Interview with Gennady Kazachkov for FIGHT-FILMS.INFO

16.08.2016uranium

Today, especially for FIGHT-FILMS.INFO, I will talk with the rising star of the Russian action film, actor, screenwriter, writer, hand-to-hand combat instructor and holder of a black belt in karate - Gennady Kazachkov.

Gennady, good afternoon!

Hello.

The first question is what brought you into the world of martial arts - the desire to become an athlete, to become like an action hero, or to learn to stand up for yourself? Which martial arts did you try first?

In my childhood, the ability to “swing” was the main thing among boys. This determined the degree of authority. Although I did not live in some kind of criminal hooligan area where I had to constantly fight. My childhood passed away from such incidents. Of course, movie characters who fought in the movies were idols for us. The release of such films as “The Elusive Avengers”, “Pirates of the 20th Century”, “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you”, “Revenge and Law” (India) and the like blew our boyish minds. We started waving our arms and legs as soon as we left the cinemas. The motivation for the classes was the desire to stand up for oneself, and in general I wanted to be “cool.” And what can be “coolness” without the ability to fight beautifully? It’s after XNUMX years that you realize that the ability to fight is far from the most important thing in life. And if you don’t understand this, you need to treat your head.
I grew up in a small town in the 80s when there were no martial arts clubs. Karate was banned. We took out re-photographed karate books from somewhere, tried to translate vague texts, and rewrote manuscripts. Personally, I completely rewrote and redrew the book on judo! Then we found a couple of people who had studied karate earlier, before the ban, and trained with them. These are now “black belts” at every step, in every hall. For us then, the “green belt” Zhenya Zakharov was almost a god. Towards the end of the 80s there was a breakthrough. Karate was legalized, books on various martial arts and videos with Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee appeared. Before the army, I trained in the Shito-ryu style karate section. The army has already experimented with other martial arts systems.

Which martial arts do you consider most suitable for self-defense?

I believe that if you need to quickly build a fighter from scratch, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Savate and the like are best suited. The main thing is that you constantly work “in contact” and there are minimal restrictions. For example, before joining the riot police, I trained in karate. According to the rules adopted at that time, punches to the head and full contact work were prohibited in this type of martial arts. The blows were only indicated. It was a big surprise for me to meet boxers in the ring already at the stage of entering the riot police. I was not ready to defend myself against punches to the head. It’s good that in the army we worked in contact. I had to retrain, become universal, add wrestling. In general, the riot police sobered up many people and brought them down to reality. Masters of sports in boxing came to us, and they were “taken out” by guys who didn’t even have a junior level in badminton. A man from the artificial world of the rules of the ring found himself practically in the ring of fights without rules, where a prone person is beaten until the sound of “stop” is heard. Then fights without rules were just beginning to come out of the underground.

Was martial art useful to you in real life, in the harsh streets of the 90s? Tell us about your most memorable incident, if it's not a secret?

Infrequently. I spent most of the “dashing 90s” as a riot policeman. That is, as part of a powerful organization that everyone was afraid to get involved with. There, of course, such skills were mandatory and were constantly used. But the conditions for preparation were excellent. Then, having already gone into private security, I had to use it once, helping the police - they themselves could not cope with hooligans. Then we made a mistake. One bully suffered quite a lot from me. He was very strong, so it was impossible to get away with “a little blood” (in every sense). Then the police gave in to the persuasion of the hooligan’s friends and released him. In the morning he wrote a statement against the actions of the police officers. For some reason, he (apparently drunk) considered the policemen to be to blame for the beating. In addition, my watch was broken in a fight, and I, in the best traditions of the 90s, demanded compensation for the loss in multiples. So the police were also accused of extortion. By the way, while reconstructing the picture of the fight, we found out that it was a policeman who broke my watch with a baton)) In general, we sorted it out in the end. What was the mistake of the police? They tried to detain the hooligans using standard Sambo techniques such as “grab, bend, lever” and other nonsense. I knew from experience working in the riot police that such techniques can only “break” a person if he does not resist. And an aggressive enemy must first be “knocked out.”
A couple of years ago I had to use my skills against a street “boot” who had taken to the fashion of swearing loudly in my yard. About 12 of them gathered, although only 8 were active. They even took out a piece of pipe as a weapon. Among them were a couple of minors. And this complicated the situation. Everyone knows how to start a fight or war. Nobody knows how it will end. Among my friends there were examples when a conflict that was not worth a penny ended in death or injury. That’s why I try to resolve such acute situations at the level of conversation. This is the best variant. In that situation with the “tramps,” their leader “turned off his brains and turned on the bull.” Apparently, he wanted to maintain his authority. I wasn’t afraid that they would hurt or kill me—the boys were not of that caliber. Although in my childhood there was a case when school graduates beat an ensign to death. I was afraid that I would hurt someone and they would run to write statements against me and then extort money. Unfortunately, one-on-one gentlemanly fights are a thing of the past. Meanness, cowardice, and greed became held in high esteem.
This is how he stood in front of them and presented the headlines in the “yellow press”: “The actor who plays supermen on the screen decided to show himself by beating a child.” You know how they can suck an event out of our fingers. As a result, with the help of a neighbor, I had to chase the guys a little, taking the pipe away from them. Now they walk around and greet each other respectfully. There is silence and grace in the yard. The only sad thing is that out of the entire nine-story building, there were no more than two men. The rest walk by, afraid to make a remark. There are fewer and fewer men.

