Interview with Alexander Kondratenko for FIGHT-FILMS.INFO

12.10.2016uranium

Today, especially for Fight-Films.Info, I will talk with the famous Nizhny Novgorod actor and director, founder of the Condor film studio, Alexander Kondratenko.

Good afternoon, Alexander!

Good afternoon.

According to the already established tradition, I will begin the interview with a question about your fighting qualities - what types of combat sports have you been involved in and what are your successes in these areas?

I have been involved in sports since early childhood. Fencing, classical, now Greco-Roman, wrestling, karate, kickboxing, powerlifting, bodybuilding, kung fu various styles. I have a black belt in karate, 6 regional and city victories in classical wrestling, and I fulfill the CCM standard in powerlifting.

What and at what age brought you to the very first section - the desire to learn to stand up for yourself first, or imitation of action heroes?

I started fencing at the age of 10, then we still knew little about karate and had not seen Bruce. Rather, I wanted to be d'Artagnan. Then Bruce Lee showed up at the video store, plus the very troubled area where I lived as a child. This all led to the martial arts section at the age of 12.

How often has the ability to fight come in handy in reality? Tell us about your most memorable incidents, if it’s not a secret.

We have a very troubled area in our city. I ended up there in the evening in a cafe, where I discussed with my stuntman the fight that we were supposed to put in a movie. One company mistook my conversation for show-off and decided to “talk” to me. This was the most memorable incident in recent years, when I had to fight off a group of opponents, the number of which I did not even know. There were many of them. The cafe was bombed, my opponents were punished, I didn’t have a single abrasion, my clothes were torn. I don’t take into account minor cases with auto boors and other scumbags. But I’m a pretty calm person now, I never make a row myself.

In principle, the 90s and early 2000s with the abundance of gopniks on the street are slowly becoming a thing of the past, but the need to defend ourselves, in my opinion, is still present. What martial art would you recommend to beginners for self-defense first and why?

Just for self-defense, I would recommend something from the special forces arsenal. This will be most effective. But! I'll tell you from my own experience. Practicing any type of martial arts gives the athlete internal energy and confidence. A confident opponent on the street often wins a fight before it even starts, and, as we know, the best fight is a fight that doesn’t take place.

Let's move on to the cinema. Which movie fighter do you think is the most inspiring?

My biggest inspiration at the moment is Jean-Claude Van Damme. When I teach stage combat, I often use him as an example. Recently also Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Now let's talk about your work in cinema. As far as I know, the Condor studio was founded in 2009, just at the moment when directors from the regions began to make themselves known (in particular, Oleg Zakharov). Tell us how you came to the decision to create your studio?

In fact, the studio was created a very long time ago and there were a lot of films and there were more fights there, in 2009 we started filming professionally, we are located in the region, we shoot here, but we are watched almost all over the world, we work on federal projects, in our city We often receive guests from the capital, St. Petersburg, and have experience working abroad.
The 2008 crisis prompted this.

How difficult was it to create a film company? What pitfalls and pitfalls await a person who decides to enter the film industry in this way, especially if it is an action film - not the most common genre in Russia and the CIS?

It is very difficult to assemble a professional team when you don’t yet have a name. This is the first. Second. Yes, action films are not popular now, but even melodramas have action scenes, so it’s better not to film pure action films. In addition, even an experienced film fighter cannot compete with a computer. A double somersault is nothing, because you can draw nothing like that on a computer. Further. When making films, sooner or later you find yourself in the world of show business. A very insidious world with its own very cunning laws. And one more thing... Beginners often fall under the influence of haters. Well, we need some finances.

With the increasing availability of equipment for video filming, regional cinema and individual self-taught stuntmen are raising their heads - many regions have their own directors on our combat themes, as larger ones (Sergey Morin, Oleg Zakharov), and smaller ones (Viktor Korzun, Ruslan Mstoyan, Dmitry Shadrin). In particular, Shadrin expressed the idea of ​​uniting regional combat cinema into an association or major joint work. Many of those with whom I spoke are positive about the idea, but remind me of a number of pitfalls (the ego of some of them, the huge distance, the financial issue). What do you think - is this idea of ​​unification good, or should we not bother with it and move on to work with more famous, experienced people (including abroad)?

I work in a professional environment, and Oleg Zakharov, it seems to me, already does too. And there is an association of Russian stuntmen. If you have enough work you can get there.

Your most famous work used to be “Yellow Cloud” (at least in our area) - I saw reports about the filming a long time ago. Tell us how this film was made.

This is our very first film. Filmed on pure enthusiasm. There was nothing but an idea. We even filmed scenes for computer graphics without really understanding how it was done. But this was the first full-length film in our city that received licenses from the Ministry of Culture; from its creation to this day, on the most popular channel in our hometown, it is shown at least once every 2-3 weeks along with our other films. The ratings are still high, although it is no longer shown in prime time. And most importantly, we unexpectedly made very good money on it, even now we are receiving money for this film.

Is it planned to continue?

Not yet. But Moscow film companies have already asked us to sell the rights to the idea. No decision has been made yet. There are some nuances.

Another famous film, “Happy Victory Day!”, if I’m not mistaken, I even saw on the All-Russian channel. How was it filmed?

A large team of professionals worked on it, supported by authoritative people, companies, the government and the Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation, stars. The hardest thing was the fighting. The final scene was filmed in terrible heat, and my last pair of work jeans turned out to be winter ones. Not only was it hot, it was also difficult to move in them. But, as always, all fights were filmed live. There were a lot of injuries and dangerous moments.

Your new work is the series “His Name is Legion.” Tell us what this story is about, what the genre is and how much fights we can expect in this film?

This film's genre is drama. Events take place in a criminal environment. There will be fights in each episode, very close in style to reality.

What are your creative plans? Is the Condor Film Studio planning new full-length action films (with increased bloodiness like The Raid)? And will there be surprises in the form of guest action stars (for example Roman Kurtsyn, Dmitry Pevtsov, etc.) or even foreign ones (Gary Daniels, for example, or someone like that)? Or maybe collaboration with Oleg Zakharov’s AurumFilm or other directors?

We are currently busy with the project “His name is Legion”, most likely it will be followed by a sequel, there is an agreement with several famous actors who will take part in the project, but for now I will not disclose their names. But it will be a very interesting surprise. I myself am always happy to take part in other people’s projects, I always respect the professionals in their field, and in my own projects I am even ready to give up the director’s chair. The main thing is to constantly develop, study, gain experience and train, then there will be a movie.

At the end of the interview, according to established tradition, I ask you to name 5-10 points for creating a good action film.

1. Interesting and intriguing scenario.
2. Interesting characters - casting.
3. Choosing the right shooting style.
4. A love story is a must.
5. Everything has its own zest.
6. Learn from professionals from the basics.
7. A sense of humor is a must.
8. Be sure to find an asshole who will trash you on the Internet - this is the best advertising!

Well, the time for our interview has come to an end, thank you very much for your answers to the questions, I wish you success in your work and new high-quality action films!

Thank you. Good luck!