Animation movie making lingo contains a concept called “phase of movement,” which animates the picture on screen. A similar “movement phase” is currently being experienced by the capital’s Ukrainian Studio of Animated Movies, famous for its animation series about Cossacks and Captain Vrungel’s Adventures. Unfortunately, last year the film studio did not pleasure audiences with any new productions for lack of funding. Probably the only joy for the film studio’s team is the fact that the animation Magic Beans, from the series Adventures of Kotyhoroshko and his friends, won the Lesia Ukrainka Prize in the category “Films for Children and Youth.”
The Day met with the author of the animation Magic Beans, director Yaroslava Rudenko-Shvedova. Since 1987 she has been working in the Ukranimafilm Studio, she is a member of the National Union of Ukraine’s Cinema Workers, and was a production director for several popular films, such as Welcome, Till the Greek Calends, Blue Hat, and There was a Black Cat.
Yaroslava, the movie Magic Beans is based on the plot of the folk fairytale about Kotyhoroshko. The end credits of the movie list the names of famous Ukrainian artists who lent their voices to the characters of Vernydub, Vernyvus, Vernyhora, the Grandfather and Olenka. I immediately thought about the animated film Shrek, where one can also hear the voices of renowned Hollywood stars. Does the participation of famous actors guaranty the future success of an animated movie?
“Indeed, such popular actors as Bohdan Beniuk, Ostap Stupka, Natalka Kovaliova, as well as the frontman of the music band Mandry, Foma, have been involved in the production of Magic Beans. The soundtrack was performed by the band Baida, who managed to bring in colors of the folk music. The songs were performed to the accompaniment of the kobza, violin and bandura. I cannot but mention Mykhailo Tytov and Oleksandr Lavrov, very authoritative in the circles of animation artists, who implemented many of their creative ideas in Magic Beans. However, at the beginning, when the creative team was just being formed, we did not pay attention to whether the performer was a star. It was their professionalism that mattered.”
Today, the Ukrainian Animated Film Studio is experiencing difficult times, as is, actually, Ukrainian cinema in general. Do you agree with the opinion of the head of the National Union of Cinema Workers Serhii Trymbach, that Ukrainian cinematography is dead as an industry?
“Truly, it’s hard to object to Trymbach’s words. The problems currently undermining Ukrainian cinematography should be viewed in the context of the transition period of the national economy. Also, the nation’s ideology still inchoate. Hence a sort of vagueness, an absence of a clear scenario of Ukraine’s further development as a young European state. This has a negative impact on the art of cinema, which should be producing positive characters, ideas that are able to inspire Ukrainian society. It’s the way it used to be in Soviet times, when, for example, cinematography was used to reflect on historical issues. The same thing is happening in the Western cinematography, both American and European, and in which their lifestyle is being persistently promoted. So, sooner or later we will have to make up our minds in regards to the cultural values we want to see in national cinematography.”
You have worked for many years as a director at the Ukrainian Studio of Animated Films. In your opinion, what kind of state support does the studio need, especially given the present economic circumstances? Is it possible today to refuse government orders for the production of animated films and make them only with money received from sponsors, charity foundations and commercial structures?
“Relying only on benefactors is wishful thinking! Film production should receive stable funding from the state, planned for decades rather than just on a yearly basis. One can shoot a movie or animation for patrons’ money, but it can’t have a profound influence on the development of national cinematography. A businessman putting money into a film production wants to see results. What is the advantage of state funding? This kind of funding assumes that some percent of films won’t be a success. In Soviet times out of hundred films produced only ten earned back the money put in them. For example, box-office hit comedies by Leonid Gaidai, produced by Mosfilm Studio, enabled the studio to make ten new films. If there is no funding, as is currently the case, discussing whether it is reasonable to implement one or another economic model of film production makes no sense.”
Magic Beans was produced by Ukranimafilm at the order of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Of course, the studio management did not ask whether it would pay. At the same time, if you were to receive money from its distribution, in your opinion, would the owners of movie theaters and TV channels take interest in the film?