You have given many years of your life to military service. Therefore, the question is: many guys now want to join the army, but are too afraid of the hardships of service - what do you, as an experienced person, advise them in terms of preparing for service and overcoming its most difficult stages?

During my 2 years of service in the army, I never once regretted that I joined the army. Now, meeting different people, I see the difference between those who served and those who “slipped.” These cunning guys have lost something. They are not characterized by any masculine concepts or principles. This is especially evident in business contacts. Are you afraid of the hardships of service? Yes, all life is full of hardships. Where can you hide from them? Many things in the army are actually easier than in life. But in the army you can’t play like in life, you can’t be a hypocrite - they’ll figure it out. Everything is there in plain sight. And there, authority is earned not with fists, but by what kind of person you are in life. The main quality that is needed in the army is to be able to live in a male team. The ability to make friends, the ability to get along with those you don’t like, to “resolve” conflicts. Physical activity is easier to endure. Although, of course, it is better to be prepared for them. The main thing that is needed in the army in terms of physical training is running, pull-ups, push-ups. Basic physical fitness.

There is another situation - some really want to serve, although not in any unit, but to immediately go to hot spots (of which, unfortunately, there are plenty) to “save oppressed peoples” or just for a long ruble, and we are talking not only about "keyboard fighters" What advice would you give to such people?

If a person wants to fight, let him fight. There is a category of born warriors. They are not suitable for any other purpose. Although most of them do not have the same fate. From my own experience I will say that you need to be prepared to fight. Moreover, not in an airsoft club, and certainly not in a computer game. If you want to know what real war is, watch the movie “Purgatory”. Are you ready to go through this? Another question is what will you do after the war? The problem of the “Vietnam syndrome” is an integral consequence of the war for many. Will you then be able to find the same strong sensations in peaceful life as in war? Or will you drink, living the past in drunken memories? There are wars in which one must participate - this is the defense of the fatherland. But looking for adventure in one place should be a balanced, sober decision.

Let's move on to your film career. I know that you came to cinema quite late - after 30 years. What was your first experience in this industry?

Almost 40. First experience - filming in Mikhail Porechenkov’s film “D-Day”.

I first saw you in the series “Callsign “Flock” and “Druzhina”, made, apparently, by the same team. Tell us how this team came together and how the idea to create the “Druzhina” came about?

Yes, one film company did it. The team was almost the same. It's normal to work with people who worked well on the first project. Initially, the idea was to film something in the spirit of the TV series “Spartak”. I ardently supported this idea and have not given up the idea of ​​implementing it. Unfortunately, it all comes down to budget. We were afraid that we would not be able to finance the computer graphics required for such a project. In domestic cinema, such technologies are just beginning to develop. They haven't made it to TV yet. Therefore, we decided to make an ordinary historical film. I had disagreements with the producers on this matter. I suggested making fantasy. Then we would avoid criticism of historical inaccuracies, which are inevitable due to the contradictory nature of our history. Our hands would be free. It would be possible to use elements of fairy tales and mysticism more widely. But, as far as I know, the producers of the Russia-2 channel insisted on historical cinema.

