The Circle
The intense work of a creative mind
Directed by Evgenii Bakirov
Directed by Evgenii Bakirov, The Circle takes us into the world of tattoo artist Herman Devyashin, as he tackles a “creative crisis” through pushing boundaries, in ways not done before. Trapped in what he calls “the circle” - an unending loop of repetition and burnout - Herman undertakes an unusual experiment.
This short documentary unfolded in the final stages of post-production - revealing the balance between concept and spontaneity, that allows this film to “make itself” as Bakirov says.
Going beyond documenting the artistic process alone; The Circle became a story about the artist’s path through struggle and motivation.
The Circle delves into the intense work of a creative mind. How do you feel this documentary contributes to a wider understanding of artistic struggle and innovation, especially in an age where technology and creativity are often intertwined?
There is absolutely no doubt that Technology has an impact on Creativity. Indirectly in some areas, and upfront in others. I've only been directing for 6 years, but even on my own example I can see how technology influences work in advertising projects and music videos.
In the past, it was enough to make a script and a pdf with mood boards to describe a vision for a project. Now everything is different! Today’s treatment most often resembles a striking car presentation - an online site where everything is moving, gif-files have replaced pictures, previews are now clickable, and some artwork (which previously could only be described or drawn) is generated by a neural network.
The interactive way of storytelling (with visual attraction / seamless splices / 3D avatars, etc.) is now more preferable than the previous academic one. All these changes are due to the advent of new technologies. They could be ignored, of course, but in my opinion, it's better to explore and make use of them. Even though I'm a fan of old school filmmaking, I still look positively at how technology is reforming this field of art. There are certainly some weaknesses in all of this: for example, in my opinion, the colour reproduction of film is more expressive than digital. But the changes definitely give creators a boost to revise their approaches and update trends. At the same time, there are areas of art that are less massively influenced by technology.
Tattooing is much older than filmmaking. It contains a huge cultural layer and time range. It is subject to less reformation from technology, so it evolves slower. And thanks to pioneers like Herman there are early impulses that contribute to the dynamics of change and development. Once I read Walter Isaacson's journalistic study “The Innovators” - and was amazed that the advent of the world's first computer was a huge journey of blind cooperation among scientists from all over the world. They had no idea that their work would one day be part of such a great invention. In my opinion, Herman's experiment resembles the same format of work.
Today, the technology of the SketchAr app has allowed Herman to make a tattoo using augmented reality. Today, Apple sells Vision Pro glasses all over the world. I wonder what will tomorrow bring? Such steps are likely to lead to something bigger. Our job was to document this process and show it to an audience.
Shooting on 16mm film and the dark colour palette throughout adds a grainy texture to the video, creating an intimate atmosphere. How did you and cinematographer Andrey Krauzov collaborate to achieve this sense of isolation reflecting Herman’s creative crisis?
This may sound pretentious, but to some extent the movie “made itself”. Its visual appearance was influenced by various circumstances, ambitions and the way the creative team (cameraman Andrei Krauzov, post-production artist Alexei Yandovsky, illustrator Dmitry Maseikin and producer Mikhail Novitsky) and I generally saw the theme of the movie.
The look of the movie changed even during editing. We couldn’t choose whether to shoot in 16x9 or 4x3 format for quite some time. After some doubts, we finally chose 16x9. We went all the way with this format. Иге at some point during montage we decided to just blindly try 4x3. As a result, the movie looked clan- cut and overall better. We all got the feeling that it was the original format, we just didn't come to it right away. A stroke of fate!
There was a lot of time to discuss the visual aesthetics of the movie, as the search for locations and heroine took a while. The whole movie is divided into 3 types of footage:
- staged (reconstruction of events);
- documentary (in our case, reportage);
- and supplementary (animation, 3D, sketches, photographs).
We understood in advance that the entire film would be shot in a combination of staged shots and directed reportage (where you can ask for another take or pause to change lenses). But how do you film the experiment itself? You definitely can't interfere with the tattooing process, because it's not just an experiment. It is an extremely exciting and heart-pounding process for both Herman and Yana!
