said that his favorite subject at school was geography, and that thanks to a good memory, he knows the names of capitals of all countries of the world. He advised young filmmakers, even in adulthood, to retain the ability to ask children’s questions and remain sincere.
“I advise you to get more experience shooting moments of everyday life and family. The main thing for a good director at any age is to keep the ability to ask children’s questions. Don’t lose interest in life. In Ukraine, there are conditions for making good and professional movies. I wish you success and inspiration,” Antonio Lukic said.