“Frankly speaking, animators do not reckon on showings. Instead, they use a traditional scheme: after the film is produced by the film studio, it is shown on TV. Can we seriously consider the distribution of films on national scale when many big cities have but a couple of movie theaters? Moreover, they mostly have wide-frame screens, which means that the production of animated films should be reorganized, taking into consideration new technological parameters. Thus, it is premature to speak about any box-office success for Ukrainian animated films. As for cooperation with television, here we have problems too. The domestic entertainment market, experts conclude, is ‘overheated’ at the moment. The release of a new animation goes unnoticed. Perhaps, in order to prepare the audiences for the release of a new cultural project, an animated film, on the domestic market, producers and managers of film studios should think about promotion. Yet this means extra money, which essentially increases the prime cost of production. The owner of a TV channel will hardly be eager to show a film which is largely unknown to the audience. The experience of the Czech Republic is significant in this regard. There the president of the country, the heads of local TV channels and film studios have signed a trilateral agreement on film production. The state has undertaken to fund the production of films, the creative staff of the film studios – in order to make films on a proper artistic level, and that TV channels guaranty to air them. This is an algorithm of a closed run of film production, a thing Ukrainian cinema artists can only dream about.”
Can the animated films created by the Ukranimafilm compete with the creative works of the animators from our neighboring countries and others?
“Last year the Ukrainian Studio of Animated Films planned to produce about seven animated movies. We were supposed to continue our work on the full-length film Who’s Afraid of Uncle Babai?, as well as five subsequent epsiodes of The Adventures of Kotyhoroshko and his Friends. But for lack of funding production stalled. I don’t want to speculate on the reasons. I will tell you another thing. Even in spite of its neglected state in which Ukrainian animation has found itself in the past twenty years, we still have a creative staff. Compared to the live-action, sci-fi and documentaries, animation has always looked advantageous. The animated films produced by Ukrainian film studios over different years have always enjoyed a colossal success not only in the former USSR, but far beyond it – another proof that Kyiv has a high-quality school of animation. Volodymyr Dakhno, Davyd Cherkasky, Oleksandr Viken, Mykhailo Tytov, Volodymyr Honcharov, Yevhen Syvokin can be regarded as its founders. However, now we see the production of our own films falling into ruins. Out of financial need, our directors, production designers, animators have to earn money in foreign (Russian, Polish, French) projects, where they perform non-qualified (for their level) work, and are not even mentioned in the credits. The so-called middle link – assistants of directors and other technical workers involved in film production – is being eliminated. We are facing a threat of complete loss of Ukrainian animation, which has been established for years, owing to constant studies from most experienced senior fellows and a strive for self-perfection, and whose level is confirmed by awards in many prestigious international film festivals.
“An animator should have not less than a five-year experience, whereas a director and production designer should be perfectly versed in all production processes. Therefore the revival of the animated film production is possible under condition that the state will fund domestic cinematography on a regular basis. And the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as well as Ukrainian film studios should finally define what cinema is needed in present-day Ukraine? How do we see ourselves? What national ideals should be defended and how? After we obtain answers to these complicated questions, we will be able to lay the groundwork for national philosophy, and determine the direction of development of Ukrainian culture.”
The Verkhovna Rada has recently passed a Law of Ukraine “On amending the Law of Ukraine ‘On cinematography,’ as well as other Ukrainian laws on supporting the production of national films,” which in particular stipulates that cinematographic organizations should be exempted from land rent, VAT on realization of the cinema production, tax for added value from the turnover of money received for performed works, and services on production, duplication, distribution, film showings etc. Will these or other preferences for the national cinematography have a positive influence on its further development?
“Sure, but only if the government allots budgetary money for film production this year. We have little time left before us to prevent Ukrainian animation from complete ruin. We should quickly start the production of animated films, then the Ukranimafilm will soon revive and take an honorable place among other film studios of our country.”
