Produced By - Collecting Filming Experience Across Various Cultures | #34: Andreas Gregoras

Starting point is 00:00:01 Hello and welcome to Produced Buy. Just quickly before we begin, if we enjoy the show, please consider supporting it by joining our Patreon. You can choose from a list of memberships and we'll receive some exciting rewards. Thank you and back to the episode. Hello Andreas, thank you for joining us and welcome to the show. Hello, Thomas, thank you for inviting me. So for the beginning, can you please introduce yourself? Yes.

Starting point is 00:00:34 My name is Andreas. I'm 23 years old. I was born in Cyprus and I stayed there until I was about 12 or 13, at which point I moved with my family to Dubai and I completed my education there in Dubai. And once I finished high school, I went to the UK to study Phil Mat Middle Sex, university, after which I went back to Cyprus to complete my military service for 14 months. And after I completed my military service, I've been searching for different freelance projects, videography and photography projects. And I've also been applying to internships and stuff like that.

Starting point is 00:01:30 That's interesting. You've been to quite a few places. If you don't mind, I'm just curious. Is that compulsory to do the military service in Cyprus? Yeah, it's compulsory. Actually, it used to be, I think, up until a few years, it was two years. But thankfully, they've reduced it recently to 14 months. Oh, I see. Yeah. It was an interesting experience. Yeah. And is that... I hope it's not silly question, but north or south Cyprus?

Starting point is 00:02:16 South, South. So the Greek Cypriot part of the country. So how did you find the military service? I know this is not a podcast obviously about military, I don't meet people with such experience often. So can you briefly say how did you find it? Yeah. So in the beginning it was a bit hard because usually, by the way, it's only compulsory for males in Cyprus.

Starting point is 00:02:54 So females don't have to do it. And they usually do it right after finishing high school. because as I said before I was in Dubai, I studied at university first and then I went and then I did it. So and because I was away from Cyprus for a few years, I had to readjust to the country as well. So the initial process was a bit hard for me, but it was very interesting because I did things that I wouldn't have done otherwise. I took part in military exercises and, yes, stuff along those lines. And have you been preparing physically for that in advance? Yes. I mean, I had the choice to choose to which branch of the army I wanted to go.

Starting point is 00:03:54 I wasn't guaranteed that I was going to get it, but I had the choice to say what I preferred and one of the options was special forces but I didn't choose that so I didn't have to prepare us physically as as much physically but yeah I tried to prepare as much as I could by running and stuff yeah and what is the age when you need to go there I mean it's there's no age limit I think I mean, there is an age limit, but usually you just go there once you're done with high school. So most people are 18 or 17, but I was a bit older. I was 21, I think, yeah, 21. So does it work that way that if there was some kind of, you know, situation that would require soldiers,

Starting point is 00:04:59 you would need to come back to defend and fight for the country. Yeah, so if there was some incident, I would receive a notice, and then I would have to go back to Cyprus. Yeah, that's interesting. That was just a little sideway that I'm curious, but I know that this is not a military podcast, so let's come back to your career.

Starting point is 00:05:28 How was it growing up in Cyprus? You said you've been there for 12 years, so how was it? Yes, yes. I mean, it's a relatively calm country. It's not a big, it's a small island. So Cyprus is a small country. So, yeah, so I was able as a child to play outside and just explore. But, yes, I was just a child, so I didn't.

Starting point is 00:06:00 do anything special in Cyprus but yeah I remember those years in a positive light yeah I've never been there so I don't really know but is it warm there the whole year and you know you can go swimming to the sea because it's island obviously is there a beautiful weather all the time yeah I mean the weather is mostly nice even in the winter it's not that cold i mean it's cold but not like northern countries and my house was really close to the beach so i used to spend a lot of time there yeah many tourists come for the beaches of cyprus so what then led you to dubai so my father got a job here in dubai and so we just relocated

Starting point is 00:07:00 with my whole family. So you are already prepared for the weather? How is the weather in Dubai, is it warmer than Cyprus? Yeah, it's definitely hotter than Cyprus. And I wouldn't say there are seasons here in Dubai. It's just always warm. Yeah. So, yeah. So you have to spend a lot of time inside if you want to survive in the air condition.

