In Anna Guseva’s short film TEM PO RA RY her protagonist journeys across various eras of the iconic St Petersburg-located Dom Radio. It’s a building with strong architectural significance that was originally conceived in the early 20th century for the Russian Noble Assembly but has since gone on to house the performances of many incredible musicians. Guseva’s film is a dance/music video hybrid, meaning it tells its story through sleek, lucid choreography to the sounds of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise OP. 34, Nº 14 conducted by Teodor Currentzis and performed by Nadezhda Pavlova and the musicAeterna orchestra. DN is delighted to premiere TEM PO RA RY on our pages today and is joined by Guseva for a deep dive into the development of her short, revealing the importance of shooting on 35mm film in a 4:3 aspect ratio, the decision to structure her story within a disruptive, non-linear fashion, and why it wasn’t enough just to rely on the majesty of the building itself.
Take us back to the start. Where did the process of making TEM PO RA RY begin for you?
The idea for the film appeared shortly before the renovation of the Dom Radio, the residence of the musicAeterna collectives under the direction of Teodor Currentzis since 2019, an architectural monument of the early 20th century in St Petersburg city centre whose walls witnessed the Revolution, the Siege of Leningrad, and the era of Leningrad radio. We wanted to capture the architecture and adornments of the iconic building before the renovation, those historical layers of spaces that we found as witnesses of yet another era in the history of the Dom Radio. We also felt it necessary to pay tribute to the memory of its past inhabitants who had been working in the Dom Radio before we arrived. Thus, a story was born about a young woman who travels through time, which we used to contemplate the phenomenon of collective memory: how does it work? Can we feel its traces?
It seemed right to us that the story about the building’s memory and history spanning almost the whole 20th century should be recorded using film.
There’s an ethereal quality to the short, could you tell us about curating the feel of the film?
The film is characterized by a metaphorical narrative, the plot of the film is non-linear. The disruption of the plot and temporal logic is compensated by the internal movement of the formal device, dressing the characters in costumes corresponding to one of the eras of the Dom Radio. The footage was shot on 35mm film as an additional element of playing with time, it seemed right to us that the story about the building’s memory and history spanning almost the whole 20th century should be recorded using film, since it was film that was the only medium and material for fixing moments, stories or ideas, throughout most of the historical epochs that we were exploring.
What were the key stages that bring a project like this together? With such an ambitious shoot in mind, the prep work must’ve been extensive.
Preproduction took about three months, from September to November; writing the script, building the team, selecting locations for filming, almost everything was shot in the Dom Radio, except for the cinema theatre scene, preparing storyboards, collecting costumes, and so on. Dom Radio’s total floor area is more than 11 thousand square metres, it is a complex building with a large number of offices, rehearsal rooms and former recording studios, as well as an intricate system of stairs, corridors, and foyers. Location selection and test shooting took up the lion’s share of the entire process of filming preparation in order to avoid mistakes when working with film, as well as due to the rehearsal schedule of the mA Dance troupe, which at that moment was releasing a new performance which premiered in early December.
The careful pre-production helped a lot because if we hadn’t shot this film in three days, it could have taken months to wait for the next opportunity.
How long were you on set for after that?
Filming took three days: two day shifts and one night shift at the cinema theatre, on the 29th and 30th of November, and the 1st of December. We were pressed in time because of the upcoming premiere, as well as because the Dom Radio is a large cultural institution hosting many collectives, like the orchestra, choir, educational programme, and so on. It was a very long and painstaking process to schedule the availability of locations so as not to interfere with the work of colleagues and public events that went on in parallel with the filming. The careful pre-production helped a lot because if we hadn’t shot this film in three days, it could have taken months to wait for the next opportunity.
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Why was 4:3 the appropriate aspect ratio for this project?
Due to the specifications of the film camera we employed, we were restricted to a 4:3 aspect ratio. While this limitation constrained our shooting options, it also allowed us to explore a more creative approach to image-making. I believe that the 4:3 aspect ratio imparts a sense of classical cinema, reminiscent of the black-and-white filmmaking era, thereby enhancing the authenticity of scenes depicting the past.
Aside from the scheduling, what challenges did shooting in such a busy and particular location bring?
Despite the fact that the selected locations themselves are as textured as possible and historically very reliable, we still had to master the objects and bring them to the imagery that we needed in the frame. It also took a longer time primarily because the spaces of the Dom Radio are property of historical value and cultural heritage, and any changes to them had to be negotiated and approved, in some rooms it was impossible even to turn on and off the light autonomously, one had to contact the electrician who did this through a switchboard on request.
How much of the film evolved during post-production? Did anything major shift during that part of the film’s construction?
Some scenes were never included in the final cut, for example, one of the most crowded scenes, which was filmed in the lobby of the Dom Radio, using about 40 extras and equipment like a dolly, lighting fixtures, sleeves, and so on. According to the idea, the scene was supposed to transfer the viewer into the modern era, as well as into the space of love and acceptance, which works in contrast with the turmoil of the 20th century, which the characters exist in. In the final cut, it was decided that we still want to focus more on the story of the heroine and her journey into the history of the Dom Radio, and leave the idea ‘memory is history’ as the main line.
Despite the fact that the selected locations themselves are as textured as possible and historically very reliable, we still had to master the objects and bring them to the imagery that we needed in the frame.
It’s a short which is driven as much by music as it is by choreography and the architecture of Dom Radio. How did the music inform the edit?
The music carries impressive power and strength, complete with its own story and legend. Our editing approach seeks to capture the intricacies, tempo, and rhythm of the music. During a session with Teodor Currentzis, he shared his insights on how he interprets the music, identifying optimal points for cuts and areas where minimal cuts could enhance synchronization with the score.
How involved were you with the development of the choreography? What were you looking for from your performers?
Since 2022, I have been collaborating in a creative partnership with Choreographer Anastasia Peshkova, which started with the establishment of the musicAeterna dance company. All the cast members featured in this film are regular participants of musicAeterna dance. In choreography academic and non-academic styles converge with physical theater and everyday movement. MusicAeterna Dance explores a variety of contemporary dance techniques and languages. We draw inspiration from the principles of absurd theater, the ‘total theater’ of Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski, Pina Bausch’s dance theater, as well as Butoh, flying-low, and countertechnique, while primarily searching for new, yet undiscovered means of plastic expressiveness. The work on the film was structured around a principle we developed during our previous spectacles and performances.
When I spoke to Anastasia about our approach she said: “Every major idea from Anna inspires me, and I think, ‘What a fantastic idea, I can generate so much from this’. In the process of creating choreography, we draw upon the personalities, backgrounds, and characteristics of the dancers. Subsequently, the mise-en-scène we develop inspires us to incorporate new locations into the film. For instance, for a long time I wished to work with a narrow corridor, and Anna found a way to incorporate this idea into the overall narrative of the film. Surprisingly, the most challenging aspect was the heroine’s solo, as it appears to be the simplest in the film. This was the final phase of filming, and we struggled for a long time to identify the shooting location. In the context of that solo the location informed and inspired the choreographic language.”
What will we see from you next?
I am currently working on a performance inspired by Vladimir Mayakovsky’s play Mystery-Bouffe, which is set to premiere in November 2024. In a post-apocalyptic abstract landscape where the past encounters the future, a group of dancers seeks meaning in chaos, truth in absurdity, and life in struggle. The concept is rooted in the integration of several streams: the philosophy of Constructivism, the principles of Vsevolod Meyerhold’s biomechanics, and a literary foundation. Constructivism provides a framework for developing the artistic content and visual style of the performance. Our goal is to create a dynamic performance that reflects a rapidly changing world that cannot escape its own destruction.
