Interview with Alexander Kochegura

• What did you like about the genre of Photo Story? What new experience did you get? Did Photo Stories suit your common style of shooting? Why this genre is interesting for photographers?

The genre of Photo Story is 100% the thing we like! There is a story, visualization and it requires director’s skills. The most interesting are those stories which are interesting to tell while sitting in front of the fire. Short stories with unpredictable twists, that awakes your imagination… I always tried to shoot something more like documentary and develop the chosen theme. Thus, having started to shoot screenplays, I found myself in a common environment.

• Tell us how were you getting ready for the shooting? How did you choose actors? How were the costumes made? What was the most difficult about the preparation? How much time did it take?

This was, probably, the longest and the hardest process, much like choosing the good shots and post production, that is why it is not a good idea to do everything by yourself. The organizing requires a good memory and a wide circle of acquaintance, that is why everyone is in the right place: a photographer, coordinator, also he is an assistant.

The most difficult things - tasks in a style of arrest, fire, sex and weather. Those things are hard to shoot because of the model’s temper, unpredictable weather, outlooks on life - those things are the most hard to be considered. Even to show a sex scene, you have to make the models take off clothes. While acting the arrest, costumes of fake policemen are not enough, you need a police car. Also, lest we forget that not all of people were born with actors skills. According to the listed above, we had to put off one of the shootings for a week.

• Tell us about the crew - who were working on the project and how were the tasks spread? How were you looking for the actors? Is this your regular team or was there anyone you were working together with for the first time? Was it a casting or were you seeking candidates by yourself? Which characters were created easily and which needed to be worked out?

Konstantin is in charge of organisation, he combines all the qualities of an artistic person with practical consistency. I am, being an incredibly artistic and chimney sweep personality with a bad memory even haven’t tried to bare all the difficulties of organisation.

Our really huge circles of acquaintances helped us a lot. It includes almost the whole theatrical environment, musicians of new and old formation, Academy of Culture and a numerous creative customer base in terms of photos. We were choosing within the circle of acquaintance and at that very moment we remembered the right people! However, even for us the scene of arrest turned out to be the most complicated. It took place only because of our positive relations and trust…