Starting point is 00:07:41 Yeah, I can imagine. So when did your interest in filmmaking or media begin? Was it when you moved or were you already into it before you moved? Well, my exposure to films and television started when I was really young. And my father took me to the cinema for the first time when I was four or five to watch the jungle book. And I also, as a child, I used to spend a lot of time with my grandparents. And I used to watch Gunsmoke with my grandfather every evening. For those who don't know, it's, Jan Smoke is a really old

Starting point is 00:08:29 Cowboy series from the USA. Okay. My parents also used to buy me a lot. Yeah, yeah, it's really old. Yeah, and my parents also used to buy me a lot of DVDs. So I spent a lot of time watching TV shows and films. So television and cinema have always been part of my life to some extent.

Starting point is 00:09:01 But it was when I moved to Dubai that I first started thinking about being involved in actually making movies. But at that point, I thought that maybe I wanted to be an actor because as a child, that's your reference point. you see the actors on screen. So I thought that maybe I wanted to be an actor. And then at around 15 or 16, I discovered Tarantino. So I think I don't remember exactly which was the first film of his I watched, but I think it was Inglorious Bastards or The Hateful Eight, one of these two. And I don't know what it was about them, but for some reason I thought they were amazing.

Starting point is 00:09:57 And I felt like his movies were giving me something that other movies didn't give me. I felt like he knew what I wanted to watch and he was just giving it to me. So at that point, when I discovered Tarantino, I started thinking that consciously that maybe I want to actually be behind the camera. make the movies yeah so that's how my interesting film started and did you know already back then what kind of role would you want to do if director camera person producer or something else yeah actually from from the beginning from when i discovered arandino i wanted to be a director because I have a lot of ideas and so I thought that being a director would allow me to bring those ideas to life yeah to bring my own ideas to life

Starting point is 00:11:06 yeah so I wonder how is it in in Dubai when it comes to opportunities to pursue such a career because I guess in London it's easier thanks to the industry here the university and the whole of film industry is growing here but what is it like to Dubai or even UA in general I mean there's quite a few opportunities to work in film but I mean not actually film me there are a lot of marketing agencies which work with big brands so there are a lot of opportunities to work in the production department of such companies. But there are also some, in recent years,

Starting point is 00:11:59 there have been a lot of Hollywood and Bollywood productions that come to film in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi. I think people know which productions I'm talking about, probably fast and furious and mission impossible. And I think, yeah, And I think some James Bond films also shot here in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. And also Dune, the recent Deni Vilner film. So, yeah, there are actually some opportunities to work in big cinema productions,

Starting point is 00:12:39 but it's mostly marketing agencies. Always when someone or when I think about a film in Dubai or United Air Emirates, this scene from Fast and Furious comes to my mind. It's just legendary. So do they come to fill there because of... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, they go from one skyscraper to the other one with this super expensive car. Oh my god, there was something. And can you say because you live there so maybe you know better, but do they come to film there? because it's Dubai, you know, well-known city and some like a symbol of, let's say, luxury or wealth.

Starting point is 00:13:31 Or are there maybe some incentives from the government as well? So that it's easier for the productions to go there. Yeah. I mean, I don't know the specifics. But from leaving here, I can assume certain things. First of all, I know that when Hollywood thinks of exotic locations, they probably think of the desert and other such locations. And the UAE is a really advanced Middle Eastern country. So it's really easy for such productions to come here to the UAE and find accommodation and advanced resources.

