“This is me”: How to make a web-series in Russia on your own
Web series - the original genre of the Internet era and the best example of what to do "adult" production today is possible without the tedious search for investment, endless contracts and producer control. Enthusiasts around the world try their hand at filmmaking, and the results of the efforts of some of them have already gone beyond the limits of YouTube. With the short series of sketches began now known "Insecure", "Broad City" and "Kaif delivery." For Russia, this simple budget format is still new: young filmmakers often prefer to dream of a full meter or in a hurry to shoot short films for festivals.
The web series "It's me", shot without the help of large production and film studios, appeared last year, and the second season premiered on April 4th. The story about the artist Katya Somov, who is looking for herself, is not typical for young Russian cinema: in short series, the authors have time not only to touch on "neutral" themes like love and friendship, but also to talk about the violence and difficulties of growing up. Screenwriter Elizabeth Simbirskaya told us what it is like to make a movie with your own hands.
"Kaif delivery" in Russian
I did not compose any texts for a long time after the end of VGIK - then some kind of movement started, I started writing and, in parallel with that, I watched the series “Delivery High,” I really liked it. Then I read that so many people watched them, that at first Vimeo hosting gave them money, and then they were bought by the HBO channel - already in the format of thirty minutes. I was very impressed: this is the process, the sequence of events in which I wanted to work. I didn’t want to come with my ideas to endless pitching to producers, give them away, not get feedback and always feel like no one needs. But I really wanted to do something myself and see how interesting it is for the people for whom I do it. So the idea to make a web-series came to mind: it is short and cheap, you can do it yourself, even if your budget is fifty thousand rubles.
We found other actors, endlessly going through Facebook. Someone refused, someone wanted, but could not, someone did not answer at all. As a result, we found Vasya Pospelov and Nikita Schetinin. During the filming of the second season, we worked the same way. Practically all, except for a few people, continue to work in the same way free of charge, on pure enthusiasm. Such an amazing story, in which people are willing to spend their time and energy on activities, the result of which is unknown from the very beginning.
Real life vs virtual
In the first season there are moments when the heroine Katya represents how she could lead herself in a situation in which she screwed up in real life. This was the impetus for inventing the show, this is a story about me - I usually do that. I often come up with some unrealistic situations in which I could find myself, and it would be cool and great. I thought that probably I’m not alone, many people do the same: they think what they would do, but they don’t. I spend so much time and mental strength on these inventions of my virtual life - why not transfer it all to the script? We did it in the first season, and in the second we refused. Firstly, because I didn’t like how it turned out, and secondly, Andrei and I have an experimental approach to this series, so we are not afraid to change anything from season to season. There is no dogmatic approach to the form of the narrative, so it is easy for us to abandon ideas and invent new ones. But I proceeded from the desire to tell that you can invent your own virtual life, or you can begin to accept yourself in real life.
I partially blamed the heroine from my girlfriend, who this season worked for us as art director, Natasha Frolova. I came to visit her and said that I want to make a series about a girl who fantasizes a lot, who has a lot of things in life that turn out to be funny and embarrassing. She said, "Oh, listen, this is about me!" And I thought, okay, why not, I have known her for more than twenty years, and based on her image. The result was a multifaceted character - I wanted the heroine to be not a character whom we will play now, but simply a man, just like us all. Initially, the details and turns were inspired by friends, the people I saw, and then added some situations that I read about, watched on the street, or just made up.
Flour production
The first and biggest plus of independent work is that we do everything much faster and cheaper than any film company can do. There are very few of us, and we share many areas of responsibility among ourselves, but at the same time we are very interested in doing everything quickly, because we don’t have time - we still go to work and go about our business. We are looking for the most incredible ways to achieve the desired.
There are obvious disadvantages. One of the most important is that due to the fact that you are few, the responsibility lies with one or two people. Due to the fact that everything is done for free, there are situations when people merge and you cannot say anything to them about this - you do not pay. Well, it didn't work out. It’s impossible to influence people to do something faster or better, you can only ask. By the third season, I would like for me not to be practically the only person who is responsible for searching for clothes, props, locations, cars and agreements, actors and schedules - a lot of organizational work hangs on me. We really need a second director, so if someone from the readers wants to try himself in this role, we will be very happy. This is a very difficult job: due to the fact that we do not have a second director, there are shoals that are difficult to fix on the installation.
Non-standard actors
Two main actresses were brought by Andrei, he is friends with them, he saw them in performances. When he read the first script, he immediately said that he knew who would play Katya - this is Alice. And since Lisa and Alisa are friends, it will be easier for them to play friends in the series, and they learn together - it is easier for us to organize the process. I saw Alisa on the fitting two days before the shooting, and I saw Lisa already on the set at home. It seems to me that in our series everything is very good with casting, the actors fit into their roles.
A lot of people are very similar. I do not want to offend anyone, it's just a certain type of person who is recruited in the workshops from year to year. Very beautiful girls, often with long hair, they are all so thin, tall, with perfect proportions. This is great, but sometimes you really want to see other faces. We had Lisa with Alisa, and in the second season - Natasha Sapozhnikova, also an actress from GITIS. They are just great because they are unique and they don’t look like anyone.
"Twilight" and the result
For the first season, feedback was very powerful: I look at the number of views and comments and wonder how all these people could find us. Despite the fact that we spent perhaps 500 rubles on advertising on Facebook. People write mostly positive reviews: "You made my day!", "Continue, please, further," "This is what we lack in the movie," "The first time I watch a Russian TV series, and that's good." They write things that every author probably wants to hear and read. Of course, there were people who said that it was some kind of sugary shit, problems with vinises with their petty experiences. In general, of course, these are not large-scale problems, not a story about humanity, these are local, small disorders.
Perhaps we did not reach out to famous adults, either they don’t like it, or it’s just such a peculiarity of attitude towards what’s not done by millions of big companies. However, I am not ready to go with my ideas to the producer, who will dictate his will to me. I expressed such a position in an interview before the premiere of the first season - and after that we had investors. The investor of the Digital Reporter site read it, through his journalists he conveyed that he shares this position and he likes that someone wants to do something himself, look at the reaction, be responsible, and receive some small investment for it. We were given money for the second season.
Plans for the third season are already there. Obviously, we will shoot it when it is absolutely warm. The experience of winter shooting showed that shooting low-budget films at this time is hell and death. Recently, for the first time in my life, I watched the film “Twilight” and discovered something new: I understood what kind of franchise it was, I knew that there were such films, but I didn’t think they could be good. The first film, no matter what anyone says, is very good in terms of direction. I would like to try my hand and make a tense love line, without slipping into vulgarity. Again, the series "This is me" is a pure experiment, Andrei and I can play with the form, the presentation of the plots, and how it will be filmed. Why not try making a melodrama? So far this is the groundwork, but we recently met with an investor who asked about the third season - apparently, we will be shooting.
Photo: Web series "It's me", Andrei Fenochka
