Tomek, or Tommy, Goldbaum-Wlazinski’s mesmerizing film for Kamp!’s track Melt caught our eye – it’s filmic, it’s beautiful and it’s his first music video. We caught up with the unsigned new director who is based in Warsaw, New York and Tel Aviv.
When did you first realise you wanted to direct? Did you go to film school or are you self-taught?
I knew it since I was a kid. That was my dream but didn’t come true at once.
First, I graduate Law School at the Warsaw Universitaty and then realized that before I became a full-time white collar lawyer I would try to fulfill a childhood dream. I then went to the Film and TV Academy in Warsaw, followed by the NYFA in NYC. That is how it’s started.
What came first – the idea for the film or a brief from the band KAMP!?
The brief was very simple. The band wanted to make an original music video for Melt. I was listing this song for 48h one by one, and finally I got the idea of a story of music bringing two different worlds together.
Did you work closely with the band or did you develop the visual narrative yourself?
I had a lot of trust from the band and KAMP!’s manager Bartek Czarkowski, who offered me to work on this project directly. They put a lot of confidence in me and I had unlimited space for creative work. Perfect situation you may say, but on the other hand knowing that I didn’t want to fail and disappoint anyone even more.
What camera and fps did you shoot the video on – it’s beautifully paced. Did you use a cinematographer?
Since the concept I worked closely with cinematographer, Jakub Giza. He is brilliant and has an enormous amount of talent to bring pictures to life in epic, never seen before ways.
We used the Red One MX with 60fps at 2K in first part and 25fps at 4K in second part. Underwater we use also DeepRED underwater Housing. We also used Sony FS-700 on the second unit and you can see the splash shot at 200fps thanks to this cam.
You’ve shot quite a few charity spots – are you signed to a production company – or did you produce these independently to build up your reel?
My grandmother was always saying that you can be good in many things but the best only in one. I’m not a producer/director/cinematographer and editor.
I’m a storyteller, trying to tell a story with the beginning, middle and an end but not necessarily in that order. I’m a freelancer, not signed to any production company yet, who is working with global advertising agencies, brands and clients.
I like to create social campaigns because you can break the rules and social boundaries in good faith to help who’s in need. My last social campaign, “Autism deceives senses” got into Cannes Lions last year and Golden Drum and won a lot of advertising awards.
What are you up to next?
Tomorrow, I fly from Warsaw to NYC to finish my biggest and most spectacular commercial project made for global cosmetic brand INGLOT. It will be premiered at Times Square on June 10th.
