KING KONG:

In July 2010, I directed an exciting spot for Alfa Insurance. I have done quite a few parodies (Spaghetti western, Kung Fu, retro -Bollywood etc.) however, I had never done King Kong! And certainly not King Kong destroying Moscow City. The film mixed a few different styles such as the epic blockbuster disaster films with the graphic photography of Film Noir. As a director, It was a rewarding film to visually conceptualize and logistically pull off. I had a dedicated team in post (Grad) that did all CG work including creating an incredible “life-like” King Kong. I also collaborated with the talented DOP, Vlad Opeliants (“Burnt by the sun 2–2010”, “12”-2007).

This film had a few challenges but the most notable was the fact that we had to shoot on the two shortest nights of the year (in the center of Moscow). This meant we had roughly 4 1/2 hours of pure darkness to complete over 5 scenes and most of them with hundreds of extras.

The art department had to litter the street with broken furniture, lamps, bathtubs, beds, TVs etc. After, the special effects team had to create fires and smoke to simulate fresh destruction. On the background wall, Vlad (DOP) created shadows of panic stricken pedestrians to add to the frenzy. At the end of the story, the heroine played by the stunning Alexandra Khaimenova, had to walk through the burning debris and confront the dying King Kong.

Above, from left: Vlad Opeliants (DOP), Alexandra Khaimenova (Actress) and Yuri Kulikov (Producer). On the right, I enjoyed “monkeying around” with the motion capture team.

ALFA INSURANCE_Making_of

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