Starting point is 00:14:15 and there's also a lot of local talent. So, yeah, the UA makes it really easy for such productions to come here and film. Yeah, and the desert is also really accessible from the center of the city. So, I mean, it's not very close, but everything is connected here in the UAE. So it's not like a big expedition to go out there and. film in the desert. Yeah, that was actually my next question, because as someone who's never been there, I wonder what is it like to go to the desert?

Starting point is 00:14:57 Is it like, I don't know, 20 minutes out of the city center and you are outside of the city and there is a huge desert or what is it like in there? Yeah. I mean, the whole of the UAE and but. I'll mostly speak of Dubai because that's where I know the most about. Up until a few years ago, very recently, it was, everything was a desert. And they advanced really quickly from the... So they started advancing, I think, closed from near the sea and expanding backwards deeper into the desert.

Starting point is 00:15:43 So the center of Dubai, when you're in the center of Dubai, you don't really know that you are in the desert. You can't see it. I mean, you can feel it because of the weather because it's really hot. But you don't feel like you're in the desert. Once you start moving from the center outwards, nearer to the outskirts of the city, you start seeing more sand. So you realize that you are. starting to go get closer to the desert and from the center of Dubai to really go outside and see the actual desert i think it's probably 45 minutes and it looks just like the movies

Starting point is 00:16:34 you can see the sand dunes and the mountains one thing which surprised me is is that there are mountains which look like Mars. So it's not just sand dunes. It sounds like a perfect film in location. And I was just going to say that you've got these giant worms in a sand like in the dune. No spoilers for people who haven't seen the dune. Yeah, close your area. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:17:10 Can you give a little comparison between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. How would you compare it to someone who's never been there to these two cities? Yeah, I've only been to Abu Dhabit twice, so I don't have a lot of experience living in Abu Dhabi. But the main differences that I saw is that Dubai is more advanced and it's more appealing to visitors and tourists. because Dubai's economy relies more on tourists and expats, but because Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, they have, I think their economy is based more on the natural resources that they have.

Starting point is 00:18:05 So they didn't have the need to make Abu Dhabi as appealing for the tourists as Dubai did. Yeah, so superficially, Dubai is a more visually attractive city. Yeah, I was going to say before that, I guess it's maybe one of the reasons why productions filmed there, because you've got these famous landmarks, right, such as the Burj Khalifa or Burj al-Arab and others. Yeah, so it's really cool. I hope to visit the city one day or even the country. So coming back to your career, what were your first steps when you decided that you want to become a filmmaker? Did you start looking for a university or what did you do?

Starting point is 00:18:56 Yeah. So I started making from the age of, I mean, even younger. I was making skits with my brother. but before the age of 12, I wasn't doing it purposefully. I was just doing it for fun. So once I decided that I wanted to pursue film, I started making more skits with my brother, but purposefully and doing a bit more advanced stuff. And I also decided that I wanted to actually study film at university.

Starting point is 00:19:44 So I applied to film schools in the United Kingdom through UCAS. And I was accepted to a few of them and I finally decided to go to Middlesex. Okay. And I just wonder why didn't you study in UAE because of opportunities? Actually, there's a Middlesex University here in Dubai as well. So I did have the opportunity to study here. I was accepted here as well. But I just wanted to go to the United Kingdom for the experience. And because I know that London is an industry hub,

Starting point is 00:20:29 so I thought there would be more opportunities there. So that's the main reason. Yeah. And one question a bit unrelated, but I wonder what languages do speak? Yeah, I speak Greek. That's my native language. And English, of course. And Arabic as well or not? I did Arabic for one year at school when I first moved here in Dubai, but then I had the choice of choosing other languages. wages. So I did French for three years and then I did Spanish for two.

Starting point is 00:21:18 So I know a bit of Spanish but not being advanced. So you don't need really to know Arabic to be able to speak with others in Dubai because English is spoken along there? Yeah, yeah. You don't really need to know to speak Arabic to to live, to communicate effectively with people. Because Dubai relies so much on tourism, and it's a really international and westernized city. And actually, I think the locals are a minority of the population here. So most people speak English, so there's not really a need for anyone.

