Monday,
2001 September 3
First supplementary day. We have to shoot the airport scene
at Óbuda and the field-table! But nobody counts that at the
airport we are awaited by four severe men from the Airport Authority
who don't want to authorize the shooting.
We want to fix the camera (with belts) on the first sit of the
training plain having two sits. According to the inspectors
the belts won't support the 3G force during the flight. We are
not able to convince them until that - for safety's sake - they
call theirs superiors whom is not at all upset for such an insignificant
matter. Though the pilot doesn't mind, at this point the inspectors
follow the tactics of exhausting. They think if they mark time,
we'll have enough of it, and we'll leave… Our persistence yields
fruit: a pretty good recording. And three hours of late.
Péter Huszák's family (wife + 4 children) and the stage frightened
mole are waiting for our arrival to upset the otherwise not
calm family peace. Péter prepared the field-table, on which
the mole (Molly) - cast on "Margit" Island - will
act like it would live there. Everything is going on according
the plan, when Molly decides that - according to the Work Code
- every hour he is entitled for five minutes brake. And he gathered
so far 25 minutes, it is hard as a rock. (It miscalculated since
he gathered three hours instead of 25 minutes. But a mole is
not expected to calculate correctly. It should ask the G…)
During that the crew decide to shoot the scene with the viper,
until Molly is willing to act. The cameraman and his assistant
are bravely making manoeuvres a few inches from the venomous
snake, until the rest of the crew is watching them frightened.
Thanks to the snake trainer's skills nothing happens that would
put "Hukkle" on the tabloid of the tomorrows newspapers.
Fortunately the four under 18 crewmember of the day found the
autonomous moll, so we may finish the shooting with him late
in the night. We shoot the scene with the owl too.
But this isn't the end of the day, since we decide to leave
for Ozora to start in time tomorrow. The second unit crew -
the cameraman Márton Miklauzic and his assistant Lili - joins
us, ready for stork hunting. Since it turned out that at this
time of the year we won't find even one stork at Ozora, the
producers decide to send tomorrow morning a minibus to Sellye
- the southern point of the country - were, according to most
of the Hungarian stork specialist, the storks are gathering
before leaving for Africa. Gábor Komora will join tomorrow the
second unit crew, while the first unit loader will be Zoltán
Dzsupin. Tamás Zányi can't be present, so he will be represented
by Sámuel Csóka.
Tuesday,
2001 September 4
At four in the morning we are eating dinner with the new crewmembers
between the friendly walls of Pipó's coffee shop, then we go
to sleep.
At six in the morning we get up and we start working. The first
unit shoots the scene with a bus deliverer truck with the ancut
of Aunt Gyula and the scarecrow on a one-meter high grass. Because
his allergy the director is useless for almost all day. The
other crew, leaded by the assistant producer is shooting chickens
in Aunt Margit's yard. (Here happens a little accident too:
one of the crewmembers couldn't resist of Aunt Margit's grapes,
and ate from it, and Aunt Margit became inconsolable.)
By the first unit finishes with Aunt Gyula and leave the grass
field, the second unit is leaving for Sellye for stork hunting.
The first unit moves to the co-operative's dining, where we
shoot the scenes and inserts left out from those with police,
the scarecrow moving by the earthquake (that we omit before),
and the stall or toilet (it depends on everybody's point of
view) falling from the earthquake. The G is shaking the stall,
which - after using a rope instead of the stick - falls like
a dream.
Meanwhile calls to tell that for two weeks nobody saw one stork
in Sellye, so the action fails, they are returning with the
minibus. The crew is so worried that nobody asks who is guilty.
Maybe because they know that each one is a little bit guilty
for that…
After lunch break follows the steady-cam scene with the police
car. This time Zoltán Kovács is the steady-cam cameraman. Back
in May we managed to chose this set as in September there is
plenty of grass, so the director can't even get close to feel
the waste of time, and to see that the sky is cloudy. Is hard
to make the planned "western cut". Meanwhile the second
unit is recording the bells sound in the church tower during
the earthquake. And they managed to record a small bird too.
