Movie "Cookie", 2006
Translation of http://eprst2000.livejournal.com/70834.html
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(the paper says that there will be a movie shot in your compound)

In the lead roles Nastya Dobrynina (she played a poor orphan girl named Cookie) and Dina Korzun (she plays a rich aunty named Lena, which then becomes Cookie's mother ).


Director Yaroslav Chevazhevsky hints the main actress. One director inside fits five little girls. Only the lazy does not remember the shooting scene of the cartoon "The Film, film, film", when one little girl have to pickup a little flower and the whole crew is jumping around, the director runs, aunties are shaking mighty tits, and the girl nods with her bow "Uh-huh!" and screws up everything.


The operator said that in every frame he needs autumn leaves. St.Petersburg maples just opened the yellow season. The leaves were brought from around the city, the producers chose the cleaner, yellower and scattered them on the scene, as the sowers.


To get this.


Nastya surprised everyone on test runs. According to the role she had to cry, she said: "Oh, wait a second!" She gets into the role, helps the eye with water and says: "Done. Quiet, as I keep my composure."


The film has a scene where the heroine is watching passers in the street and sees two cadets eating the cake. This supposed to be a little digression for a couple of seconds, giving the mood and overall feeling of peace. They say, you have a tragedy in life, and then the boys in the uniform sit, and one licks off the cream, while the other eats, because the money only enough for one cake.
We were not delivered cadets, even though promised. And the director said that he could not work in this environment. The crew stands by, the director yells. It was early morning, Sunday. We urgently called to the school, woke up all the bosses, fell to our knees, and rolled on the back, asked to choose the ones flappier and frecklier. We were brought two frightened boys in uniform. Time for the shooting has ended, you need to move on to another site. We quickly seated them in the frame, what make-up?, no time! Attention! Ready! And - Action! Why stop? No cakes ... Run for the cake. The crew waits. No time to hint the actors. In the most expensive nearest pastry shop we bought a delicious, fluffy and fresh cake, handed it into the hands of future warriors, and they ate it all themselves in first camera take, the way the director wanted, we did not even have time to explain them. The boys licked off the cream from each other, nibbled by turns, haven't been greedy and shared with each other. And then they were handed in the bigger cake and went back.


Or one more case. It was necessary to shoot the sketch of how the characters sit around the subway entrance, and drink beer. If in a lively place one puts the camera and lights, then immediately the crowds gather, but we needed a natural environment. Then we hid the camera in the commercial tent, seated the heroes, sprinkled them with leaves and handed the beer. But people still gawked and crowded uselessly in our place. Then the director stood on the opposite side from the actors, the operator set the light up, next to him stood Julia with a clapperboard, nearby were make-up artists with brushes, then we took a regular camera and the director began to give "interviews", as an Oscar-winning Artist. The crowd soon forgot about the actors, ran to the light and we calmly filmed the scene of how ordinary people sit near the subway, and nobody disturbs them.


A director Chevazhevsky meanwhile broadcasted to gawkers something like that: "I strategically positioned her feet on my shoulders ..."


And this is my favorite scene. Girl Cookie cannot afford to buy the cakes in the confectionery. She sometimes comes and eats with her eyes, just so enviously and greedily examining. Before her is a turning desk, with chocolate elephants, rabbits, various sweets, cakes, candy, large pieces of cake.


The operator took the camera inside and layed low.


Nastya was placed outside.


The director told her, as it should be ... "Magic eyes! Look at the elephant! What a cake flies away! .. A candy! What a cream! .. Sweet strawberries and syrup! Eyes .. wide open! Now you'll see an angel in white chocolate icing!"


Nastya's Mom, which is also an actress, sat beside her, invisible in the frame, and said helping words. During the filming of this scene Nastya ate something like a pound of caramel candies.


In the movie business there are always the expensive and special props. For example, the director wants the characters dine in the old oak table. And so he asks for a genuine and not artificially aged. Property-men rent an antique and protect it like guard dogs. God forbid a scratch! Once a property-man slept under the table and did not leave for several days. Or everyone nurses a rare sports car, covered with diamonds, the owner of which demanded a large sum for it, and, just in case, took producer's children hostage.
The most expensive props for the film "Cookie" was this shabby bear. If he lost, then another could not be found. The director chose him very meticulously, demanded this old teddybear, refused other options and was whimsical. Everyone ran off the legs while seeking one: brought the old toys from home, brought easter bunnies with detached ears from Salvation Army. The director said: "NO! You can do better than this! " He believed that the teddybear is one of the main characters of the picture, the girl is constantly with him and he is her guardian angel. At the end of the film the teddybear even revives for a second.
It was found in a scrap-heap. A generations of girls played with this teddybear. Everyone told Nastya: "Don't lose it, don't drop it, hold it tight!" And watched it very, very closely. Property-man was warming the bear in his armpit between the shots, sometimes the producers watched the teddy. Nastya was fully aware of it and understood the responsibility entrusted in her for the props.


The group catches a rapidly sinking bear, which is Nastya "accidentally dropped, but he fell" into the Neva river. I love those moments. It seems that now, now!, your destiny is decided. Do we catch tattered bear, or don't?


