A separate world with its own laws: How was the shooting of the new series “Krasnaya Polyana”?

Sochi. A city where absolutely every self-respecting resident of Russia has been, and I have never been. This is strange, because to this day it is considered a resort where you can spend a truly diverse holiday. Trendy restaurant projects, the sea adjacent to the mountains, sausage bought mostly as souvenirs – none of this could force me to visit this iconic place. And it would be possible to leave this gestalt without closing, if not for the tempting offer from Kinopoisk to look at the shooting of their new project “Krasnaya Polyana” and chat with the director Roman Prygunov, who (how lucky) they were together. one of my favorite original projects of the platform – “Unprincipled.”

Therefore, I invite you to return to April with me for a while and see how the shooting of the film “Krasnaya Polyana” took place. Shall we go?

What? Where? When?

I am almost sure that you have already guessed from the name of the project that the main action of the series takes place not in the city itself, but in the small but very popular village of Krasnaya Polyana, on the territory of which tourists live. ski slopes, literally “native Courchevel”. Looking ahead, I can’t help but note that the locations were chosen perfectly. Snow-capped peaks, casinos and snowboard slopes; out of context, I’d think the series was about a luxury vacation for the elite. But the truth is much more interesting, so let’s get into the plot.

What about?

Adventurer Sasha escapes from Moscow to Krasnaya Polyana (we understand his position) not only to change the scenery and beautiful surroundings, but also to make money at the expense of rich tourists and local tycoons. Just changing the places of the terms does not change the essence, and immediately after landing it falls into the hands of the head of the security service of the facility, Mikhalych. Now, instead of draining other people’s bank accounts, Sasha, along with the hotel and casino employees, will have to find the blackmailers who force the manager to dance to their tunes. So, the main character, trying to escape from old problems, received new ones, and with them a difficult choice: material well-being or love and friends.

Roman Prygunov: This series is about having a good time. I wanted to make something light, fun and “no holds barred”; to make a movie about jolly good guys as well as love, friendship and simple values. And it looks like we did it. “Krasnaya Polyana” is a comedy full of adventure, you need to watch it to relax and have fun at the end of the day. I call this series a picaresque novel; Meanwhile, it tells the story of a cheerful group of young rakes who have their own principles.

Who’s playing?

I have already mentioned that Roman Prygunov also directed my favorite film “Unprincipled”, and now imagine my childhood happiness when I saw that the cameraman was the same and even the beloved General Khodyakov decided to change his position and become the head of the security of the facility. .

Novel: I worked a lot with Nikolai Fomenko in the movie “Unprincipled”, plus he is just a wonderful friend and person, so it’s hard for me to part with him and I don’t want to. Cinematographer Douglas Machabeli is also an integral part of the team I work with, so I am happy to continue this collaboration. I think I was given both the experience and the time to find people I could trust, trust and from whom it was clear what to expect on the site. That’s why not only me, but probably all industry people strive to work with proven experts. After all, if you trust someone, you have much more opportunities to achieve the desired result.

But to be honest, I also saw many rising stars of the film industry on the set, and this project was their debut. For example, Rinata Timerbaeva, who played the role of Sasha. The result is a nice, fresh mix of mastodons and those just starting their journey.

Novel: I didn’t invent anything here and just performed the most ordinary casting. To me, this is a perfectly routine occurrence; Although it is not as interesting as the later stages of shooting, it is extremely important and responsible. You have to cast the actors, call them for auditions, and get to know each other. Of course, we had one main idea – we decided to shoot young but remarkable new stars, which turned out to be Rinata Timerbaeva, Vlad Tsenev and other guys. Casting director Maria Gogotova managed to find such a perfect, incredible youth. We have been working with him for a long time and we are very successful every time.

Where to watch?

The question is rhetorical, of course, but still important. The first five episodes will premiere on Kinopoisk on December 28, and the second block of episodes will be released on January 25, 2025. Who knows, maybe the most attentive ones might spot your humble special projects editor among the extras. But this is a completely different story.