"You have to find your own voice," director Adam Sedlák told students
On Wednesday, the CME Content Academy students were visited by another inspirational guest. This time it was director and screenwriter Adam Sedlák that made successful films such as Domestik and BANGER, and series Adikts and Semestr.
Adam shared his personal journey in filmmaking. He provided them with useful advice, including practical tips on making his respect work on set.
The main topic of the talk in the class was the film BANGER., which opened in theaters two years ago. This film tells the story of a drug dealer trying to distinguish himself as a rapper. The movie was intriguing thanks to unconventional aesthetics.
Sedlák said to students that the visual style of the film evolved step by step. "When I was writing the script, I had no clue what BANGER. would look like whatsoever. My main goal was to achieve authenticity and create a street film," the director said.
Sedlák also revealed the casting process. He emphasised it was important there would be chemistry between the main characters. He then analyzed individual segments of the film and showed how the script was made based on the 3-act structure.
He also explained what was the most difficult about the ten-month post-production process.
"I don’t think I’m a teacher. More like a passerby," Sedlák said with a smile on his face after the class. "I've realized how difficult it is to learn artistic knowledge. It's very abstract. You try to avoid boring theory and on-set funny stories. Theory can be interesting, but hardly to be used on set. When you have an hour to shoot a scene, it's hard to recollect what you have read in a book," he noted.
"You learn the most by writing, directing, and editing a film on your own," he added. Adam Sedlák appreciated young people can learn from him because he had needed that during his studies as well. "When I was studying at film school, I always highly appreciated when someone who was doing something up-to-date. I was happy when they taught us and shared their knowledge," Sedlák said.
"But finding your own voice, that's something a student has to discover on their own."
The director also praised the CME CA students. "They're amazing and ambitious. I'm glad they're passionate," he concluded.
-Matěj Škop-