High technologies bring together: the filming of the series "Divided Family" takes place in Moscow

In Moscow, the filming of the series "Divided Family" is underway. The director is Dmitry Buleiko, who previously worked on the installation of the projects "Mounted Police" and "Vika-Hurricane". The central roles are played by Marina Vasilyeva and Maxim Lagashkin. The ensemble also includes Andrey Fedortsov, Inga Oboldina, Artur Beschastny, Nikita Pavlenko, Konstantin Yushkevich and others.

The plot is based on real stories of filmmakers who are forced to live away from their relatives and friends. Combining them into a single line, the authors of the series tried to update the resulting plot in accordance with modern realities and reveal the theme of long-distance relationships. If at the beginning of the century only telephone communication and correspondence by mail or e-mail were available, then the era of smartphones with unlimited Internet access has made significant adjustments: publications in social networks, video calls and conferences allow you not to fall out of the information field and always be aware of events happening with loved ones who live thousands of kilometers from each other.

According to one of the producers, Ivan Zabegaev, much in the film is borrowed from the life of Natalia Penkova, the screenwriter and creative producer of the film. It was in honor of her that the main character was named.

"We are separated by distances, but we all stay together. Therefore, there was an idea to gather a family and show that even in this current rapidly changing world, we can still be together, "said the filmmaker.

• Shot from the set of the series "Divided Family"
• © TNT

The pilot episode, filmed back in 2021, was preceded by a long process of working on the script and finding actors. After the episode was approved, the authors of the tape wrote the script for a year and a half, and the main shooting started in July 2023.

Despite the fact that Marina Vasilyeva was one of the first to come to the audition, she was not approved immediately. Zabegaev believes that "a good casting lasts at least three months." Having considered all the candidates, the authors of the tape realized that the artist is exactly the one they need.

Vasilyeva noted that when choosing a project, she always pays attention to the script, director and cast. In this project, she said, "everything came together." When working on the image and character of the heroine, the actress follows her personal experience, because she is sure that each role is not given by chance.

"I don't have any illusions that some roles (others. - RT) can perform better than me, - says the actress. "I'm kind of like Natasha, who is trying to sort everything out everywhere and at once in parallel realities, and this is not a hindrance for her at all."

The actress noted that on the set she had a trusting relationship with screen partner Maxim Lagashkin and the director.

• Shot from the set of the series "Divided Family"
• © TNT

According to actor Konstantin Yushkevich ("Insomnia", "Stories"), who plays the best friend of Lagashkin's character, his hero is the complete opposite, whose views he does not share.

"Every man has such a friend. He (the hero. - RT) has his own philosophy. He is a married man, but believes that infidelity strengthens marriage. At the same time, he constantly has to dodge, invent something, and in the same situation he tries to drag his friend, who has a different opinion," Yushkevich said. "But, as an artist, the character is interesting."

The director, in turn, said that at first he was nervous, because this is his first series, on which he works independently.

"Cinema is, in general, a process that will never be fully studied. You are always in the process of solving some problems, so the excitement is present every day. Since this is my debut project, I have it (excitement. - RT) a little more, "said the director.

Meanwhile, he stressed that with such a "strong team", including professional artists, the process is greatly facilitated, since everyone knows their role and sometimes they do not have to explain what and how to do. Buleyko noted that he allows improvisations on the site, which sometimes look more advantageous than scenes rehearsed according to the script.

Speaking about the technical solutions of the project, the director noted that the creation of an original film about remote relationships, which could surprise with some findings, became almost impossible after the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the series was conceived even before the start of coronavirus restrictions, since then many projects have appeared on the screens, the plot of which is tied to video calls and communication at a distance.

• Shot from the set of the series "Divided Family"
• © TNT

At the same time, one of the artists of the show added that, among other paintings, this one is distinguished by a humorous approach: the filming is fun - funny situations accompany not only the characters, but the whole group. At the same time, the comic nature on the site echoes real cases from the life of the authors.

"My mother and I often call each other on video. We have a scene where Natasha's mother calls her and says: "Look what petunias I planted on the balcony. Here, look." Although they need to talk about something else, but mom starts with petunias. And recently my mother called me and said: "Look, I have flowers on the balcony." Apparently, this is already somehow laid, intertwined, - said the director. "Of course, we try to take something from life."

The production is carried out by the TNT channel together with Good Story Media. The series is expected to be released in the Premier online cinema and on TNT in 2024.