– How did you feel about the ubiquitous cameras, because even though they accompanied you earlier and some materials were created, it was probably not at this level.
– I am no longer an active athlete and I did not feel the presence of cameras that much. But it was certainly quite a challenge for the players and staff. Usually, journalists and TV crews are not allowed that close and the behind-the-scenes are not shown, as in a documentary. However, after the shooting, I heard from the players and coaches that the crew recording the series was practically unnoticeable to them, because they were so used to their presence that they continued to do their job normally!
– And what were the beginnings of this project? Something like this wouldn’t happen overnight, it required more preparation.
– When we received the offer, it took some time before we agreed to this project. We, as the Polish Ski Association, did not want to impose anything on the coaches and competitors, and for everything to be natural, we needed full acceptance from everyone, for this initiative to come from them, for them to add something from themselves. But on the other hand, it should not interfere with everyday work and should not affect training or competitions. We know how movies are made – reshoots are needed – and here there was no chance to repeat anything. If something happened, the operator and sound engineer had to be fully ready.
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Their presence was accepted quite quickly, they became invisible ghosts in our surroundings. Of course, all these cameras, microphones, tripods and mounts “followed” the guys, but they got used to it so much that they didn’t pay attention anymore. At the beginning, it wasn’t easy to convince everyone to join this company and follow their every move. Although not every day, not during every training, not at every training camp or competition, but still. All dates were agreed with the coaches and adjusted to the calendar. It required a lot of organizational work, but it worked.
– When deciding to undertake this project, you had to weigh the pros and cons. What were the potential advantages? Because looking at other disciplines, e.g. Formula 1, we see how “Drive to Survive” has had a huge impact on the popularity of this sport and improved the economic situation. Did you have similar goals for this project?
– Yes! The sheer popularity, reaching places where this sport is very niche. It is known that when it comes to jumping, it is much more difficult to do than in the case of Formula 1. It can take place in almost any country, especially since typical tracks are not necessarily needed, but races often take place on streets and then it is even more spectacular. In the case of jumping, “riding” events are beginning to appear, such as our “Aviator Academy”, but in terms of organization and interest, it is still at an early stage. FIS’s dreams actually include plans for ski jumping to appear even in Africa, and in other locations in America and Asia, where it occurs very rarely. This was certainly a key moment when we made the decision to enter into cooperation with Prime Video, mainly to popularize this sport – not only to maintain, but to increase interest.
– Is “Skoczki” a production that could be made every year? Do you feel that there are so many stories invisible to fans?
– I’m sure so. All the more so as the climate is changing, there are more and more problems with the preparation of hills, the organization of competitions, and the technique in the sport itself and the things that are needed to jump are also constantly evolving. I think that, just like in Formula 1, where you could wonder what else could be shown there, in ski jumping, there will always be something new. You always have to be prepared for other eventualities, which is why there are many things that are beyond our control and the camera accompanying us can detect them. Something that can’t be directed and acted, but that people like the most.
– Coming back to the times when you were an active sportsman – would the ubiquity of cameras, not only those on TV or VOD platforms, but also on the Internet, be an advantage? Do you recall moments today that should have been captured on camera, maybe even behind the scenes by event participants and shared on social media? Does this contact with fans bring more benefits today or does it cause more problems and today you are grateful that you had peace of mind then?
– It’s a bit 50/50 here – there are pros and cons. Certainly, I have very little materials from the times when I started, especially from my childhood, junior years and the beginning of my career, because in fact there were no cameras with me, there were no such phones, hardly anyone had a camera. Nowadays, players have such opportunities that it is definitely an advantage to use. As for what is negative, it is difficult to create any mystery today. Some things are revealed, even against plans. For example, when you make a bad jump, something went wrong and you want to sink into the ground, cameras will catch up with you anyway and these uncomfortable questions will arise.
– Where did you set limits for the cameras, or more simply, asking: what we won’t see in the behind-the-scenes materials? What won’t be in the document?
– First of all, where you work on certain innovations and something that is not entirely known to everyone. These are things we do for players, specialized training organized for a specific player, which can only be shown after he finishes his career. These are some secrets that cannot be revealed because it would be a shot in the foot. There are a lot of such elements, but I think that not only in our case, because also other staff will not reveal their secrets.
– Is the premiere accompanied by greater emotions on your part? Or maybe the materials required your approval and you are completely calm?
– In many cases, certainly yes, but when you sign such a contract, you know what you are signing up for. You know what will be shown, so it’s not like you can back out of certain things if you’ve already agreed to them. These emotions are definitely there, especially since the premiere was delayed a bit and many people were probably wondering what was causing it. On the other hand, the desire to see our series was in all of us.
The documentary “Skoczki” is now available on Prime Video.
Source: antyweb.pl