Let me remind you that Herman has never had such an experience and did not know what would come out of it. Yana (the model) has never had any experience with tattooing. I am still impressed by her courage. It was a real full house for her: first tattoo on her back... with a bare torso... in front of the whole crew... most of whom she saw for the first time.... and the result was absolutely uncertain (it's an experiment after all!). We had to figure out how to shoot the process in a way that would fit the format, aesthetics and meaning of the movie. It was also important not to miss anything, so we couldn't afford any setbacks or rearrangements. We had to work in a “here and now” format.
At one point there was a feeling that we shouldn’t complicate things. We let the crew be in the frame and the camera equipment be part of the set. I felt that the simplicity of this approach made the visuals bolder and more mature. There was no need for it to be beautiful and spotless. The process itself, in which the film crew is excitedly participating, is already like a kind of initiation ceremony.
It was decided to use circular rails and let both characters enter this circle and face their fears. They will definitely come out transformed. We tried to shoot the staged sequence academically. I've long been inspired by Herman's illustrations. I love his style and the meaning he puts into his work. We wanted to animate his drawings in the movie beforehand, but what I wanted most of all was to print them and shoot them in the old-school spirit. That same understated aesthetic was something we tried to follow throughout the shooting of the entire movie. We wanted the camera to be objective and to move only when the context and the task required it.
The visual effects throughout were captivating and showcased a story behind the art - especially the way the drawings came to life. What was the process like of incorporating VFX to seamlessly integrate Devyashin's art with the film’s narrative?
We wanted to use graphics and animation in the movie. My task as a director was to make the narrative clear and interesting. I had long wanted to collaborate with Dima Maseikin, but never had the chance. I had previously seen his cartoons in various music videos and commercials. He is a great art director and filmmaker. When the film's producer Misha Novitsky and I discussed the approach to animation, we immediately realized that this is Dima's thing - his style of animation is definitely needed here.
When we discussed the scenes for animation, we worked out two main directions:
- Herman's sketches that came to life;
- shots that can't be filmed.
I immediately understood that when we talk about types of tattooing, there is no better language than animation. It's easier, faster and a lot more comprehensible. We also discussed how to shoot the first touch of the tattoo machine on Yana's (the heroine's) back. For me it was important to show the first touch of the needle and Yana's reaction. Such macro-details are difficult to attractively and clearly implement on 16 mm film. Though this is an important dramatic moment. That's why we decided in advance to use animation for this shot.
No less important was the shot in which we convey the process of launching the experiment. Thanks to animation we managed to make it exactly as we imagined it to be. This is one of our favorite shots!
Tattoo animation was an especially entertaining process. Herman helped us with it. He volunteered to draw some of the details and participated in all the discussions, so we managed to realize many things in a more detailed and interesting manner.
Was the chapter-based structure - each one feeling like a step-by-step journey through Herman’s process - planned from the start, or did it emerge during editing?
The structure based on chapters appeared only during editing. It allowed me to tell the story in a more coherent way. I was constantly shortening the movie and trying to make the narrative more concise and accessible. It was important for me that the story could be understood by everyone (not just those who know about tattooing and AR).
“I felt that the simplicity of this approach made the visuals bolder and more mature. There was no need for it to be beautiful and spotless.”
The documentary evolves in pace and mood, heightened through its sound design that enhances the tension and progression of Herman’s experiment. How did you work to match the film’s sound to the changing tone of each chapter?
Music is the secret weapon of any narrative. On most of my projects I write music with the same composer- Georgy Vensky. He's a talented guy. We've known each other since first grade.
Vensky lived in Magnitogorsk at the time (he recently moved to Moscow), so I flew from Moscow to Magnitogorsk 3 times in a row, to write music for this project. All the instruments were recorded live, and some tracks were assembled by mixing different sounds that we originally recorded for sound design.
The music in “The Circle” is as much a storyteller as Herman is for me, as is the camera, and the animation too. We tried to write it in such a way that it leads the viewer from beginning to end. Even the pauses between tracks and their durations were calculated by trial and error.
