Thierry Arbogast - director of photography

I would work on the film "The Secret Book" without honorary 

Money doesn't play the major role in the choice of the movies I make to work on. This especially stands for "The Secret Book". I would make this movie even without an honorary. It is true that I have been offered a lot of money all over the world, but I'm not interested in the earnings if the film is dumb. I want significant titles to decorate my biography, and for those who are good in what they are doing there is always enough money, says French director of photography, Thierry Arbogast, who is working on the firs motion movie of the director Vlado Cvetanovski since April 12th, 2002. He is the best French cinematographer and also a great name in the European cinematography, with several world known film hits like "The fifth element"; "Nickita"; "Lion (Professional)" (all three with the director Luke Beson), "Black cat, white cat" (with Emir Kusturica), "She is so sweet" (Nick Casavetz) and many others.

Beside the skills to combine the tones of the colours and to experiment with the light, Arbogast achieved very high reputation thanks to the fact that he is always prepared for shooting, no matter the weather conditions. He is of those cinematographers that did not learn their skills in film schools, but through their work. He started assisting during the shooting of some minor projects even as a teenager, and he got his first engagement for a motion movie in 1983. The actual penetration in the elite of the French cinematographers came in 1990 with Beson's "Nickita". He receives great honorary offers by the Hollywood studios for shooting in the USA, but he turns them down, preferring to work with the best French directors. The only American movie that he made is Nick Casavetz's "She is so sweet".

The presence of a professional of such a class in shooting of "The Secret Book" proves that it is an exceptionally serious project that could attract wider attention in the world. We met the best French cinematographer here, in Skopje, just before he left for Ochrid.

- The film is about a French explorer (starring Thierry Fremont, the actor from Bryan de Palma's "Femme Fatale"), whose lifetime goal is to find the Secret book of the Bogomils, for which it is believed that is somewhere in Macedonia...

What did attract you to this story and how familiar are you to the subject?

-The director Vlado Cvetanovski invited me in Macedonia to introduce me with the idea of the film, and he instantly passes on me his desire for realization of this project. I found that he is a man you can trust and decided to accept the work offer. Beside that I was free at the time, without other professional obligations and this engagement came in just fine for me. I'm sure that we will create something with quality, because this film has universal dimension. As for the familiarity with the subject, I'm not very religious and it is not the reason I decided to be a part of the "Secret Book" team. The main reason was the dream to make a film that will be a realization of our mutual fantasy. I think that, on the end we will all become brothers even thought we are coming from different countries. 

The French critics often emphases your approach to the work, illustrating this with the fact that you are preparing your self during six months for each movie you work on.

-It is partially true. I have worked on about 30 films, and it is impossible to have identical approach towards each of them. For example, the preparations for the Luke Beson's "Fifth Element" were much longer than six months, but there are films I can start working on instantly, without some special preparations.

You have worked with several famous directors. What is the difference in the approach of Kusturica, Beson or Casavetz?

- All great directors have one thing in common - they are difficult people to work with, I would even say - boring. Many times it is not simple even to talk to them, and not to work with them. This time I think I've met the greatest director, who is at the same time a good man, but also a talented artist. He is one of the reasons that now I have different vision for the Balkan. I feel Vlado as a brother and I know that we will make a good film. Never the less, in order to achieve success, one must work on it. We mustn't give in to the beautiful atmosphere and forget why are we here.

You are resisting the American producers and their high money offers for quite some time now, but you accepted to take the engagement in Hollywood in 1997. What is the difference in the work between the USA and Europe?

- I have made only one film in Hollywood ("She is so sweet"), which (because of its small budget) was made more on a European, than in American style. My most Hollywood-like film is "Fifth element", because we had a lot of money on disposal. But, it is European project, made in England.

How important is the money when you decide whether to accept some film?

- Very little, especially in the case of "The Secret Book". I would work on this movie without an honorary. It is true that I have been offered a lot of money all over the world, but I'm not interested in the earnings if the film is dumb. I want significant titles to decorate my biography, and for those who are good in what they are doing, there will always be enough money.

Are you more attracted to the films with historical or contemporary themes?

- I like all the genres, from themes form the middle ages, through contemporary intimate stories, to science fiction. What is important is that the story is presented in the right way, for which, the role of the director of photography is very important.

Miodrag Misholic
("Tea Moderna")