Creating An Authentic Universe By Recruiting Characters From Reality

Adapting to the environment in which actors are sought makes it easier to identify the right people for the roles.

He started looking for models again, because in his conception the whole film had to be "type". Maxim Strauch, the main person in charge this time with finding them, searched the streets, the pubs, the night shelters. It always adapts to the environment. To recruit the unemployed, he dressed the same as them, walked around shamelessly and spoke to them in their language to convince them. He was looking for the dignitaries who were supposed to appear in the film among the officials. It was hard to convince everyone. If he succeeded, an assistant photographed the chosen one, drew up a file. A thick notebook, thus illustrated, was the result of this long search. Eisenstein consulted it, annotated it, thus making a first selection.

Those detained were called by the director. Sometimes he got excited about a girl, but the beard the man wore bothered him. He was asking him to shave. But the thing was not possible without the prior consent of his wife and then... the arduous search for models continued. Even his close collaborators were used for this purpose and thus Tisse appeared in "October" as a German officer.

In your creative journey, what catalyst of deep introspection would help you build an iconic character that transcends the inevitability of fate?

The biggest difficulty was finding it, of course, in the film. The idea of the actor was eliminated from the start by Eisenstein who wanted the presence of a man with a real likeness and not faked by makeup, which, he thought, would have contributed to the unnaturalness of the appearance. Lenin's Alter-Ego was searched for a long time in many cities, in factories, institutions, on the streets. At last it was found in the person of a man named Nikandrov. He had nothing of Lenin, except his facial features, which could not hide his inner emptiness, the primitivism of his intellect. He was taught to walk like Lenin, to move like him, and the training continued until the characteristic gestures of Lenin were imposed on him.

So, in the authentic universe of film production, recruiting real-life characters requires rigorous selection, just like organizing a team for automation projects. Each photographic type of character must possess specific traits to fit into the director's vision, the entire film being, in essence, a meticulous orchestration. Like project managers, film directors must carefully recruit and ensure the adaptation of each individual to the created environment. A successful production depends on collaboration and timing, as each character contributes to the fulfillment of a unified cinematic vision.

How can adapting the approach to the environment in which the real characters are found help to gather information relevant to your artistic vision?

When creating an authentic universe in film and recruiting characters from reality, clearly defining typologies is crucial. First, he guides the team in collecting relevant data and artistically designing the characters. After identifying the main concept, you need to divide the characters into categories: those ready to play immediately (training set), those that require adjustments and training (development set), and those used to evaluate the final result (test set).

In the process of recruiting real characters, Maxim Strauch always adapts his approach to their environment, collecting photos and information so that the director has as faithful a representation of the typology as possible. Photographed characters often required additional triaging, and Eisenstein ensured that the final result reflected an authentic, life-like universe.

For the film to be successful, the types must be representative of the real-life cast, otherwise the actors' performance will not be natural. Just as in "machine learning" the data must be representative of the real cast, in the film the presence of a man with a real likeness, and not counterfeited by makeup, contributes to the authenticity of his appearance in the film.

Adapting to the environment of each character helps to achieve the most faithful representation in the script so that the audience can better connect with the story and the characters.

Creating an authentic universe by recruiting real-life characters is very important because it adds depth and believability to the story, giving the audience a more immersive and truthful experience. Moreover, it helps highlight the cultural, social and historical nuances of each character, giving the film a distinct and memorable character.

* Note: Ion Barna - Eisenstein, Tineretului Publishing House, 1966.