You've mentioned that the film shifted direction in the post-production phase. How did that change your approach to editing? Were there any moments or sequences that were completely transformed from your original vision?
In fact, not so much has changed during the editing process:
- the format changed (was 16x9 - became 4x3);
- the chapter structure was formed;
- the expected time sheet got shortened (the first version of the montage was a few minutes longer, but with each draft we tried to shorten it);
- some scenes were swapped (the scene with the experiment originally followed the animated tattoo scene, but it seemed that it would work better in the center of the experiment).
How do you think making this documentary in particular allowed you to explore and understand the boundaries of creative expression in a unique way?
The movie taught me a lot. Working with animation taught me to describe any task in extremely precise detail. It is important to think everything through at once, otherwise it will be difficult to correct it. Working with graphics taught us to search to the utmost and not to give up. We changed several authors while we were looking for the right one.
People simply left the project because they were running out of free time to invest in creativity. Of course, we accepted this understandingly, even though we found ourselves in desperate straits a couple of times.
Working with the experiment format allowed us to refine our skills in finding a visual language. We went from an attraction approach (to the setting and the method of storytelling) to a restrained and mature one.
But most importantly, both the movie and its creation taught us not to give up. In the most desperate moments, it seemed like a hopeless situation (either we couldn’t find a solution, or didn’t have enough resources, or it just wasn’t working out, etc.). But every time we stumbled, we got up, dusted ourselves off and moved on, side by side.
What’s next for you?
We have new work waiting for us. We are already preparing several interesting projects. I'm also writing a new creative draft and working on a full-length film. The road to a feature film for me is also like a step inside the circle, where sooner or later you have to face your fears. But now I know that I can always find a way out.
Directed by Evgenii Bakirov
Artist: Herman IX
Produced by Michael Novitskiy
Cinematography: Andrey Krauzov
Production Designer: Alexey Yandovskiy
Music by Jora Vensky
Set decorator: Maria Gracheva
Style: Vasilisa Gamaleya-Gusarova / Kristina Eliseeva
Production manager: Timur Gariffulin / Sergey Samarin
Props master: Peter Burshin / Anastasia Burshina
Prop man: Nikolay Nekrasov / Vyacheslav Pirozhkov
Location Manager: Vladimir Kravchenko
MUA: Anna Alimova
Casting: Milena Bessonova
Models:
Alina Mikhalchenko
Yana Ank
Daria Romazanova
Anna Yudakova
Inga Khachataryan
Dmitriy Zaitsev
Trofim Ovchinnikov
VHS camera: Maria Gracheva / Alexey Yandovskiy
1st AC: Alex Budarin
Camera Assistant: Stas Popov / Andrey Popov
Gaffer: Pavel Bruh
Lightning technicians:
Alex Adamov
Slava Liskov
Alex Mikhalev
Artem Tulishev
Dolly: Michael Kashin / Alex Kashin
SFX: Evgeniy Sorokin
DIT: Sergey Ivanov
Post production producer: Louise Levitina / Erik Basentsyan
Post production studio: LustraFX
Post production supervisior: Valentin Grosu
Houdini artist: Alexnder Tsymbalyk
3D Tracking / Matchmove artist: Maksim Makuha
VFX Composer: Igor Oleksienko
Spiritview
Dmitrii Mitrofanov (Head of studio)
Mikhail Martynenko (CG Producer)
Roman Mitrofanov (Clean up artist)
CG Artist: Gleb Zhvaniya
Animation:
Art Director: Dmitry Maseykin
Animation: Pavel Nikiforov
VO Artist: Daniil Shelbanov
VO Artist: Giles Coghlan
Sound manager: Sofya Braslavskaya
Sound Engineer: Alexandr Truhan
Translator: Evgenia Puzanova
Sound designer: Jora Vensky / Vladislav Kotov
Digital Intermediate / Scanning: Mosfilm studio
Fonts: Swiss typefaces
nowitsky:
Michael Novitskiy
Hype production:
Ilya Stewart / Murad Osman / Ilya Djincharadze
Sketchar:
Andrey Drobitko
Yourental:
Maksim Belitskiy / Alexey Kundrat