There’s No Business Like Show Business!
The times of the coronavirus pandemic are strange times. Not easy for event companies such as 5 Żywiołów. The times without the possibility of gaining profit from what had always been the basis of the company’s activity. The times without open-air picnics, larps or company events. The times when we have to seek other ways to raise funds. As Daffy Duck once said: “Only the fittest will survive. And they’ll have a lot of fun at the time!”
“Show me the money!” Cuba Gooding Jr., “Jerry Maguire”
In April 2020, 5 Elements applied to the National Center for Culture for a grant under the “Kultura w sieci” (culture on the web) programme. Our application was granted (n.b. less than a thousand applications were approved out of several thousand submitted) and we obtained funds for the implementation of a new project: a movie about the adventures of the agents of the Bureau of Temporal Interventions.
Outlines of the scenario, the effect of our entire team’s brainstorming ideas, were created quickly and efficiently; completing the crew and casting actors along with extras went a bit slower but equally effectively. The shooting of the footage itself was a real challenge – it continued from dawns till late nights, in murderous, over thirty degrees heat… But we managed, of course!
“Let’s make it bigger!” Neil Patrick Harris, Tony Awards 2013
You know us, so you know that we wouldn’t have been ourselves if we hadn’t decided to do something innovative. Watching an ordinary movie can be interesting, but how much more exciting the possibility to decide on the course of a character’s adventures is for a player and a larper! That’s why we came up with an idea to make an interactive film in which the audience would be able to decide on the characters’ choices at key moments. Do you remember (maintaining all proportions of this comparison) Netflix’s “Bandersnatch”? Is it right or left? Would you attack your opponent or flee, or maybe hide in nearby bushes and observe the situation? These and many other choices are waiting for you in our upcoming movie.
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” Star Wars
What is the movie going to be about? You’ll have to see for yourself. The first photos from the set that you can see below this text will give you some idea of the film’s style. What about the plot? For now, we can only reveal that there will be travel in time and space, a count, a king and a queen, and even an emperor; you’ll see duels, fights and chases, take part in an investigation, mystery and sensation, with a large dose of true history and a pinch of alternative one… Eventually, you’ll be faced with difficult choices that you’ll have to make to complete the challenging missions of our heroes – Mary and Philip.
“Are you not entertained?” Russel Crowe, Gladiator
Currently, we are busy finishing the shooting of two stories included in our movie, in Moszna castle and Głogówek city. A huge amount of work is still awaiting the editing and the post-production teams, but we hope that you’ll be able to see the results of our efforts this fall (of course, we’ll keep you informed about the progress and will certainly present you a teaser before the premiere). We can assure you that the faces of many characters, both the protagonists and those appearing as episodic roles, will seem familiar to all those who participated in our events!
Tomasz Lewandowski
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