WHAT FILMING EQUIPMENT WAS USED ON THE SURVA SHOOT? 

 

WE TRIED TO TRAVEL LIGHT IN ORDER TO SAVE ON THE COST OF FLIGHTS, AND ALSO ON EQUIPMENT INSURANCE. THE MOST VITAL BIT OF GEAR WERE THE TWO BLACKMAGIC POCKET CINEMAS, THEY’RE PRETTY VERSATILE, MUCH LIGHTER THAN MOST FILM CAMERAS AND STILL MAINTAIN A GORGEOUS CINEMATIC IMAGE. ALONG WITH THE CAMERAS WE HAD TWO DJI RONIN GIMBALS, A HANDY ZOOM AUDIO RECORDER WITH RADIO MICS AND THEN OF COURSE A RANGE OF LENSES. WE MOSTLY USED THE 24MM AND 50MM SAMYANGS, BUT WE ALSO TOOK ALONG A 200MM- JUST FOR GOOD MEASURE. 

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WHO DID YOU CHOOSE TO INTERVIEW AND WHY?

 

THE INTERVIEW WITH VLADIMIROV STANISLAV, THE MAYOR OF PERNIK, HAD BEEN ARRANGED ABOUT TWO WEEK BEFORE OUR ARRIVAL. I THOUGHT IT WAS VITAL THAT WE HAD SOME ANSWERS FROM A GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE AS THERE HAD BEEN SO MANY ACCUSATIONS AGAINST THEIR HANDLING OF THE WATER SHORTAGE. HOWEVER, ON THE DAY OF FILMING HE WAS VERY RESISTANT TO TALK ABOUT THE RATIONING- INSTEAD CHOOSING TO DISCUSS THE ANCIENT SURVA RITUAL. OUR SECOND KEY INTERVIEW; WITH MELISSA AND AARON DYKES, WAS ARRANGED BY CHANCE. WE MET THEM DURING OUR TOUR OF PERNIK WITH THE MAYOR, WE SOON DISCOVERED THEY WERE MAKING A FILM OF THEIR OWN, AND I JUMPED AT THE CHANCE TO MAKE THEM THE PROTAGONISTS OF MY OWN FILM. 

THE OTHER INTERVIEWEES SHOWN IN ‘SURVA’ WERE ALL SCOUTED ON LOCATION. I HAD ALWAYS PLANNED TO GET   SIME IMPROMPTU INTERVIEWS DURING THE PROTEST, BUT THE IMPORTANT DECISIONS OF ‘WHO TO FILM’ WAS DECIDED IN THE MOMENT. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE MANY INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE WILLING TO SPEAK, AND ALSO SEVERAL NEWS REPORTERS WHO COULD DESCRIBE THE SCENES UNFOLDING. 

 

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY IF YOU HAD A SECOND CHANCE?

 

FIRST OFF, I WOULD STAY IN SOFIA MUCH LONGER. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED BULGARIA- THE FOOD, THE FRIENDLY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE CONVERSTION RATE. IF I HAD A LONGER SHOOTING TIME THERE, I WOULD’VE BEEN ABLE TO CAPTURE THE TRADITIONAL SURVA RITUALS WHICH TAKE PLACE IN THE MOUNTAIN VILLAGES. I ALSO WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE SPENT A DAY CAPTURING SOME DRONE FOOTAGE, THERE WERE A LOT OF MOUNTAIN RANGES NEAR BY WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN IDEAL FOR VISUALS PAIRED WITH VOICE OVERS. I ALSO COULD HAVE GOT SOME AERIAL SHOTS OF THE DRIED UP DAM, IN ORDER TO HIGHLIGHT THE CRISIS MORE. 

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WOULD YOU MAKE A FILM IN ABROAD AGAIN?

 

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. I AM SO GLAD THAT I CHOSE TO SHOOT IN BULGARIA. IT REALLY IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAY OF LIFE IN EACH COUNTRY, SO I HOPE MY FILM GIVES AN INSIGHT INTO SOME OF BULGARIA’S CULTURE, EVEN IF IT IS ONLY A SMALL PART OF IT. THE WHOLE FILMMAKING EXPERIENCE IS MUCH MORE CHALLENGING IN A NEW PLACE; NOT KNOWING THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM, WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A LOCATION, OR EVEN UNDERSTANDING THE INTERVIEWEES. IT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT AT TIMES, BUT VERY FUFILLING- ESPECIALLY ONCE ALL THE SUBTITLES ARE APPLIED!

 

WHAT OTHER FILMS INSPIRED YOU?

 

ONE OF MY ALL TIME, FAVOURITE DOCUMENTARIES IS ‘CASTING JON BENET’ (2017). THE NETFLIX ORIGINAL DEFINIETELY HAS AN INTRIGUING NARRATIVE TO BEGIN WITH, BUT IT IS KITTY GREEN’S UNUSUAL STORYTELLING TECHNIQUE WHICH KEEPS AUDIENCES CAPTIVATING. AFTER MEETING THE AMERICAN FILMMAKING COUPLE, I WAS CERTAIN I SHOULD WEAVE THEIR OWN NARRATIVE INTO MY OWN FILM, ALMOST A ‘FILM INCEPTION’ LIKE GREEN HAD CREATED IN ORDER TO ADD SOME DEPTH. ‘WINTER ON FIRE’ IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT FILM I WATCHED PRIOR TO LEAVING FOR BULGARIA- IT GAVE ME A LOT OF INSIGHT INTO FILMING LARGE CROWDED SCENES AND REALLY HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING HUMAN RIGHTS FILMS.