How did you prepare to shoot Truth and Justice?

Tanel:  Before shooting the film, I came to America for three months to take workshops as a teacher trainee at Ivana Chubbuck Studio. Her method is called the Chubbuck Technique and is loosely based on the Stanislavsky method. I learned a lot from her, ranging from casting in film, to auditioning, and how to prep for that. Her book, “The Power of the Actor,” goes deeply into acting.  Some directors say that taking acting classes helps you understand how to play a character objective and makes you a better director with actors.

The sub-text, especially in the characterization of Andres, is subtly apparent which gives us a glimpse into his motivations. Did you study psychology?

Tanel:  I’ve always said that I think the work of a psychologist is very close to the work of a director because the director has to understand the psychology of the character.  Then, you have to help the actor get to certain points of the character’s emotional state.  I haven’t studied psychology, but I’ve studied acting and have directed a lot of actors.  The first time I came here was in 2007 for a workshop with Judith Weston who wrote the book “Directing Actors.” The workshop concentrated on directing actors and acting for directors.  To experience acting for myself, I also took workshops in London so that I could really understand what I’m asking from an actor.

Why is it so important to understand how to work with actors?

Tanel:  Being a director, you have to be interested in human beings. For me, I want to fall in love with my actors.  I need to trust them and they need to trust me as well.  So, it’s very important to spend as much time with them before the shoot so that we bond with each other.  My job is to make them shine and if they are not good on the screen, then it is my fault.  Being an actor is a very fragile occupation and I really appreciate what they are doing.

The actors in “Truth and Justice” each have a strong sub-text, which you don’t always see in other characterizations.  What are your thoughts?

Tanel:  The text is the least important – it’s what’s behind it that tells you what is actually going on in a scene.  What’s underneath or what the character is doing while delivering the text – that’s where the real meaning comes out.  If the actors are not good or the acting doesn’t work, then nothing works.

Did making short films early in your career inform the narrative feature film?

Tanel:  I used short films to prepare me for full-length films. The reason it’s taken a while for me to make my first narrative film, is because I was very careful in choosing my first project.

What are some of the films and/or directors you admired growing up?

Tanel: Because I was so young, I don’t remember the names of the directors. I do remember the “Tarzan” television series and “King Kong.” The reception was really bad, so my sister and I had to take turns holding the antenna.  When it was her turn to hold the antenna, I would describe what was happening on the screen. I also loved everything where there were sharks, like “Jaws.” Just give me a movie where there’s a shark, and I will love it.  (Laughter) I also liked watching horror films like “Friday The 13^th.” I loved watching movies because in my childhood there wasn’t the Internet. It was like some magic elves from America were doing those things that we saw on the screen, but I couldn’t imagine that some day I would be doing the same thing.

Was anyone in your family in the creative arts?

Tanel: The answer is no. My dad is a captain on a cargo ship and my mom is a cook – nothing to do with film or culture. When I was younger, I liked to draw and I drew comic strips.  I loved telling stories, so I was already telling stories with images. In class, we had to perform a play and I was always the one who wrote the play because I knew how it had to be done. I didn’t know that it was something like directing.

Would you say you had a happy childhood – enough money?

Tanel:  In the Soviet Union there’s never enough money for everything, but I’m very blessed to have such great parents. Although my parents were not in the creative arts, but thanks to them, I was brave enough to study something that I really felt that I could love. My mom is a very good cook and she really loves cooking. My dad really loves the sea and he’s a very good captain. Eighteen or nineteen are a very fragile ages when, after graduating high school, you are choosing what you are going to do next. Very often you are not listening to your heart, but thinking too much with your head, like what would be useful, what will bring money, or satisfaction. Researchers say that 80% of people work at something they don’t love or enjoy. I’m really happy and thankful that I found something that I genuinely love. Some people are even paying money for me to do this job. (Laughs)

Are you working on a project now?

Tanel: It’s a sci-fi thriller, which is now in pre-production. It’s completely different from Truth and Justice. It has four characters and takes place in a post apocalyptic world in the middle of an ocean in a rusty tower.

I look forward to what I know will be another excellent piece of work.

Tanel: Thank you so much. I really enjoyed this.

TRUTH AND JUSTICE
An ALLFILM Production
Director/Writer:  Tanel Toom
Producer:  Ivo Felt
Cinematographer: Rein Kotov
Editor: Tambet Tsuja
Production Designer:  Jaagup Roomet
Sound Designer:  Matis Rei
Composer: Mihkel Zilmer
Genre:  Drama
Language:  Estonian with sub-titles
Running Time:  149 minutes

The post Up Close and Personal With Estonian Director Tanel Toom appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Tanel Toom is a talented young Estonian filmmaker who cut his directing teeth on short films. His first full-length feature is “Truth And Justice,” an epic that spans decades. The story is about blind ambition and the cost to those caught in that orbit.  It is the most watched film in Estonia.