According to plot Cookie sits with uncle Anatoly on the embankment. He drinks, tells about his life and snacks sprat. And when I see any fish, I lose it. I twisted the jaw, when the property-man brought the sprats. I begged for a fish after fish, was humiliated, made unhappy face, whined, threatened that now would fall and will roll on the back, showed-off falling into unconsciousness, and would not recognize anyone. I have been promised to be donated a can of that damn sprat after the shooting, then promised a box of fish, then a barrel, only Leave us alone, Alice!
In fact you can't consume the props, that is not acceptable. I clearly understand it and always forbid a crew from eating the props. I'm assistant-director and shall be in charge for all! If everyone starts to eat, then what will remain? And then I started to steal the fish, pulled one by one, hid in the corners, went on with the salty and muddy fingers, with missing eyesight. I needed it now! And not because it will be no longer tasty, but because then I was waiting for the promised barrel of sprats, but here there are a couple fishes which I couldn't pass. I think that everyone noticed, but kept silent. There are those moments when a person is pitied and squeamished.
Theeeere it stands, jars with the same sprat. You see it? And I still feel the smell.


Looking sad scene.


Looking cheerful scene.


The director shows.


Nastya performs an actors task.


If the script says that the hero has a car, the actor usually asked whether he drives a car? "Are you afraid of heights?" - "No!" - "So, then jump from the bridge without a backup stunts, gy-gy-gy." As it turned out, the girl Nastya not afraid of anything: neither the camera nor the adult actors - nothing. Except for the dogs. Most of all a girl Nastya was afraid of dogs, but according to a movie script she spends half the time with a dog. The process has already gone too far, when it turned out the main Nastya's phobia.
It is their very first acquaintance. They befriended very carefully for a few days before the joint scenes. First, a dog brought to the ground, as if this dog, just a dog. Then Ali, which is responsible for dog training, offered Nastya to feed harmless doggie. Dog's name is Dallas, her occupation is a Belgian shepherd.


Then Nastya and the dog left alone and pretend that no one cares about them. Director Yaroslav Chevazhevsky pretends to smoke, but is actually watching and sweating the process of acquaintance.


Dallas is a smarty dog. This became clear when we were filming scamper through the streets. And Ali shouting commands: "To the right! Left! Go! Left! Even left! And right, now! Right, I said!" Despite the fact that the dog is a Belgian Shepherd Dog, and I'm kinda human, if I were forced to run well, then I would not run, because the right and the left does not distinguish at all. A dog distinguished them well. Therefore, it had sausage, but I didn't.


In a story Cookie and dog first do not play well with each other. Doggie does not let the girl out of the house, threatens to attack and bite. In films plot to distract the dog, Cookie throws the bone, runs to the fence and jumps - where a dog can't get her.


Once everything is screwed up and dog digs thru under the fence. Now it attacks the girl and bite her.


Certainly gets her for snack.


The director understands that tragedy is inevitable.


When the evil dog approaches fearful Cookie, it begins to lick her hands, blocking girls face. Because it's a kind movie. To the dog to lick her hands, between the fingers were clamped a piece of sausage. Rehearsal is in progress.


Dogtrainer Ali is simply unique. She knows how to treat all kinds of animals can outsmart anyone. That's her hidden in a barrel, a barrel was in the frame. The dog did not understand where the commands came from, and run at a loss as required by the plot.


After shooting the dog slept like a dog.


To shoot a scene, as a girl comes along the fence, but on the other side she's attacked by a dog, we did this. First we shot a dog that wants to gobble up the girl. Instead of the girl there was the operator with the camera, the camera was a followed by a special man with a sleeve, which beat lash on sleeves, clicked the whip and the dog was angered by this, charged and showed teeth, so we could shoot a few takes. And then we shot Nastya, who is on the other side of the fence, and is afraid of the dog. Instead of the dog there was the operator of the camera. And we never could film that little girl as being afraid of. Nastya is not afraid of the operator at all, even if he growled, and the director did a terrible facial expressions. Then we brought back the man with the sleeve and the lash, he went after the camera and whipped. Nastya realized that things really bad, everyone with the head is all out of whack, and was afraid of as she should. There comes Producer Sasha on a platform, sees that along the fence a man with the sleeve and the lash pursues a little girl and says: "Aha ... What's happening, anyway?"


Interior House of Cookie was filmed in Moscow, in the pavilion.


But first, breakfast.


Cookie likes pasta with condensed milk. We initially thought how to make a person to eat pasta with condensed milk, and then Nastya could not be dragged away from dish. Only one more problem: how a girl opens up the cans? She had no power to perforate it. I tought Nastya, how I did it in my childhood. Take something heavy and hammer on the knife.


Cookie had a terrible dream.


And this one was terrifying. Cookie counts the money. "One hundred rubles, two hundred, three hundred ..." Just more than a hundred it does not know how. I teach her to count money. Doesn't work. Nastya goes astray, does not remember, grizzles and demands the pasta with condensed milk.


Then came a director. And even the administrator Nicole came. Everybody are teaching to count money.


Poorly counted, one more take.


Nastya is crying because this is required by the plot. Not every adult actor can cry, but here is the child.


First, Nastya couldn't make it. Then her mother sat nearby and began to cry herself. Nastya thought that her mother is crying because her grandmother died. For real.


At the end of the film the girl is going with a new mother from St. Petersburg to Moscow. She has now a beautiful dress and she is all elegant. Costumiers thought and knitted a jacket and a hat with a pompon for teddybear.


And when was the last shooting day, we gave Nastya mysterious boxes in festive ribbons.


It was this dress for genuine princess and shoes. Nastya said she would become the director and call us all in her movies. "And all of you will have a lot of text!" - Said the girl, who studied the scenario while the entire crew hit the hay.


Photographer Vladimir Gaysler.