Digital Tricks to Help Movie Makers Shooting the Cyrillo-Methodian Movie

4. 3. 2013

"If you hide a hitch under a chain mail and put an arrow there, it looks as if the person was shot through," says Jiří Holec, the propman, and reveals a secret from the shooting. Today's battle was to simulate an attack on the fortified Veligrad (Velehrad). Despite the fact that only three tens of men participated in the battle, there will be hundreds of them on the screen. Movie makers are helped by digital effects. "In the Czech environment, we need blue-screens enough and tricks enough to make an epic movie," claims the cameraman, David Ployhar.

Today's partial reconstruction of the battle describes events from 870 when the Great Moravian army led by Prince Svatopluk outwitted the army of Franks. "Viewers will be surprised how, even with the devices we have at our disposal, we are able to conjure some things up," the producer,Viktor Kryštof, attracts viewers.

A costly historical document, inspired by the BBC British docudramas has been emerging gradually since last June. The planned budget of sixty million Czech korunas promises an epic experience. Apart from the four part arrangement for TV screens, the production is also preparing a high-budget film for silver screens.
Within the shooting, a number of experts supervise that historical facts are correct. This is guaranteed by historians from the Moravian Museum and e.g. theologians from the Theological Faculty in Olomouc. The docudrama should be a factually accurate document and, at the same time, it should be visually so attractive to captivate even a layperson.

What will the docudrama be about?
The aim of the docudrama is to present comprehensive information about an important part of our history (the beginnings of our state and Christianity in our lands) and about exceptional personalities of the Apostles, Cyril and Methodius, who are, undoubtedly, among key persons of our history and culture. At the same time, the cycle strives to create a thrilling picture of the period of early middle ages in the 9th century.
At the beginning, we learn about the most dramatic moments from the childhood and maturing of both the brothers from Solun, we get familiarized with their destinies in Constantinople and their first mission trips to Arabia and to Khazars. After Moravian Prince Rostislav asked for Christian teachers to come to the territory of Moravia, we watch an unbelievable story of the origins of the old Slavic script (the Glagolitic alphabet) and first translations of the most important books.
After the depiction of the demanding journey of Constantine and Methodius from Constantinople to Moravia, the main part of the story begins – a dramatic fight for the assertion of Christianity in Slavic countries (especially in Moravia). In the course of their mission efforts the brothers keep colliding with still strong paganism (pagan gods and demons, common law, fortune telling and witchcraft).
In the Czech production, there has never emerged a docudrama like this, which would take place in the 9th century. This unique deed originates in the park of the open air museum at Modra close to Velehrad, where original archaeological findings from the 9th century are combined with replicas of Great Moravian buildings. It was also here that one of the centers where Cyril and Methodius worked was supposed to be located.

Main protagonists are Roman Zach, acting Methodius, and Ondřej Novák as Constantine. The cycle "Cyril and Methodius - Apostles to the Slavs" is directed by Petr Nikolaev. The shooting was supported by both Catholic and Orthodox Churches because both these institutions consider the missionaries to be fundamental historical figures.