Russia (bbabo.net), - The Oscar shortlist includes the Russian film "Box Ballet" by Anton Dyakov. It was selected in the Animated Short Film category.

1990s A story about two lonely people. A ballerina and a boxer, "Beauty and the Beast" met in the subway. Olya and Zhenya, two opposites. At first glance, they are from different worlds, they have little in common: he is a huge, goofy, athlete, brutal, she is a light, airy, reed ...

At a press conference held online, journalists asked the director about working on the film in St. Petersburg, whether he copied his characters from real people, whether this story will continue and what he is working on now. Will she go to the Oscars and go to tea with John Musker.

Why without words

Anton Dyakov: There was a strange story with this script. He didn't get the move right away. I offered it to various studios, but for various reasons it did not pass. I just had a period in my life, like many directors, when you have finished work, you have a new idea, you think about who to propose it to in order to get funding. Your application doesn't go through, and you think: wow, what am I going to do in the coming year or two? Maybe go to work on the series (there were offers)? And then ... I remember I was in Tyumen, there is a children's animation camp where I conducted classes, and I read on the phone that the STV film company and the Melnitsa studio (producers Sergey Selyanov, Alexander Boyarsky) are holding a script competition - as part of the Big Festival cartoons, and the winner will receive funding for the production. I immediately sent "BoxBallet", with full confidence - that's it, I'm in business. Where does such self-confidence come from? I was later told that more than 100 scripts had been sent.

A couple of weeks later they called me and said that my script had won, they were taking it to work. Lubricate your skis, fly to St. Petersburg. I took the news calmly - as if it were meant to be. And then I got sick, ended up in the hospital, and there I seriously reworked the script and I think that it did him good.

Did the script change during the process as well?

Anton Dyakov: My experience shows that you should not stick to the letter of the script, during the production period I open up to what flies at me: I saw some person on the street or a photo on the Internet ... Therefore, when you remember your fantasies while writing the script and watching the finished film, you understand - yes, this is something else. When I first started in animation, it scared me a little, it seemed that I was losing the idea, the idea was different, but in the end it was transformed. And then I realized: yes, this is happiness, the small joys of the author, when his work lives a different life, the main thing is not to interfere.

The heroes of your picture are silent: we hear only two words. Do you think that you can do without words?

Anton Dyakov: My opinion: the less reliance on words, verbal in history, the higher the quality of directing and the level of artistry. Recall the films of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton - how alive they are, with what subtle nuances of history there, while the text is minimized. And Hitchcock at the beginning of his career, being a silent film editor, pasting in titles, said that the level of skill is determined by the number of words that you insert - these are explanatory props.

It was possible to do without these two words in the film, it was a refinement, a kind of sports passion. When I work on a film, different images, pictures, plots, pieces of interiors find me. My personal observations. It turned out that the dialogues of the characters are not the main thing. My script was chatty, and in the process of work, I decide what can be discarded. I think relying on the word is a highly overrated thing, it is much more important to look at deeds and actions. Sometimes a stranger comes into the room, sits down - and you already know a lot about him. And when he starts talking, it is often a game of hide and seek, he gives out wishful thinking - we are all people, we play games ...

For me, as a cartoonist, external actions are important. I analyze them. Even in life: I go, say, to the subway - and I watch how people behave, I watch their faces, gestures. It is interesting to dream up: where a person came from, what kind of movie he watches on weekends... I'm sure I'm wrong, but this is part of my profession.

How were the visual images of the characters born? Do they have prototypes?Anton Dyakov: There are no prototypes. I have been asked many times questions about who resembles whom, whether there are specific names, heroes. I have this position: I rely on my memory, on those faces that I collect piece, detail, sometimes I grind them for a long time, returning to them again. These are collective images. Believe me, I have enough skill to draw a person who is recognized, but I am only giving a hint. It is important for me that a person looks and says: "This hero reminds me of someone!" Fine! This is another step towards the viewer. The artificially made world appeals to the reality that surrounds us.

Author's animation

Anton Dyakov: A computer is a tool, and the one who works on it is not exempt from elementary things. The hand must be placed. The artist draws by hand, with a simple pencil. Electronic stylus - the same pencil instead of a wooden pencil with graphite. Technological innovations simplify the procedure, but believe me that, like 20 years ago, a full-length cartoon was made for 2-3 years, or even more, and now, a modern super-duper, in 3D, with all sorts of frills, about the same time production fit. Many people have this illusion: there are computers and now you can quickly, in between times, work on your knee. Yes, you can, and there are such examples. But in general - no, technology does not free from anything - from knowledge and skills, training, experience, talent.

Author's animation uses complex techniques. And our film has a lot of manual frame-by-frame work. A lot of artistic layers, tinting, which cannot be done on a computer - only the artist sits and retouches each frame. This is hard work, takes a lot of time, can last for years. I was helped by specialists at the studio, we managed. As a result, the film looks like I did not even expect.

Who is your audience today? What is the age range for "Box-Ballet"?

Anton Dyakov: I have no limits in my head - age limits, target audience, and I advise the rest not to do this. So I would not want someone to slap me on the fingers when I want to see something: no, you can’t ...

I receive a lot of letters, calls and, to be honest, I am surprised by the reaction to my film over the hill. Surely, people there do not read many things that are clear to us in Russia. It seems to me that it was made for "internal consumption", I diligently stuffed it with nuances.

Do you have any idols in your profession? Whose work do you admire?