In this time the other unit is making a few inserts from the
police car. The sun is going down. The shooting comes to end.
This was the last day.
The great ending party is cancelled this time, everybody is
dead tired. We have dinner (this time Aunt Marika made extra
portions, and we had milk loaf with poppy!), and almost everybody
decide to go to sleep in his own bed… back home.
Wednesday,
2001 September 5
We wake up in the afternoon at Ozora. Bad, rainy day. We eat
spaghetti at the diner. Tiredly we say farewell to the villagers.
We save the diary file from the local computer and we leave
for Budapest.
When we leave the village the telephones are starting to ring.
We have "connection". The G receives a SMS, a message
for the director to call the assistant, his former colleague
at university who went yesterday night home because it's trouble.
"Simó died."
"Among others, Sándor Simó was the teacher of the college
leaver class. This very film is made for the graduation exam.
Feri Török and Szabi Hajdu already presented theirs film. Feri
already took the exam. Dani Erdélyi, Bence Miklauzic just finished
the shooting of theirs film. As myself with the film Hukkle.
Csabi Fazekas would start making his film in October. Dini and
Gábor Fischer are ready with the script; they are waiting for
money. Our teacher, Sándor Simon hasn't got the chance to be
at the big showing, the completion of his work. However "Hukkle"
was made for him. He had no fate in this film, and as the producer
of "Hunnia" Studio he rejected to produce it. So we
made it at "Mokép". But he accepted good films. Now
I stand here missing my great opponent, whom I always wanted
to prove: there're other ways to present a film, there are new
forms…I don't belong to his school, and my conception rather
came into being against it. Therefore I'm still his student.
On September 4 I wept all day. We shot in the middle of grass
field. It was the last day of the film. Due to my allergy I
could barely talk, give instructions. After that I had never
such an allergy attack. My eyes turned red, in half a day I
used a 100 tissues. At that time it was the allergy, now is
mourning. For there are mysterious connections which became
stories. (Thomas Mann - whom Sándor mentioned repeatedly - wrote
about that in "Joseph and his brothers".) I wept you
Sándor in advance, and that mystery connects us." Gy.P.
Thursday,
2001 September 6
The editor shows us what she put together in the last days.
She discusses with the director the next scenes.
Friday,
2001 September 7
The editor edits by herself. We receive the material from the
laboratory. The T-shirts with "Hukkle" logo is ready.
It doesn't look good: it's not printed well, they used mould,
they ironed it badly, and the drops are running on sides. We'll
have to return it to the manufacturer. Everybody is pointing
on the other. It's an unpleasant situation. In the evening we
edit; the film is almost ready.
Tuesday,
2001 September 11
The muster watching planned for today almost failed because
of the terrorist action in the USA. The cameraman is at the
Bank, and the director can't take off his eyes from CNN. For
a moment comes up the question if the world needs film anymore,
or the war starting now will sweep away everything. Then we
still watch the muster: the little mole, the owl, the snake,
and the landscape of Ozora. The images are comforting. There
are no falling skyscrapers in it.
Wednesday,
2001 September 12
The shock-effect of yesterday's world disaster reaches the production
of "Hukkle" too. Early in the afternoon András Bőhm,
the deputy general manager of "Mokép" informs the
director that the company dismissed the film's G. On the scene
we don't find out anything else. The G just has settled up with
the deputy chief accountant when he found out about the unexpected
decision. The preparing of the film and the shooting is finished;
the most part of the work is done yet "Mokép" decides
that the insider Gs will do the supplementary work. We didn't
have overspent, nor fraud, neither exceeding of shooting days
or raw materials, yet the producers' decision is unchangeable.
Drinking that last till evening follows the events. At midnight
the editor meets the director at a pub in Budapest. They don't
go to make the editing; they are talking about the world's events.
Among others it is clear that due to the editor's other assignment
she won't be able to continue editing "Hukkle". The
director tries to reconcile with the former editor, but after
giving a thought she rejects him.
