Georgy Tarasov picked up a Gold Screen in the Music Video category for his film Yamakasi at this year’s YDA. Here, he discusses accidental miracles, planning shoots and the inspiration of the YDA.

How did you get into directing?

I always knew that nobody needed me. And so I just started filming myself, because I didn’t want to ask someone. This continues to this day.

First, I had to learn to see through the camera, and then tell my stories. It turns out that directing was a side effect that followed the look in the viewfinder.

What was the inspiration behind Yamakasi?

This whole story with Yamakasi is one big accident that proves that accidents are not accidental. Accident is a miracle. In fact, these are common experiences: mine, artists, FMT.JETLAG teams, which we all put into this story. It is very difficult to single out one thing.

Although, for the first scene, when we told it, we took as an example a scene from the movie I-Cuba.

How long was the shoot and what was the most challenging aspect of the project?

In total, we spent a month in Ossetia. A small life, one might say.

The first scene was the most difficult from both a creative and technical point of view. We spent most of our time and resources on it. But it seems it was worth it. There were 10 of us, from the FMT.JETLAG side. A very small but powerful group.

On the other hand, everyone in the republic helped as much as they could, investing 100 percent in the common cause. And, of course, the constant availability of cinema equipment near us was an important factor. This happened thanks to our PAAP rent friends.

What have you learned during the process of making the film?

Plan well and face it when you prepare for challenging shots. Otherwise, you will have to do one more take.

What does it mean to you to win a YDA and what can we expect to see from you in future?

YDA is charged with inspiration. In our profession, it is impossible to continue working without this charge.

It’s a shared reward that empowers the whole team to create new things. New experiments are all I can say so far. For example, with genres and long form.

Do you plan to work in the advertising industry and if so, what most excites you about that prospect?

It is interesting for me to work in advertising when, as a director, I can unleash the potential inherent in creativity with my vision. As an operator, I am always ready to try new things and improve the image quality.

I hope such projects will also happen soon and I can share them with you.

Interview by Daniel Huntley shots