Starting point is 00:22:09 to learn Arabic but it's just good to learn Arabic for we get closer to the culture if you're living here yeah and i guess great impression if you show to someone that you speak arabic which is quite difficult language if you haven't been speaking that since your childhood cool yeah so how was it how was it when you moved to to the uk What are your first impressions? I actually went to the UK as a tourist a few times before I moved there. So I wasn't too surprised about what I encountered there. But I really enjoyed the fact that because it's a world center, London, it's a cultural center.

Starting point is 00:23:00 There are a lot of things to do like things. theaters and cinemas and even independent cinemas. So it was really, so London made a really positive impression on me initially. Yeah, yeah. And was it, the course was specifically film? Yeah, I mean, the actual name of the degree was BA Film. So it was a Bachelor of Arts in Film.

Starting point is 00:23:29 but I had the opportunity to specialize in a certain area of field and I chose directing. So as I was moving along the course, I was taking lessons that more aligned towards directing. So you entered the course with specializing and directing in your mind and it stayed with you until the end of the course, right? Yeah. Oh, that's good. So we've been polishing those skills for those three years. Yeah, yeah. I actually was lucky enough that I got to direct, I think I directed every short film that I did at university except one or two. So I was lacking in that regard. Yeah. Do you want to tell us more about your fine university project? It's usually the big one. So,

Starting point is 00:24:31 So if you want to introduce it to us a bit. Yeah. So for the final year and the final project, I was writing a story by my, I mean, I was going to be the writer and director for my final project. So I started writing it. But unfortunately, we didn't complete it because my university experience was disrupted by COVID. Oh, yeah. So half of the second year and the full of the third.

Starting point is 00:25:11 Yeah, yeah. So half of the second year and the whole of the third year was completely disrupted by COVID. I mean, we never stopped working on the field. I mean, me and my team. But in the end, we couldn't do it because I was forced to move back to Dubai. and there weren't any flights. So even if I wanted to, I couldn't travel back to the UK. So for my final project, I actually did a director's treatment

Starting point is 00:25:46 for what the film would have been had I showed it. Do you want to give us a little elevator pitch? What was the project about? Yeah. Everybody listening. If any producer is listening to this and your interest, give me a call. So, yeah, so the story was about a man who lost his wife. She died.

Starting point is 00:26:26 And in order to get through his grief, he made an endrored. he made an Android version of his wife. And so he was living with a robot version of his wife essentially. But in the end, he realized that it's not something that will actually feel the whole that the death of his wife left. And so in the end, he decides to terminate it. and it was supposed to be about 10 minutes long and the way I was imagining it was a bit like

Starting point is 00:27:10 a bit of a strange vibe like some of Yorgozlanthimos films Oh, he's Greek, right? Yeah, I see. Yeah, yeah, he's a Greek director, yeah. I know there is a now film in cinemas from him that seems to be quite well received I haven't seen it I don't know much about it

Starting point is 00:27:34 but I read and seems like quite successful director yeah yeah I don't think it's been released yet but I've also read a lot of positive reviews from

Starting point is 00:27:49 critics who've seen the film yeah it seems to be really successful yeah I assume you've seen the previous films. I think I've seen a few, but I don't remember them that well. But if you remember, can you give a recommendation to some listeners to check some of his films or one of his films?

Starting point is 00:28:15 Yeah. I mean, I think he's mostly known for one of his first films called Dog Tooth, which is a really weird premise. I don't know if I can't even explain it, if I would do it justice. And I also enjoyed the killing of a sacred deer. That's an English language film with... Maybe Nicole Kidman? Or Colin Farrell? Yeah, with Nicole Kim.