Thursday,
2001 September 13
In the morning Samu Gryllus, future composer of the film watches
the material edited till now. Besides the musical composition
he makes many useful observations since he is the first spectator
who didn't knew anything about the work in hand.
In the afternoon we search for an editor, but it seems that
everybody is busy.
Friday,
2001 September 14
After three minutes of mourning, at noon the sound editor, the
composer and the director are meeting. They check the work phases
and together draw up a work schedule. According to this the
first edited version of the film will be given at the beginning
of October to the sound editor, when they shall meet again,
and start organising the noise dubbing. In the middle of October
the noise dubbing will start, after that the material will be
sent back to Avid (data processing used for editing). By November
10 the "Saint Audio" Sound Studio shall receive the
final, edited copy of the film on Beta Sp. There will be changed
the less clear sounds and atmospheres. Meanwhile, considering
the sounds appearing on the images the composer will put them
in musical order with the outside sounds. At the end of November,
beginning of December: negative editing at the laboratory. By
the beginning of December VHS copy for opinion for the Film
Review and for festivals. At the beginning of January mixing
at "Mafilm" Audio. By January 31 final copy of the
film.
Handshakes. The director rushes to "Mokép" The producer
is planning for Monday discussions the KGB visual studio about
the "cat decomposing", and he decides about the sound
of the cinema copy. The film "Hukkle" will be Dolby
Digital Stereo! If this will be materialised, his will be the
first completely digital stereo film made in Hungary. We have
to buy the copyright, and for two days we have to record surround
sounds at the spot with a special tape-recorder. Then we have
to mix sound in the only one studio having the special technique
in the country.
Saturday,
2001 September 15
Zoli Varga, the assistant editor of "Hídember" helps
to transfer the editing list and the sequence from the Avid
of "Média Center" to our machine. It takes long hours
of work because the machines are incompatible. In the end we
build up the sequence, but there are no image content in it.
According to time codes we have to edit one by one every cut
to its place. The director chose this method because several
scenes turned out better than those edited before.
Sunday,
2001 September 16
Despair. In the editing room are working other people. Despite
that we could work, but we have to make an agreement. The editor
is still editing 12-16 hours by day the American production
made in Hungary. She has some spare time only in the evening.
The director negotiates with other editors.
At six in the evening they find some time for working together.
In long hours they manage to improve the Pasture scene.
Monday,
2001 September 17
At noon we meet at "Mokép" with the special effect
men of KGB visual studio. Due to the taking over of "Hungarofilm"
the producer is in late. The negotiation is short and successful.
The special effect men are able to make the "cat scene",
and they agree with the producer upon the price. It seems that
the cut surrounded with scandals can be realised. KGB requested
a month for modelling and decomposing the cat in 30 seconds.
In the afternoon the director visits the graphic artist, the
system manager of the homepage to talk over the corrections.
In the evening the director goes alone to the editing room and
by two in the morning edits to scenes. He's very angry.
Tuesday,
2001 September 18
In the evening editing. Because her work the editor arrives
only at ten to the film factory. Before they start editing the
director dismisses his colleague. As he say, he kept postponing
the decision, since he didn't want to remain alone with the
film. But it's almost impossible to hire another editor for
two weeks, he thinks that the film is unclaimed, and he still
doesn't understand why somebody refuses a great feature film
for paid work. They don't argue about it, the parties leave
on mutual agreement.
Thursday,
2001 September 20
Searching for editor. And finding. The composer watches the
edited version of the film.
Friday,
2001 September 21
Gábor Marinkás, the new editor watches the film edited till
now. Despite he claims that he doesn't understand the film,
he is willing to edit it.
Tuesday,
2001 September 25
The director and the new, "fresh eyed" editor starts
again to edit "Hukkle". They go on from scene to scene.
They keep what they like, and re-edit what they don't. It turns
out fast that Gábor likes to do final editing, so he spend hours
editing perfectly two scenes. Therefor the director forbids
him to trim until they don't edit the movie from the beginning
to end for the cuts to be in the right order.
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