THE SCREEN ADAPTATION IS DEDICATED TO THE CENTENARY OF THE GREAT OCTOBER REVOLUTION
Great premiere NOVEMBER 2017
Backstage
Film director Konstantin Khudyakov can explain any task to an actor and help him to settle into the role. It was said on the set that he works like a sorcerer — whispers and whispers to an actor and finds special words for anyone.
Assistant costume designers were always present on the film set: after every scene they had to check that shirts don’t get wrinkled and the collars stay buttoned. In the photo: actor Alexander Yatsenko and assistant costume designer Galina.
Film director Konstantin Khudyakov, actors Leonid Bichevin and Evgeniy Tkachuk rehearse the episode of Telegin’s enlistment in the Red Army.
The actors frequently had to endure being wet and cold while shooting. After the episode of jewelry store’s robbery, where the characters need to escape the chase, actor Andrey Merzlikin had to pour water out of his boots.
During the scene where Andrey Merzlikin and Svetlana Khodchenkova were to jump off the cliff in the water, the actors were backed up by stuntmen. So was filmed the jump itself. The filming took place at the Tambukan lake. The translation of the lake’s name is “the foul-smelling”. The water did really have an unpleasant smell due to the thick layer of sulfide silt on the lake’s bed
Actress Svetlana Khodchenkova watches the filmed scene at the Telegin’s flat over the camera’s screen: cameramen and actors check whether the scene with the futurists looks good
The episode with the children was filmed in the garden of the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.
The episode with the children was filmed in the garden of the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.
Film director Konstantin Khudyakov and actress Anna Chipovskaya discuss the episode of Dasha Bulavina’s homecoming. Through the window the heroine can see her sister for the first time after having been separated for a long time.
Film director Konstantin Khudyakov rehearses an episode with Alexander Yatsenko.
19 The golden rule of everyone engaged in the shooting of battles between the Red and the White forces was to never wear white clothes and always put on a gauze mask.
When battles were being shot at least five makeup artists worked on the set – after every scene they were the ones to cover actors with more scars, blood and bruises. But all the dirt and soot on the faces was real, caused by pyrotechnic visual effects.
Actor Leonid Bichevin, members of the sound crew, cameraman Maxim Shinkarenko. Filming the battle.
Battle between the Red and the White Armies. There used to be up to 500 people in shot, among them not less than 30-50 stuntmen, when such episodes were being filmed.
To create the effect of multilayered smoke while filming the battles between the Red Army and the Volunteer Army the pyrotechnicians had burned more than 1000 car tires. In the photo: pyrotechnician Alexey Ponikarovsky with a smoke flare.
Not only actors were inspired with the atmosphere of the early 20th century, but also the whole film crew. Film production assistant Lev Filenko had even ordered a replica of the uniform of the Civil War times via the online store of retro clothing.
NTV's general producer Timur Weinstein visited the set and got into the middle of the most difficult moment of shooting, when the battles between the Red Army and the Volunteer Army were filmed. Explosions, smoke – it was hard to breathe, everybody who could took shelter or wore gauze masks. Needless to say with the exception of the actors in shot. In the photo actor Pavel Trubiner and Timur Weinstein.
NTV's general producer Timur Weinstein during filming the battles in vicinity of Pyatigorsk.
One of the longest episodes filmed in Saint Petersburg – session of the Red Government in Smolny. In the photo: film director Konstantin Khudyakov and background actors.
While filming battle scenes the pyrotechnic crew used nitrate, cement and other substances.
Only stuntmen are allowed to stay in the proximity of explosions, other members of the filming crew must keep safe distance.
To maintain the authenticity of the historical battle the crew had to fully recreate the conditions of the Civil War – to dig trenches, make bags and buy 300 meters of fences to secure them in place. In the photo: actor Vladimir Yumatov and the makeup artist.