Starting point is 00:28:49 Another really well-known actor, but I forget his name now. Isn't it Colin Ferrer? Yeah, yeah, cool, fire. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I can also recommend to people to watch it. I don't remember it, but I remember it was really weird. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:29:12 I mean, most of his films are really strange. But they are good, strange. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I'm curious, since you were also the writer behind your short film, what were your reasoning behind such a story or what led you to write this type of story? Yeah. So before I started writing, we had a few meetings with the rest of the crew. And since it was a group project, we started brainstorming about different ideas.

Starting point is 00:29:53 and so Louisa the sound designer said something and then that sparked an idea that I thought about and then that idea led to something else and eventually I thought of this idea

Starting point is 00:30:10 and I started writing about this so the idea wasn't there from the beginning I just arrived to be slowly through yeah through discussions with the rest of the

Starting point is 00:30:23 of the team and brains. If you want to boost your online presents, check out our digital marketing agency called Trailblazed. You can also enroll in a Skillshare course called the 10 tips on how to succeed in your creative career, which was inspired by the podcast. Lastly, make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter called Creative Spotlight to stay up to date with the show and more.

Starting point is 00:30:49 Links are in the show notes. Thanks. And were you planning to somehow incorporate some sci-fi aspects? Since you said it was a robot, were you planning to show it somehow or would it be like just a person behaving differently? Yeah, I was actually considering to have the ending of the robot wife to be kind of violent. and I was planning to show the blood of the robot, which I wanted it to be blue. I was inspired by a video game,

Starting point is 00:31:31 which I didn't play, but I watched videos of it on YouTube. I think it's called Detroit Become Human. So, yeah, I was inspired by a bit of sci-fi. I mean, yeah. there would have been some sci-fi aspects to the story. Yeah. Yeah, that's shame that you couldn't finish it.

Starting point is 00:31:57 And how was your director's paperwork? Was it okay? Did you manage to finish uni successfully? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I finished on time successfully. I mean, of course, I wish I could have made my final film. So I missed out on that, which is what the whole university experience leads up to. But, yeah, I mean, I managed to adapt successfully and I finished on time.

Starting point is 00:32:37 And I also think that, if I'm not mistaken, I think during the second, second half of the second year I was going to work on your film but I think that got cancelled as well yeah unfortunately

Starting point is 00:32:55 it did it it was a what can I say it was a perfect timing but I felt the same it's like the moment we are waiting for everyone has this mindset that

Starting point is 00:33:09 final film in their third year is like will help you to open the doors to the industry and then you cannot make it. What can we do? It was disappointing. Yeah. Because now I'm seeing some students that are now in their final year and they are going to film festivals. And so I'm kind of sad that I didn't get to do that. But I'm hoping to do that in the future outside of university.

Starting point is 00:33:43 Yeah, I agree. So you moved back to UAE. How was it then? Did you move back to UK? Once it was possible or did you stay? So after I went to the UAE during COVID, I moved back to Cyprus to do my military service. So that's when the military service happened. It was just after I finished university. And once I finished my military service, I moved back to London to search for job opportunities there. And at that point, I got in touch with a location manager who worked on a lot of productions in film and TV. and we were messaging back and forth and just as it seemed that perhaps I was going to get on a project

Starting point is 00:34:49 the actor's strike came and so everything was cancelled and so unfortunately I didn't get to yeah but I got to yeah but I got to

Starting point is 00:35:05 meet a lady who was living in my building and so I did some Instagram reels for her so at least I got to get some experience in videography and editing So what kind of reals were they?

Starting point is 00:35:24 So she was planning to make it to start an online company to help women specifically follow their aspirations using AI because as you know AI has been really famous in recent months.