The highly professional ensemble consists of Priit Loog, in the lead role of Andres, Maiken Schmidt as his wife Krõõt, and Priit Võigemast as his hostile neighbor, Pearu. The supporting cast is excellent with especially notable performances by Simeoni Sundja as Juss and Maiken Schmidt as Krõõt. Tanel sat down with me for an exclusive interview and the following has been edited for content and continuity.

Your film is brilliant — from your script and directing, to the acting and Rein Kotov’s bucolic cinematography. How did you come across Anton Hansen Tammsaare’s 1926 book, “Truth and Justice” (Tõde ja õigus,) which is considered an important piece of Estonian literature, and on which you based your script?

Tanel: It’s a novel that everyone knows in Estonia and it’s a compulsive read in high school. But, not that many young people read it as it’s 550 pages and not written for a 16-year-old, so it’s a very hard read. Although most Estonians know the book, they don’t actually know the story.

When did you finally read the book?

Tanel. After I graduated, the book was with me for nine years. During that time, I went into the army and attended my first film school in Estonia. I worked for a few years and then got my Masters Degree at the National Film and Television School in the UK. It was after I graduated that I started reading it. When I finished, I was surprised that it was nothing like I thought it was. It is a strong emotional story with an enormous character arc. I was glad I didn’t read it in school because I would not have understood it.

When did you decide it should be a film?

Tanel: About mid-way through the book, I knew that this will be one of my projects. Whatever happens in your life, you’re trying to find reasons why these things happen. I understood why I waited so long to read the book. I understood why people didn’t understand all the elements as it’s episodic with changing themes in the main story, and is not focused on just one element.

How would you explain the story?

Tanel: The main story is about this stubborn man with great ideas whose soul gets corrupted while relentlessly pursuing his dream. It illustrates the tragedy of becoming so obsessed with achieving your goal, that you start forgetting the things that are actually most important in your life, like your loved ones.

How long did it take you to write the script?

Tanel: It took four years to write the script. The book is episodic so it was difficult to adapt the story. You must have cause and affect links, as well turning points in creating the structure of the film, which I worked on in the first year.

How long was the shoot and did you make changes in the script?

Tanel: We shot for almost two years. We had to wait for the seasons to change. That gave me time to continue working on the characters, sometimes changing the emphasis within a scene.

What did actors do between shoots?

Tanel: In Estonia, all actors are theatre actors. The problem is you have to coordinate your schedule around theirs and communicate with the theatres to give them your shooting schedule. This was a nightmare. (Laughs)

There is no evidence of a time lag between scenes as the acting is seamless.

Tanel: Thank you. That’s the job of the director — to control the psychological continuity. There is a jump in time, but psychologically it must make sense.

What was the most challenging part of the shoot?

Tanel: We had 75 packed shooting days and to be able to shoot within that time frame was a challenge. Another challenge was working with  kids and animals. You never know where the problems will lie. For example, the main cow was a real diva. (Laughs) She wanted to run away. So, I’m dealing with a cow who wants to run away and the inherent challenge of working with kids. (Laughs)

Did global warming affect your shooting schedule?

Tanel: We actually had to postpone the winter shoot twice because there was no snow. It wasn’t like in the past when you could count on snow every winter but now, with climate change, there has not been as much snow. Although there are guys who say there is no climate change, we can see it for ourselves.

We have a very ignorant man in the White House and for most Americans it’s humiliating.

Tanel: I suggest he come to Estonia and see our climate change for himself.  We weren’t 100% sure there would be any snow during our shoot. We were postponing and postponing and then it finally snowed.  It was a nice cold winter, with minus 23 degrees on the coldest day of our shoot.

Is there State funding and is there any interference?

Tanel: My film was mostly State funded along with a few sponsors and there was no interference.

What was the budget?

Tanel: The budget wasn’t huge. 2.5 Million Euros or $2.8 million US.

The film looks like it cost tens of millions of dollars. Bravo!

Tanel: Thank you so much.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where director Tanel Toom talks about working with his actors, his family, and his personal odyssey.

TRUTH AND JUSTICE
An ALLFILM Production

Director/Writer:  Tanel Toom
Producer:  Ivo Felt
Cinematographer: Rein Kotov
Editor: Tambet Tsuja
Production Designer:  Jaagup Roomet
Sound Designer:  Matis Rei
Composer: Mihkel Zilmer

Genre:  Drama

Language:  Estonian with sub-titles

Running Time:  149 minutes

The post Tanel Toom’s “Truth And Justice” appeared first on Traveling Archive.