The multi-awarded 17-year-old director, screenwriter, actor, musician, choreographer, while still a high-school student Pablo Soto González and Manolis Melissourgos, artistic director of Camera Zizanio of the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People talked to students on how to write, direct and promote a film. The Festival’s artistic director Orestis Andreadakis welcomed them while stressing that Pablo Soto González is a “very creative young man who learned filmmaking by himself,” as well as Manolis Melissourgos, artistic director of Camera Zizanio of the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People. “They will explain how you can make a film on your own and how to promote it to audiences and, why not, to the big festivals," added Mr. Andreadakis.
Pablo Soto González’s first advice to children and young people was the importance of having ideas and inspiration and that all practical and technical issues take a back seat: "We have to find our own way of storytelling, have our eyes and ears open, listen to music and watch films. By searching, watching and listening, what we call inspiration slowly takes shape. He emphasized that he takes ideas from other films, underlining the importance of experimentation in cinema as it is the only way to find what we want to say. He also advised young filmmakers to experiment primarily with short narratives before moving on to longer ones.
Mr. Melissourgos went on to take the baton, mentioning that Camera Zizanio is addressed to children and young people of 4-20 years old, having established a fully-rounded networking space, based on the pedagogical principles of Freinet, which treat children as autonomous active agents. “Our job is to offer support to children so as to formulate and speak out what they have to say. Cinema is by nature a window to the world. What we are trying to achieve is to open this window inwards as well, to Greece and our own audience, and outwards, with film screenings and the multinational workshop “mythos project”, a vivid and beautiful experience,” he added.
In response to a question posed by Manolis Melissourgos related to the importance of equipment, he mentioned that it was “the last thing he was concerned about.” For him, the most essential thing is the narrative that one will be able to build with the means he has at hand. He shot his first videos with his mother's old laptop. "Nowadays, we are the generation that has a mobile phone in hand. With a mobile phone you can both shoot and do the editing properly," he added.
Then, he mentioned that he utilizes a storyboard, a tool which renders the procedure of preparing for a shoot easier for him. Moreover, he encouraged young people to ask for help from the people closest to them, because "this is the magic of cinema, when we all work together for a result," and stressed the importance of good cooperation with the whole creative team.
As for the style of a filmmaker, he referred to the importance of colors and particularly music, saying it is one of his favorite parts of a film: “A director used to say that the difference between a horror film and a comedy is the music. It's part of the narrative and, sometimes, it works as a narrative itself." Due to his father being a musician, he used to listen to music all the time at home. He said that his vision is to create films belonging to a kind of "quiet cinema," in which there will be no dialogue at all and the narration will be done only through music, looks and action. Immediately afterwards, Pablo Soto González spoke about the great love he nurtures for the art of dancing and his wish for it to become part of his projects, explaining that “for me, as a creator, it is important that we have knowledge beyond what we want to do.”
Together with Manolis Melissourgos, they stressed the importance of the Festivals during the promotional process of a film, and how valuable it is to meet other people in the industry: "It's nice getting to travel with your film and meeting children from other cultures," he stated. Mr. Melissourgos referred to all the actions by Camera Zizanio, and invited all young emerging creators to get in touch with the Festivals that open a window to the world.
Pablo also spoke about how supportive his parents were when he decided to get involved in cinema, remarking that they made up his first audience, the first people who made him believe in himself. Next, regarding his personal insecurities, he mentioned that he used to desire acknowledgement, keeping it in his mind, but it was a wrong thought: “Nowadays, I try to please myself with the result and somehow seduce the viewers with the enthusiasm I create.”
When asked by actor Fanis Mouratidis about his source of inspiration, he said that it originates from photographs, humorous signs in the streets, but mainly from walks on his balcony, which create terrible associations in his thoughts. At the core of his personal experience is his vision of "quiet cinema" and the creation of a different narrative, where music takes center stage.