Starting point is 00:35:47 Yeah, yeah. And so I filmed a few Instagram reels where she was introducing the company. Yeah, that sounds like a good experience. So they were basically productive. Yeah, yeah. I would ask you one question coming back to the COVID, despite what happened, and how unfortunate it was. Is there something that you look back

Starting point is 00:36:12 and it's something positive that you take out that whole situation? Because I understand it basically ruined your plans as plans of most of the people, but was there maybe something that you look back and we are glad that it

Starting point is 00:36:28 happened? There's not anything that stands out where I say, I'm glad it happened that way. But there's a few lessons I learned in that whole process. The main reason was a more creative and technical, sorry, the first lesson was a more creative and technical one,

Starting point is 00:36:52 which was because I had a lot of time to sit by myself in my room because of lockdown. I was thinking a lot about my creative process. And because the way it worked at university, because things move fast, I was writing the script concurrently with trying to develop it as a director. So I realized during that time that I would, in my professional life, I would much prefer to actually write a script and finish it and then take off the writer's hat and put on the director's hat. hadn't started and work that way. Yeah, yeah. Because that process caused a lot of confusion.

Starting point is 00:37:50 Yeah, but it worked out in the end. Anyway. But another lesson I learned is that something about myself is that I'm able to adapt to unforeseen. in circumstances and to perform successfully even in hard during hard periods of yeah yeah it's yeah that's great because I know how bad the situation it was but it's good always when there is something good that you can take out of it obviously so how did your career progress after you filmed those reals what what were doing afterwards

Starting point is 00:38:37 Since then, I've done a photography project where I filmed some current university students. They were going to have a ball for the end of their academic year. And so I took some photographs of them. And I also... And the other project that I'm currently working on is that I'm designing a logo for a pharmacy in Cyprus. And I also took some product photography pictures for that same pharmacy.

Starting point is 00:39:25 So I'm finding small projects here and there to do. yeah so but you are based in Dubai right now you are working for yeah someone in cypress so yeah like what market are you working in or do you plan to work in London well the idea my ideal market that I'd like to work in is film and high-end TV but for the time being I'm not that picky I'm just trying to get as much experience as I can in recording video and editing and writing. And it doesn't really matter to me in which industry it is as long as it relates to videography and photography and the technical aspects of filmmaking.

Starting point is 00:40:23 So I guess there isn't really a special area that we would focus on. It's more like to get a broad experience when it comes to filmmaking and videography as you said. Yeah, yeah. And I'm hoping that through that experience, I'll be able to get a job in the film industry. And do you have a specific job in the industry in mind? Maybe, you know, what would you want to do? Initially, I'd like to work as a runner

Starting point is 00:40:59 and perhaps as a camera trainee. So that those are entry-level roles for those who don't know. And by working those roles, I'll get experience on working on set and see how things in professional sets work. So I'm, yeah, so I'm hoping to get a job as a runner or as a camera training. And it will be your ultimate goal to become director, as we discussed before. Yeah, yeah, that's my ultimate goal. I mean, good luck. Sounds good.

Starting point is 00:41:48 I'm planning to stay in Dubai or move, or it depends on opportunities. Yeah, it depends on opportunities. I mean, even though I'm currently located in Dubai, I'm also applying to opportunities in the UK and other countries. So it just depends on what opportunities come along. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And I'm curious because of the strikes and what has been going on.

Starting point is 00:42:24 Did you notice that there may be less opportunities than before when it comes to applications because of that? During my time in the UK, I noticed a difference. Yes, there were very few opportunities, which is the main reason I left. But in Dubai, there wasn't really a huge effect because of the strikes. So I think Dubai is a good market to search for a job in. Yeah. And are there I mean, if you compare it to London, obviously there are not as many opportunities in London, I guess, when it comes to film industry. But it's also because in London you've got more people that want to work there. But when it comes to Dubai and the number of opportunities, are there also plenty of people that want to work there? So it's also competitive?

Starting point is 00:43:20 Or what is it like in there? Yeah. when I mostly apply on jobs through LinkedIn here in Dubai, and I always see at the top where it says how many applicants there are, there are hundreds of applicants. And it's the same for the UK. So I think there's a lot of demand in both countries for the jobs I'm applying for. But I think in Dubai there are a lot more opportunities that there's always new opportunities every day.

