Back in 1997, I was in Mavrovo, in my grandparents mountain house, when suddenly convoys of vehicles were heading towards the road to Galichnik. Large trucks with the inscription ARRI.
I, a child, with the speed of light, was heading to my family asking what was happening. I am told that a film starring Nicole Kidman and George Clooney is being shot in our country. I slightly faint because of the big Hollywood stars.
Few hours of nagging aka pitching to my dad, I’m desperately trying to convince him that we should actually go and watch what happens on set. Normally the answer is: Nooo… what on earth we would do there sitting and doing noting… and George is set for an another location …. BUT daaaad I want tooooo. I succeed in my intentions, I convince my father, and we go (maybe my brother was with us, of course he is irrelevant in the story).
We reach the set location. On the road and in the meadow, crews, equipment, vehicles are scattered, all running are preparing for the shot- “heavy” mountain climbing.
I, with camera on stand by, sit down, with a smile from ear to ear, and start photographing my very first film production, and admiring the working atmosphere, the preparations, and the energy of the team – conversations with a dose of humor. I said to myself, what is it like on “that” side, something that now I live, know and enjoy to a great extent.
Everything is silenced at the moment when the director said: “Action !!!”. Everything transformed in a short time. Huge energy drained by the working people. For me to be on set was much more than amazing!
I’m having a chat with Branchez, on the topic of Peacemaker and filming on locations in Macedonia. Branchez shares his great memory of his incredible experience from the shooting (damn he was lucky and it is not fair) because George was at the location where Branchez was, on the Globocica Lake bridge, where George aka. Intelligence and Special Operations Officer – Colonel Thomas Devoe, manages to prevent the transport of warheads. To summarize – followed by a set and shooting with helicopters, with trucks, with full equipment, with a team led by Mimi Leder, the director of the film and George Clooney! Well that is a high level production experience!
It is absolutely dizzying to be on set. Movement of people, equipment, scenery, with the intention and purpose to set things up the frame to be filmed. Then all of a sudden, everything becomes quiet and “And action” and that is your moment to escape from reality.
So when you have the opportunity, go for it, and even if you have the opportunity to be part of a team, it’s really worth it!
And if you haven’t seen the Peacemaker, the story is: Thomas Devoe, a U.S. Army colonel, and Julia Kelly, a nuclear expert, are looking for a set of Russian nuclear weapons believed to have been stolen by terrorists.
Thank you,
Nena