Anton Dyakov: Since childhood, he loved the films of David Yanovich Cherkassky. This is what I am made of. And who did not like "Treasure Island", "Doctor Aibolit", "The Adventures of Captain Vrungel"? From childhood, forever - "The Snow Queen" by Lev Atamanov. I love Japanese animators: Yoji Kuri is a curious director, he has an interesting sense of humor (I even met him once - at a festival in Zagreb). Takahata, Reiji Matsumoto (his famous "Captain Harlock", "Galactic Express"). Famous British filmmaker Terry Gilliam started out as an animator (Monty Python), I love his style and humor. Many, many more names could be named.

Who gets the Oscar

Anton Dyakov: I'm having some strange, frenzied situation with this hypothetical trip. Now is not the right time for Oscar voyages. I have never been to the USA, I do not have a visa and a special kind of vaccinations. The studio helps me to do all this. It turned out that it is not very easy. In addition, the US embassies in Russia are closed. In general, a quest and adventure ... I don’t know how it will end. Well, it will work and it will work.

Is it true that John Musker (the classic Disney cartoonist, directed the films Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, The Princess and the Frog. - ) confessed to you and invited you to "come in for tea"?/b

Anton Dyakov: Yes, I called, yesterday we corresponded with him. The sweetest person and in general - a legend. Of course, I would like to see John and a few other legends - that would be the main joy than ceremonies and other things - I am far from this world. Abstraction. It's probably fun though.

How do you assess the film's chances of winning in the face of tense relations between Russia and the West?

Anton Dyakov: I don't play the race, I don't evaluate the chances. As you know, expectations often lead to disappointment. I am happy with what I have, I accept it with gratitude.

Every year we have more reasons to be happy for Russian animation. But only an insignificant part of the audience knows about these award-winning works.Anton Dyakov: So far, this is the lot of fans of auteur cinema, connoisseurs, aesthetes - those who want something different, an alternative. And the way to a wide audience is really difficult. But some attempts are still being made. For example, there are almanacs in film distribution, online screenings. Enthusiasts arrange shows in cultural centers, libraries, meetings with authors. I have a hope that the successful story with "Box-Ballet" will at least slightly contribute to the link between viewers and auteur cinema.

Will we see it at the box office?

Anton Dyakov: I heard that the studio has found a distributor who will promote the film in Russia and around the world. I don't know the details.

Would your cartoons to become popular?

Anton Dyakov: You can't buy people's love, you can't order it. It's a given, you either have it or you don't. Our legendary director-animator Eduard Nazarov had people's love, without making special efforts for this. And that's great. You will be engaged in your promotion - you will be a laughing stock.

Do you follow who wins the Oscar in this category?

Anton Dyakov: I don't follow - I don't have such a fetish.

In your opinion, what criteria should a film have today in order to get into a prestigious festival?

Anton Dyakov: Of course, I don't know any criteria, I'm not passionate about this issue. I imagine that some academics, respected, well-known directors watch films throughout the year. Since I am now receiving warm reviews about the film, I can only guess what determined the choice of my work.

This year's "Oscar" for the first time will be the audience voting. How do you feel about this innovation?

Anton Dyakov: Probably, it's wonderful - to be honest and transparent. I don't really brag about my prizes, but I can say that, believe it or not, my most frequent prize is based on the results of the audience voting. Both my previous films and "Box Ballet" received such prizes in addition to the jury prizes.

The dream of any artist

The final of the film is open. Perhaps there will be a sequel?

Anton Dyakov: No. This open ending makes sense. I wanted the viewer to "walk" with the film, to live. Everyone has their own movie: what will happen to the characters next? Happy ending or tragic? And if yourself this question, I think that I did everything right. I respect the viewer and stimulate him to think. I do not want to chew, I know that he is not a fool, he is able to think.

There are some films that you watched - and immediately forgot. And even if you rewatch it later, it will be like a blank sheet. The last thing I wanted was for my work to be like this.

My task was to delve into the relationship of the characters by means of animation, and I boldly hope that the audience will understand the non-obvious motive - my characters have much more in common than the opposite. We are often led by the external, and much determines the internal. Focus on the inner I tried to catch in this work.

You worked on the painting in St. Petersburg. Do you want to come back here?

Anton Dyakov: I could work in Moscow, recruit a group, and do something remotely in St. Petersburg at the "Mill", but I decided to go to the studio, and it turned out to be right. Spent about a year there and it's a different experience. I learned a lot of new things about the organization of large studios, met wonderful people, great animators. Besides, Petersburg itself, its energy are close to me. I wanted to feel this city. Not as it usually happens: you came for a week, you walk crazy - and back to Moscow. A map of actions in St. Petersburg that has developed over the years. But when you work there, that's another matter. At first I had a slight dissonance: I’m in St. Petersburg, but why don’t I walk along Nevsky and don’t stand in line at the Hermitage? And I'm sitting in the studio and I have to do something. It doesn't fit in my head...

The studio has created good conditions for me. I was busy only with this work, I was provided with everything I needed. This is the dream of any artist when you have the opportunity to do what you want. Yes, and in such a great city.

I'm sure we'll do something else. I have ideas, scripts that I'm working on.

What are you doing now? Are you writing or filming?

Anton Dyakov: I have a period of writing. Several scenarios are in the works. Finished one job - my little independent film, in a completely different style than "Box Ballet", going into radical things. I draw up my script ideas. The process is interesting, I give myself completely to it, I get high. Thinking, writing is the most interesting thing.

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