After watching “The Squad,” I and many to whom I recommended this series are tormented by the question: when will there be a continuation? For example, I can’t wait to see new battles with knights, in particular with the head of the Order in his castle, and there were plenty of other events during the time of Prince Alexander Nevsky. “The Flock,” however, also ended on a comparative cliffhanger.

The closure of the Rossiya 2 channel played a fatal role in the fate of the “Flock” and “Druzhina”. If this had not happened, I am sure both projects would have continued. Moreover, the quality would be even better. We take our mistakes into account. I even wrote 5 episodes for the third season of The Pack. Unfortunately, despite the incredible success of the series “Call Sign “Flock,” there has not yet been a channel that would be willing to acquire the rights to its continuation. But this project was shown about 2,5 times over 70 years on four domestic channels. It has been sold to dozens of countries around the world, including, for example, China's leading CCTV channel. That is, this is a very profitable series. I think that no domestic project has had such success in terms of these indicators. There were thoughts of making a full-length version of the project with the involvement of Hollywood actors. There's even a script. But it all comes down to money.

A little criticism: many fights of “The Pack” and “Druzhina” were filmed with the unpopular “shaky camera” - even though the fights looked great (especially in comparison with other series), but many moments, I’ll be honest, were spoiled, in “Druzhina” the situation looked much better already. Why is it now customary to shoot this way, with a shake?

Well, this question is not for me, but for the directors, cameraman, and editors. But what makes you think that “shaky camera” is unpopular? Many people like it the other way around. In addition, this style of filming sets a certain pace and dynamics, and allows you to hide some flaws in the fight. We're not really fighting. But I want it to look real, without fools.
In “Druzhina” the fights looked better because stuntmen were constantly involved in them. We didn’t have that luxury at the Flock. Sometimes I had to beat people from the crowd who didn’t even have experience in martial arts. This is the specificity of low-budget cinema. Believe me, for the money we made these projects, most film producers make melodramas or cheap “cop-gangster” detective stories, in which all the action is a couple of shots and punches. There is a lot of computer graphics in The Flock, which the viewer doesn’t even notice - it also costs money. I’m not bragging, but the fact that we filmed such a stunt-filled series as “Call Sign “Flock”, at the usual pace for “cop” series, an episode in 6 days, is a great merit to the film crew. Filmmakers will understand me.

Are there any more action films planned with your participation?

Not yet. Now there is a crisis and film production in Russia is in decline.

In "Flock" and "Druzhina" it is clear that you are in excellent physical shape. Tell us about your diet and workout routine.

My diet and workout regimen depends on what phase I am in. If I don’t have filming in which I need to demonstrate “dry” form, this is an average of 3-4 workouts per week in the “rocking chair”. Maybe a couple of times in the pool. The food is normal for me - no fast food, carbonated drinks, or other harmful “garbage”. 5-6 meals a day in small portions, including sports nutrition. Alcohol and cigarettes are generally unacceptable to me.
If I'm preparing for filming, then in the winter I gain weight. The maximum I gained was 107 kg. 3 months before filming, a smooth “drying” begins to reach 93-95 kg. Carbohydrates (flour, sweets) are cut down, regular food is often replaced with sports nutrition. By the way, I prepared for all these projects without eating meat. Aerobic exercise is added to the training. In my version it could be martial arts, but I think swimming is the best way. I trained for a year and a half with combat swimmers who were preparing for the Olympics in Sochi, and I fell in love with the pool. During the filming of the first “Flock,” the number of training sessions reached 12 per week. For example, swimming in the morning, rocking in the evening. It’s good that I had a like-minded person, my friend, actor Alexander Erlikh. On set, no one creates special conditions for actors to train. Therefore, you have to find them yourself. On the set of the first “Flock” in Gelendzhik, “Shaman” and I were standing outside the door of the “rocking chair” at 7.00 in the morning, waiting for it to open, or swimming in the sea, because we had to be on set at 9.00. It was difficult to train in Tunisia for the second “Flock” due to the heat and lack of a gym - well, this is not a sports country. All that remained was running and exercises with tourniquets. For me, there were challenges with nutrition, especially in terms of meat replacement. As a result, my form turned out to be not good enough and in the second season of “The Pack” the Bes hardly takes off his clothes. And in general, it is very difficult in all respects to maintain a “dry” form for 3-4 months for the sake of 2-3 scenes. “Jocks” will understand me. I have such an organism that getting a six-pack on my stomach takes a lot of work.

