How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
My name is Aleksandr Kuzmichev. I am a showrunner, director, visionary, visual consultant, founder and CEO of 29 Production & Agency. In elementary school, I painted with watercolors, and in high school, our entire class visited the Hermitage once a week. I believe my love for art and frequent exposure to it had a significant influence on me. However, my desire to photograph had an even greater impact. So my parents gave me a digital camera.
While studying at university, I started working as a photographer and got published in magazines, primarily shooting snowboarding and people. Later I bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D300s with video capabilities, and things took off from there. I realized that through video, I could showcase the world even more broadly.
Interestingly, I am entirely self-made. I attended courses at the New York Film Academy, various master classes and lectures, but these don't count as education with a capital "E".
My career as a filmmaker began with the video "Minutes" about ATVs, shot with friends in the Leningrad region in 2011. This project combined everything I love and formed the basis for the worldview and future positioning of "29": beautiful nature, rider driving, technology and human overcoming. In other words, conquering the elements with modern machinery.
Soon after, I was invited to film snowmobiles in the Caucasus Mountains and drift competitions in Japan. I was incredibly thrilled to be doing what I loved. At one point, I was overwhelmed with tasks: preparation, filming, editing. Handling it all alone became tough, and the quality of the product suffered. I realized that to improve the videos, I needed additional cameramen, better sound, and enhanced color correction.
Over time, talented people with similar interests started to join me. I began organizing and overseeing the entire video production process. That's how "29" was founded, I gained vast opportunities to work with major clients.
Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘The Bridge’.
Racing, motorsports, and machinery are in my blood. Together with my team, we've produced numerous projects in the motorsport industry. We have expedition and sports experience. Not every specialist in the film industry can ride motorcycles and snowmobiles, navigate boats, and set up outdoor camps. For us, it's a way of life, and we thrive on it.
Our first major project was a short documentary film, "Solovki: Connecting Time and Shores," which won the "Best Short Film" category at the Travel Film Fest. Soon after, in collaboration with Red Bull, we executed the world's first tandem drift project featuring motorsport star Mad Mike in his rotary-powered Mazda alongside multiple Dakar Rally champion Eduard Nikolaev in a KAMAZ truck. In the historic center of Saint Petersburg, we filmed "Flankers: Drift in the City" with Arkadiy Tsaregradtsev and Sergey Kabargin. This project won the "Best Sound" at the International Motor Film Awards in London.
Additionally, the studio begins cooperation with RDS (Russian Drift Series) and is creating a franchise for the first Russian unscripted motorsport docuseries about drift called “RDS GP: Tire War”
Tell us about ‘The Bridge’. How do you describe it?
"The Bridge" is a story about the connection between generations, the importance of which often becomes clear only over time. The protagonist embarks on a journey through the wilds of Karelia on a new Can-Am Commander XT 1000R ATV, reminiscing about adventures with his father. The video emphasizes BRP's philosophy, showcases the product's advantages, and boosts brand recognition in Russia. Our team worked in expedition conditions in picturesque Karelian locations, building a bridge and filming key scenes with actors. We then moved to the Lenfilm studio to shoot detailed scenes such as pressing the gas pedal, splashes of water, speedometer readings, and the chainsaw's teeth in action. It's an incredibly beautiful and meaningful outdoor story! I've always dreamed of creating true mini-films within advertising campaigns that reveal the characters, rather than just making straightforward product commercials for brands.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
Perhaps my favorite filmmakers are Mark Jenkinson, Renan Ozturk.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
I believe the ideal project is the one you are currently working on. The budget doesn't matter.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
First, you need to be passionately dedicated to the project from its conception to its online release, being involved in every stage of production. Second, you need to have an amazing, cohesive team of like-minded enthusiasts around you. If you have that everything will come together. I'm fortunate to work with my crew at "29" who have been delivering world-class products for over 10 years.
We operate as a full-service video production company. Our work consists of several stages. We start with pre-production, where we develop creative ideas, write treatments and scripts, storyboard or create previsualisation, scout locations, and conduct actor casting. We prepare detailed budgets, obtain shooting permits, and draft legally sound contracts. The entire project concept is in place before we press "rec".
During production, we shoot with a large team of highly skilled specialists, using various technological solutions like Motion Control or Russian Arm and high-quality sound recording. In post-production, we edit and color grade the footage, design the sound, compose music, and create CGI. Finally, we deliver the video project to the client and participate in various film festivals.
What was the hardest part of making ‘The Bridge’.
Our entire production team, including actors and even a dog, filmed in a remote and picturesque area of Karelia with no communication access. The expedition aspect of the shoot was the most challenging part of the project, more so than finding the Commander, a 2011 all-terrain vehicle in good condition. Can you imagine transporting a massive amount of professional equipment, actors, the entire crew including makeup artists, kayaks, and an ATV to a peninsula with no roads? It was intense. We transported part of the gear by boat across Lake Ladoga and the rest by ATVs off-road, and we camped overnight in tents.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
Ideas loves silence. After the successful release of three seasons of Russia's first documentary motorsport series, "RDS GP: Tire War", which my team and I worked on for three years, I am now focusing more on the growth of our studio, "29 Production & Agency". Motorsport is a paradise of emotions, and emotions are what audiences crave. Over the next seven years, our goal is to create a feature film dedicated to cars and motorsport, a documentary project for a popular streaming service, and to enter the international market with a new cinematic language.
As a director, I am developing a mind-blowing media project involving an AI-powered driverless drifting car and documentary movie about the inclusivity of simracer.
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