Ukraine: The World's Film Set

The following article is from Adweek’s special issue “On Ukraine, by Ukrainians,” published April 25, 2022, and created entirely by Ukrainian writers, editors and artists amid the ongoing all-out war in their homeland. For a number of leading Ukrainian producers and filmmakers, global names like Dior, Diesel, and Mercedes, Miley Cyrus and Foals have become "loyal clients" in recent years. Let’s go deep to discover what was the reason for international brands to opt for Ukrainian production power—and why your next video project will benefit from hiring Ukrainian teams: ‘‘We’re in Las Vegas for the Grammys tonight. Tanu is nominated for the Best Music Video for Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero.’ We have a Ukrainian flag with us and hope to get on the stage. This is a crazy opportunity to make a stand for Ukraine and show who we are. I want to go home desperately, but I realize we need to get Ukraine advertised here,’’ says Kyiv cinematographer Nikita Kuzmenko. He accompanies Tanu Muino, a Ukrainian director known for her work on music videos by Harry Styles, Katy Perry and Cardi B. The duo of two worlds' prominent young filmmakers are now refugees, just like thousands of their compatriots. Being cut off from their home, Nikita now sees himself as a promoter of the Ukrainian film industry, which just a couple of months ago was a flourishing business and local talents’ trampoline to the global stage. A self-made industry Started in the late '90s, modern Ukrainian film production was a successor of Soviet infrastructure. Everything from the equipment to shooting sets were pieces of an outdated epoch. So the whole industry needed to reinvent itself from scratch. Radioactive Film, founded in 1998 by two Americans of Ukrainian origin, was among the first companies to pave the way to the Western market. Today, its portfolio stands out with shows like HBO’s “Chernobyl” and honors including a Shots Award for Production Service Company of the Year in 2018. Jane Yatsuta, the managing partner of Radioactive, recollects: “At the beginning, we were spending our first profits to buy and update equipment. Some networking in Cannes helped to get our first international projects. We copied the systems and processes of American filmmaking: the positions, the commands, the algorithms. Everything was like they did on Hollywood sets. That’s why foreigners have never had any cultural shock while working with us.” 'Yes we can' as the only option In the case of Ukraine, the American standards explain a lot, but the practical reasons for its film production boom have more local context. Anastasia Bukovska, whose Family Production serviced Diesel's “Go With The Flaw” campaign, names logistic effectiveness and mentality as defining aspects of Ukrainian success. ‘‘Ukrainian crews always have only one ‘yes we can’ answer to any impossible request by our international partners," Bukovska says. "In some countries, you wait months to get the approval to shoot in the underground or to film an explosion with pyrotechnics. Our legislation and persistence get anything approved in a week. The productivity and the desire to shoot make Ukrainian production a five-star service that wins among countries we compete with." Hundreds of passionate A-level cinematographers Twenty-plus years of shooting for international clients side by side with the world's top professionals have brought a new generation of Ukrainian cinematographers onto the radar. Cinematographer Ilia Maksimenko, who has projects for Sony and Mercedes in his portfolio, shares the insight: “All the international directors who I spoke to say that Ukrainians are burning with passion and desperately eager to work. To me, we find a perfect balance between the ‘silent’ diligence and the creative one. I’ve compared my shooting experiences in Dubai, Sofia and Kyiv. Our technical crews, for me, are the best to work with.” Lil Nas X 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)' by director Tanu Muino was nominated for MTV Video Music Awards 2021 His colleague Anton Fursa, another prominent DOP who has shot for Volkswagen and Klarna, adds: ‘‘We have hundreds of people here who have been working on A-level projects. Everything is run like clockwork when they are on set. The whole industry has been evolving exponentially, discovering dozens of fresh blood directors, productions and agencies.’’ 'A cheerful Suicide Squad' The general industry evolution has directly influenced the rise of the local scene. "In recent years we’ve witnessed the birth of the Ukrainian commercial direction genre,’’ says Crimea-native director Yevhen Krasulia. ‘’There is a prejudice that a director’s job is making films and music videos, and the advertising is just for making money. I was among those new-school Ukrainian directors who fell in love with advertising. I’m into irony. Being ironic about advertising, I started making it." Diesel 'Go With The Flaw' campaign filmed in Kyiv featuring cast by Family Production This irony and the resilient optimism have become parts of the nation’s mentality in a country that has faced two revolutions and the war in its 21st century. Director Anna Buryachkova comes up with her own metaphor: ‘‘The Ukrainian production industry is like a positive army, a cheerful Suicide Squad. Ukrainian producers are able to close the tasks of several departments single-handedly. Ukrainian directors overcome limited budgets by unlimited creativity. These people are almighty.” A time for bravery The only thing that Ukrainian filmmakers have yet to overcome is the war. The russian invasion is destroying the main source of their success—their country. Although some production houses have their offices in Poland or Georgia, the majority will soon be flooding the world’s labor market as freelancers. Though, even in that situation, they try to think positively, more or less. One of the top two Ukrainian film editors, Yuri Reznichenko, shares his hopes: ‘’Whether we like it or not, we’re already far beyond our comfort zone. But these horrendous times can be the time for brave actions. ‘I’m a Ukrainian’ sounds promising now. It may help to reach those people and opportunities which we were afraid of before. Let’s be brave.”

Ukraine

Ukraine: The World's Film Set

How passion and diligence created a hub of top-class cinematographers

Roman Hurbanov

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Roman Hurbanov