Our time has come to an end, and according to the tradition that has developed in my interviews, I ask you, as a screenwriter and actor, to name 5-10 points for creating a good, memorable action movie.

1. Good script. Without him, “there won’t be a movie,” even if you gather the best actors, directors, and cameramen together. A good script is 60% of success according to M. Porechenkov. Hitchcock says 100%. The rest is from the evil one.
2. The script cannot be “about fights.” There are no films about war, about aliens, about disasters. Films are only about people. Fights and action can only be a way of expressing some qualities of the heroes and situations along their path. Nobody will watch a movie that only features shooting and fighting. The film “The Raid” is good, and I really respect its creators, but for some reason I don’t want to watch it a second time. In the film “Paragraph-78” the fights are superbly staged, but watching the film just for them...
3. Sufficient budget. Everything is clear here. A good (especially massive) fight in a movie needs at least a day to be staged and a day to film. In domestic serial production such luxury is not provided.
4. The director, cameraman and editor who shoot an action film must be able to do this. The experience of filming “pink snot,” as I call melodramatic “soap,” will not help in filming good action. There are very few cameramen who can film a fight well.
5. Action scenes must be staged in advance, in relation to the object on which the scene is filmed. Preferably with the participation of actors, with rehearsals. With the operator. When the director begins to “stir up” a fight an hour before the start of filming, you get a “hat” that can be seen in most domestic TV series.
6. Fight scene directors should be professionals who are passionate about their work, and not come to the set to quickly earn their money and leave. The truth is that many directors, actors and stage managers want to get the fight over with quickly and move on. Or they really don’t have time for this. And how well it is filmed for the viewer, few people care. “People are gobbling it up.” Personally, this approach annoys me. Fortunately, on the set of “The Pack” and “The Squad” everything was as it should be. We were passionate about these projects.
7. Actors for action must be selected prepared. This will significantly reduce the shooting time and will look good on the screen. Although modern combined filming technologies make it possible to turn any “nerd” into a superman on the screen, a sophisticated viewer sees the deception. And the viewer doesn’t like being deceived and switched to another channel. Stunt directors groan at the lack of preparation of most actors, and stuntmen rub their hands, making money by duplicating such actors) Fortunately, both “The Pack” and “Druzhina” won in this regard.
8. Filmmakers must feel the line that separates a beautiful shot from the real one. A real fight in life is clumsy and ugly. But something else is in demand in cinema, something in the spirit of Van Damme. And even if it is not real, it is spectacular. This is normal in movies. The main thing is not to cross this very line, after which the notorious “Indian cinema” begins.
9. The “enemies” of the heroes must also have training. It's better to be stuntmen. They often skimp on them; as a result, the spectacle of the battles on the screen is lost, and the filming process itself is delayed.
10. If possible, it is necessary to place the plot in beautiful nature. A fight in the jungle, on the edge of a cliff, in the rays of the sunset will always look more interesting than just on the street. It’s great when various furnishings, different weapons, a combination of shooting and hand-to-hand combat are included in the battle, as in “Paragraph - 78”.
11. Consultants must be involved at all stages of film production. Nowadays there is practically no such thing - producers save money. As a result, everything can be filmed correctly and professionally, but in the editing room there will be a boy who only shot with a water pistol. And he doesn’t understand that the pistol locks the slide only after firing. As a result, he will substitute the sound of a shutter click instead of a shot, and the knowledgeable viewer will spit. Cinema is a collective product, like building a house. You can mess up at any stage.
12. 12. You need to work on a film in good faith, respect the viewer, and not take him for a fool.

Thank you so much for answering the questions! I wish you health and new interesting projects!

I wish all viewers health, good luck and perseverance in achieving their goals! See you again on the screen!

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