08.
05.
2018.
Department
Direction
Direction
We can’t wait to see MONUMENT . What’s it all about?
- What is MONUMENT to you?
Jagoda Szelc: MONUMENT has been salvation to me. Many people kept telling me I should be careful not to loose everything and calculate the development of my professional career well. So I decided to test myself and develop. People like giving advice to others even if they don’t know them at all. I don’t intend to make films all my life. But I’ll always be doing it from scratch. That’s what I once decided and I stick to it. Making the film I took two risks I had always tried to avoid before. So the film was worth making just to be able to do it. Besides, I met great artists. Another plus - the film saved my soul because I had to be firmly standing on the ground, often in rubber boots in mud.
- In what way the form of the acting students’ diploma film influence your work on the project?
Jagoda Szelc: Firstly, the film is a diploma of those twenty young people so I wanted them all to play in it. Secondly, making a film with the budget of 100 thousand in six months is like sewing a wedding dress in half an hour for 50 PLN. The director should be able to write such a screenplay that the film based on it could be produced within a given budget. If he is not able to do that he’s stupid and he is shooting himself in the foot. I think I was privileged to work with a great team and learn again how to create a team and be a better leader. Mariusz Grzegorzek allowed me lots of freedom. You know what I mean? Few people get it. Thirdly, and most importantly, these fantastic artists are about to graduate. They’re almost not students any more. Frankly speaking they went through hard times in the school and I wanted to close this stage in their lives for them because it’s a good thing to do. I guess, I closed it for them at two levels - personal and the film level. I finish school myself on 23 May. The word “end” is a marvelous one.
- How does it feel to work with debut actors? Is it a pleasure or a challenge?
Jagoda Szec: They are artists and they shouldn’t be treated differently. I hope they’ll have fond memories of the time we spent working together and they will want to work with me one day again. And finally, I would like to appeal to others not to ever treat young people without respect only because they’re young. While working on the film I kept praising them for their suggestions to retrieve their long lost self confidence. Mariusz Grzegorzek says that I’m like mother hen when it comes to dealing with actors. And I think he’s right.
photos from the shoot - Filip Szkopiński
Jagoda Szelc: MONUMENT has been salvation to me. Many people kept telling me I should be careful not to loose everything and calculate the development of my professional career well. So I decided to test myself and develop. People like giving advice to others even if they don’t know them at all. I don’t intend to make films all my life. But I’ll always be doing it from scratch. That’s what I once decided and I stick to it. Making the film I took two risks I had always tried to avoid before. So the film was worth making just to be able to do it. Besides, I met great artists. Another plus - the film saved my soul because I had to be firmly standing on the ground, often in rubber boots in mud.
- In what way the form of the acting students’ diploma film influence your work on the project?
Jagoda Szelc: Firstly, the film is a diploma of those twenty young people so I wanted them all to play in it. Secondly, making a film with the budget of 100 thousand in six months is like sewing a wedding dress in half an hour for 50 PLN. The director should be able to write such a screenplay that the film based on it could be produced within a given budget. If he is not able to do that he’s stupid and he is shooting himself in the foot. I think I was privileged to work with a great team and learn again how to create a team and be a better leader. Mariusz Grzegorzek allowed me lots of freedom. You know what I mean? Few people get it. Thirdly, and most importantly, these fantastic artists are about to graduate. They’re almost not students any more. Frankly speaking they went through hard times in the school and I wanted to close this stage in their lives for them because it’s a good thing to do. I guess, I closed it for them at two levels - personal and the film level. I finish school myself on 23 May. The word “end” is a marvelous one.
- How does it feel to work with debut actors? Is it a pleasure or a challenge?
Jagoda Szec: They are artists and they shouldn’t be treated differently. I hope they’ll have fond memories of the time we spent working together and they will want to work with me one day again. And finally, I would like to appeal to others not to ever treat young people without respect only because they’re young. While working on the film I kept praising them for their suggestions to retrieve their long lost self confidence. Mariusz Grzegorzek says that I’m like mother hen when it comes to dealing with actors. And I think he’s right.
photos from the shoot - Filip Szkopiński