Left – 2017, right – 1917. Left – film producer Yuri Sapronov and NTV's general producer Timur Weinstein, right – actor Pavel Trubiner in the role of the Civil War soldier.
NTV's general producer Timur Weinstein and film producer Yuri Sapronov have produced together around 200 movies and series, but have never yet been in the middle of such a large-scale battle.
Evgeny Tkachuk finished his shootings in the series and says goodbye to film director Konstantin Khudyakov.
Dmitry Tarasenko let his crew see, how to give a blow. Tarasenko used to be a teacher in botanics, but now he is one of the most well-known stunt coordinators, Taurus World Stunt Awards 2017 nominee, given for the best tricks in the movies.
A big stunt crew was working on the set – more than 30 people headed by stunt coordinator Dmitry Tarasenko (in the photo – with a smoke flare).
To make the fight scenes as safe for everybody as possible the stuntmen always take the blow. Here actor Evgeny Tkachuk can be seen fighting with the stuntman.
Though the explosion looks quite convincing, the debris is soft – turf, husk and other fakes.
Actor Anton Shagin is lying in the medical train, cameraman Maxim Shinkarenko is filming the scene, and film director Konstantin Khudyakov can see right away on the camera screen, whether the scene looks convincing.
Actress Yuliya Snigir, Konstantin Khudyakov and actor Sergey Koltakov rehearse the scene at the Bulavin’s house, actually – in the Lermontov’s house in Pyatigorsk, where the poet spent his last days
Filming of the bombardment of the medical train, supervised by the main pyrotechnician Vladimir Ponikarovsky (with his back turned in the photo).
This trick was carefully prepared for a long time despite being only a couple of seconds long. The stuntman gets to be dressed in special clothes, his face covered with soaked with special solution mask, he is set on fire and then the fire is extinguished.
Around 30 corpse dummies were used during the filming – they were placed over the battlefield. In the photo the stuntman holds the «torn away head».
A quadcopter was used to film many scenes, for example to show the scale of the battle. Green lights on top of the photo are the copter.
Around five pirotechnician were working while filming the battle to make sure that everything is burning, exploding and emitting fumes. Different kinds of smoke were used – both black and white. In the photo: pyrotechnician Alexey Ponikarovsky with a smoke flare.
Makeup artists Galya and Dasha brush up the makeup of actor Pavel Trubiner. After every take makeup of all actors shall be checked even if it was the scene with 500 people on the battlefield.
Battle scenes were filmed at the foot of the Dzhutsa mountain in Stavropol Krai on the field exceeding 10 hectare in size.
Art director Sergey Khudyakov had to find locations in Russia, where the events of 1917 would look most convincing. Saint Petersburg, Pyatigorsk and Petrozavodsk were chosen. The “capital of revolution” of past turned out to be the most difficult location to work in – air-conditioner units, billboards and other novelties of our time were always getting in way. The last shooting took place in Pavlovsk.
Film director Konstantin Khudyakov discusses the scenes not only with the main heroes, but also with actors playing secondary roles.
Film director Konstantin Khudyakov rehearses an episode with the actor.
Actor Pavel Trubiner, cameraman and a stunt horse while filming the episode of the wedding in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Since there were always shots, noise and difficult tricks being performed on the set, only specially trained horses that don’t get frightened by shots could be filmed.
In the book, Dasha Bulavina was robbed by the “bouncers”. These criminals were active in Saint Petersburg in 1918-1920 and used to attack mainly women and older men frightened by “ghosts”. They got their name because they moved with jumps using springs or stilts. Here stuntmen filmed as “bouncers”.
The robbery of Dasha Bulavina was filmed outside The Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health – the fence, walls of the houses and the street proved to be very cinematic. It was snowing on the day of shooting, but the real snow was added with the artificial.
Nearly all the shooting took place during the cold season (winter and early spring), thus the film crew had to spend the whole days out in the cold or in the rain. This episode was filmed in the cold for half the night.