Introducing the latest Tongaler of the Month and one of our shining international stars...Mr. Zoran Petrovski! Zoran graduated from film school in Bulgaria and now works as a television and commercial director there. He takes his art very seriously, but he also knows how to create a fun working environment for his team. Read on to find out how he celebrated when he won Tongal’s largest first place prize to date!
Izzy Francke: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
Zoran Petrovski: Everything that I do is a mix of things that spontaneously happened to me at some point of my life. I love movies, commercials and all kinds of visual arts. I always thought that if someday I could work in the visual arts that would be great. When I was younger, I had lots of friends who were musicians and I was the first one who made their music videos. Maybe those were my first steps. And from that moment on my strong desire to be a filmmaker never stopped.
IF: It’s so cool that your passion for filmmaking has continued to develop since you were young. Did you go on to attend film school?
ZP: I graduated from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the best university in this region and the best place to start a film career.
IF: That’s incredible! Tell us more about Bulgaria. What is the filmmaking community like there?
ZP: Bulgaria is one funny place. It has lots of great talents. However, I think it is easier for young talented Bulgarian filmmakers to make progress in foreign countries rather than here in Bulgaria. I’ve noticed that young local talent receives lots of international awards, which is interesting.
IF: That’s so interesting. So, how did you find out about Tongal?
ZP: I am mainly a commercial director. I have plenty of work here, but one day I wanted to do something different. I searched the web for video contest websites and I ended up on Tongal. I liked everything that was connected with Tongal. I loved all the interesting Projects with real production budgets. I even loved the design of the website. I loved the connections I made with the Tongal Producers. Somehow it was love at first sight.
IF: Now there’s a love story! Seriously though, thanks for the compliments, we really enjoy working with you too. How do you typically go about assembling your Project team for a Tongal Project?
ZP: Usually, I try to work with different people every time. Somehow, people in my productions are there for me. We are all friends. When I ask somebody to work for my Projects they feel like they are on an adventure rather than working. They all love it. On my last Project I got beyond my budget so I made a game. Everybody from the crew could bet their salaries – double or nothing. If we won first prize they would double their money. My 1AD and some others bet because they believed in that Project and in the end they won.
IF: Wow, you believed in yourself and your execution...and, it totally paid off! I recently re-watched your first win on Tongal, which was for the Hero Factory Video Project for LEGO in 2012. How do you think your work on Tongal has evolved since then?
ZP: In the beginning I thought it would be hard to compete at the Pitch phase, so I just started working on Wildcards. Later on, I realized that if I want to make something great I have to win some Pitch phases. I started writing Pitches and one day I won my first Pitch for AXE. The only difference from my first Project for LEGO and my last for Heineken is the scale of the Project. The first Project was with a team of 3 and the last was with a team of 30 people.
IF: I love the Video you did for Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash and Bar Soap Video Project. How did you go about planning the shoot? Also, the music choice is really great. How did you pick that song?
ZP: I had never made commercials for bathroom accessories. When I saw the Project on Tongal I immediately started to write my Pitch. I have watched all of the major brands’ commercials and I wanted to make my own. Also, I knew that I wanted to have lots of beauty shots and that I would need top models and a modern location. That was very hard to achieve but in the end everything went smoothly.
The music is the first thing that I search for when I start a Project. When I have the right music I can imagine the entire Video. We have a huge music library. The only thing that we need to do is to spend hours searching for the right one.
IF: That’s a great approach. Your Kiss for Peace Video for AXE won 1st place and was the largest ever single prize awarded on Tongal -- congrats! That Video was extraordinarily moving. Can you tell us what filming it was like?
ZP: It was very challenging to make that Video. I wanted to shoot the entire film with a Phantom High Speed camera. I also wanted to shoot by hand without any camera assistants and lots of improvisation. The hardest thing was that the camera can only shoot for 4 seconds at a time when it’s at 1,000 FPS. And in that time you have to start recording, grab the focus, ring aim the object and track it, pull or push the focus and manually stop the camera. And also you have to choose immediately whether you are going to use that take or not because you can’t save all the takes. We had 5 locations per day. It was very hard but we managed to pull off that awesome Video and we won 1st place.
IF: What did you do with your prize money?
ZP: I hosted many wrap parties. My team was drunk for months. Apart from that I hope to build a house with the Tongal logo on the roof next summer!
IF: Haha -- amazing! Keep us updated on the house -- we’ll need a photo for Tongal HQ! Do you have a favorite Tongal Project you’ve worked on?
ZP: All the Projects I’ve done on Tongal are unique. I love them all and they are so different from one another. But maybe my AXE Kiss for Peace was the first one where I realized that Tongal is the real deal. The Videos that I’ve made on Tongal are actually the best ones in my showreel. I made a fashion commercial, a stop motion for LEGO, a Heineken commercial, my first body wash commercial and a Video for AXE. What more can a young director ask for?
IF: It’s so awesome that you were able to create such a variety of unique Projects through Tongal -- that’s hugely important to us. I also recently read that you have directed episodes for the Bulgarian TV show Glass Home. That’s so cool! What has been your favorite thing about directing for that show?
ZP: I've directed 3 of the best film TV series in Bulgaria. “Glass Home,” “Revolution Z,” and “Undercover.” There are lots of advantages working on TV series. You learn to work fast, you meet all the great actors, and you can improvise as much as you want. In some episodes I use just wide lense cameras, in some I made most of the scenes in one shot. Sometimes I make storyboards, other times I make shot lists at the last minute, right before actors come on set. Working on a TV series is great, you get so much experience, it seems like going to film school but for free.
IF: Sounds like it’s been a great learning experience! What are the differences between directing a commercial and an episode for TV? How do you approach each one differently? Which do you prefer?
ZP: I prefer commercials, I like that you can visualise everything days before actually shooting. You know the exact music that you will use for editing. You know the exact places where you are going to shoot. You know all the shots from the storyboard and you are much more prepared and confident. In a TV series you do not have all the time you need. Sometimes you see the locations minutes before shooting there. You have a story board just for hard action scenes. Working on TV Series gives you freedom to improvise on set, while working on commercials you have to be prepared days before that.
IF: What are you working on at the moment, on Tongal or otherwise?
ZP: Now I am working on Tongal and with local advertising agencies on some commercials. Also we are preparing a new season of the TV Series "Revolution Z."
IF: Do you have any advice for other Tongalers?
ZP: Don’t work just to make money and never give up. If you don’t win the first time try again and again. If you can’t win some Project, look for the mistakes you made, after a while if you work in one direction you will advance so much that the success will follow. Be different, have your own style. I read in one interview that if you see a Tim Burton movie without seeing the titles you will recognize his style. So first of all work on your style. And again, work for the pleasure and not for money.
Thank you for that very thoughtful advice, Zoran. It’s always good to be reminded to do what you love and to never give up on making your dreams a reality. Thanks for your time, and keep us updated on the house with the Tongal roof, we can’t wait to come visit! As always, we are looking forward to your next great Tongal Project.
