1. Your short film Izidor Popijač Žiga of Bednja won the
Official Selection. How was the film inspired?
The film won
an honorary diploma for the Best Director Feature Film. First I met
Ziga Popijac some 20 years ago and when the time came for my first
author's project, I decided to make a film about him as he's a very
special character and a great artist and sculptor. Another motivation
was the fact that my father was a director so I wanted to try my hand
in direction.
2. Tell us about your background and when
did you decide to become a filmmaker?
I was born in 1973
in Zagreb, Croatia. I graduated cinematogaphy at the Academy of
Dramatic Art in Zagreb. Right after finishing high school for
photography, I decided to continue working with a camera and to
become a film maker.
3. Films that inspired you to
become a filmmaker?
A film that had a great influence
on me was "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" by Sergio Leone.
I think it's one of the best films in the history of the world cinema
and definitely the best film of the 1960s, when it was made. It's a
real masterpiece.
4. Who is your biggest
influence?
From my family, it was above all my father,
who was a director. Since my early childhood, he used to take me to
his shoots and that's how I grew to like the film tape. Also, I was
inspired by the professors at the Academy. I wanted to make films
like them some day.
5. Do you
have a favorite genre to work in? Why is it your favorite?
The
older I get, the more I like the documentary genre because it's so
realistic and it's not easy to shoot. I don't have a favorite genre,
but from feature films, I like dramas, thrillers, psychological
movies…
6. What's your all-time favorite movie and why?
The
Good, The Bad And The Ugly because I think this film captures the
essence of all arts film encompasses in itself. It's a story and a
study of different human characters, made complete with an excellent
film story-telling. It's actually a story that can translate into
everyday life. A really great masterpiece.
7. If you
could work with anyone in the world, who would that person be?
That
would be Clint Eastwood for sure, my favorite movie hero way back
from the spaghetti western times.
8. The one person who
has truly believed in you throughout your career.
Honestly,
nobody. I'm kidding, I believe some of my professors and most of my
colleagues believed in me even back at the Academy.
9.
What was the most important lesson you had to learn as
filmmaker?
Being a part of the team, a team player. It
took me a long time to realize that's most important for a film,
because I started out with photography, where team work isn't that
important.
10. What keeps you motivated?
Faith
that I can still show something in film, and I believe that time will
prove me right.
11. How has your style evolved?
Mostly
through studying at the Academy which shaped me through the four
years I spent there and for which I'm grateful to the professors for
enrolling me.
12. On set, the most important thing
is…
Team work, because without it, there's no strong
link that'll hold the project until the end.
13. The project(s) you're most proud of…
I'm most proud of my
first documentary about Ziga from Bednja because it's my first film
as a full author, it's my baby, and if I ever make other films, it
will always be my favorite.
14. The most challenging
project you worked on. And why?
I don't have it
because I haven't done it yet, except as assistant to other DOPs and
directors while studying at the Academy. I hope I'll be able to
answer this question some day.
15. What are your short
term and long term career goals?
I don't have much of
a movie career behind me, at least for me, and my short-term goal is
to make a film about dogs as a species, told through my pet Lejdi. It
would be an ode to the dogs as man's best friends, about coexistence
of dogs and men that has been going on for about ten thousand years.
My long-term goal is to make a feature film of any length and I'd
like to try my hand in that genre as well, and work with actors. I
think it's a logical sequence of events, as I started and went on to
make documentaries.
16. Your next projects?
May
there be as many as possible, both documentaries and features
because, as a graduated DOP, I think they cure souls.
Thank you for your great
answers! I believe they inspire many of you to read this article!
If
you want to continue following this exceptional artist, here are his
social networks:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sergije.michieli/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sergije_michieli/