How to create an audiovisual story about space? Director Zita Kaminska tells about the film «First Studio» / Article / LSM.lv

Today, 12:22

Authors:
Krista Luīze Priedite (Latvian Television)

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The idea of ​​creating was born, cherished and implemented on Latvian Television story about Latvian Radio First Studio. The author of the idea is director Zita Kaminska – a television man to the bone. How to create an audiovisual story about space? And why was the First Studio so stingily immortalized in pictures and videos? –

The inspiration came when I was creating the show “Personality”. We filmed a portrait of both Margarita Vilcāne and Georgs Siksna. They both brought photos of their youth from the albums, where they sing, for example, in the Grand Guild, “says Zita Kaminska about the seedlings of the film’s idea,” then I started to think that such a story could also be for the Latvian Radio studio – this study. “

True, the film-making process turned out not as smooth as planned. The director has come to work with a feeling – so be it! It will be possible to “dig” through photographs, find the most suitable pictures… However, as it turns out, it was forbidden to bring photo and film cameras into the Latvian Radio building in Soviet times – it was revealed to her by sound director Valdis Krastiņš. Radio was considered an ideological institution, so the public was denied the opportunity to know what it looked like there. That is why almost all the materials shown in the film are absolutely unique. “Every picture is worth its weight in gold,” concludes the director, who has addressed not only Latvian Radio, but also archives, museums and private collectors.

“In fact, creating a story about space is much harder than about a person. I consider myself a rather emotional being and an emotional director. It is very important to me that my film, the end result, is emotional. When making a film about a person, no problem – it will work, ”reveals Kaminska. “Yes, of course, the room has no emotions, but I will not run away from myself. In fact, this story is not just about walls and doors. This is a story about people who have passed through this space – Symphony Orchestra, Choir, Stage Orchestra, which is now known as the Latvian Radio Big Band, various soloists … “Remix”, “Cuckoo” was born there! Experimental theater performances have also taken place there. It makes up that story, ”says the director of the film.

Before the filming process, Zita Kaminska had to choose between creating a documentary story as a kaleidoscope of historical events and introducing the viewer to unknown facts about the unique space, or moving in the direction of poetic documentary cinema. She chose not to listen to the advisors and to do the difficult fact-finding and compilation work together with Latvian Radio journalist Orest Silabried and LTV editor Sandra Freiberga. The director points out that there is so much unknown and interesting that the space has experienced that without telling its story, the meaning of the film would disappear: “That space has given music so much development that we may not appreciate what it would be like without it.”

Director Zita Kaminska’s documentary “First Studio” will premiere on the Second Easter, April 5, at 6.45 pm on LTV1.

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