Starting point is 00:44:08 While in London, I don't know about others, but in my experience, it's just, for example, a few big companies have internships for certain periods of time. and if you don't get selected for those, then that's it. Unless you network and you find someone and you find a job through networking. But here in Dubai, there's a lot of jobs every day. So I think there's a lot more opportunities. So the probability increases for you to get a job. Yeah, yeah. And I remember you said also before that there is a lot of Bollywood productions.

Starting point is 00:44:55 Is that correct in Dubai or United Arab Emirates? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of Bollywood productions here. So do they come to film there for the same reasons as Hollywood productions? Or what are there reasons to come there? To be honest, I don't know much about Bollywood. But I would assume that it's for the same reasons. and from what I know about Bollywood

Starting point is 00:45:25 I haven't watched any Bollywood movies but I've seen clips online trailers at the cinema it appears to me that they like a lot of digital effects and Dubai has a lot of talent

Starting point is 00:45:46 for VFX and digital technology. So I'm assuming that perhaps that's one of the main reasons. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And would you be willing to work

Starting point is 00:46:01 on Bollywood productions if you get the opportunity? Yeah, yeah, of course, yeah. If an opportunity came up, I would take it. I don't discriminate against... Oh, no, no, I didn't mean like... I meant like maybe I mean, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:46:23 No, no. I mean, I won't discriminate Bollyhood just because I don't know much about it. That's what I meant. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, of course. Cool. As we spoke before about Quentin Tarata, Tino, as one of your big inspirations,

Starting point is 00:46:46 who's maybe your favorite director now, or filmmaker or even favorite film? Yeah, Tarantino is still one of my favorite filmmakers. And I also like Christopher Nolan. So two of my favorite films are Inglorious Bastards by Tarantino and Inception by Christopher Nolan. So I think I would say, I like a lot of films, but I would say these two are a constant.

Starting point is 00:47:24 And what are the reasons behind it? Well, I really like Glorious Bastards because firstly I like period films. So my aesthetic tastes are aligned with the film. And I also like it because it has two great moments of suspense. The first scene is the opening scene of the film. Where a Nazi officer... Is that in cinema? No, sorry, I don't remember it at all.

Starting point is 00:48:06 Okay, okay. So, yeah, so the first scene... Okay, no, no, you're referring to another scene. So the first thing is, I think it's, yeah, it said on the French countryside, and a Nazi officer goes to interrogate a French family that's hiding Jews. And that interrogation seems really suspenseful. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And I think aren't they hidden under the floor?

Starting point is 00:48:47 floor or something. Yeah, yeah, that's it, yeah. And so the audience doesn't know that they are hiding there, but we start to suspect that the French family is hiding someone. And then the big reveal is when we see them hiding under the floorboards. Sorry for the spoiler for anyone who doesn't see. I was going to say that. Sorry for the spoilers.

Starting point is 00:49:17 at least it's not a new movie so so yeah I'll probably be excused for spoiling and was the second scene yeah so I like yeah the second scene was set in a underground tavern where two or three undercover officers

Starting point is 00:49:46 working for I knew it that it will be this long yeah yeah yeah so two or three undercover officers

Starting point is 00:49:58 working for the British intelligence services they go to meet with a double agent with a

Starting point is 00:50:09 with a German double agent and during that meeting a Nazi officer hears them and joins them at their table and eventually he discovers that they're actually undercover British officers and then there's a big fight scene that breaks out and the moment's leading up to that that really is a stressful yeah I agree that those were

Starting point is 00:50:40 perfect and why do you like inception or sorry was it inception on interstellar. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Inception, yeah. Yeah, Inception. So I really like it for its, for the way it made me feel. It's more of an abstract reason. But I really like the non-linear way of story telling that

Starting point is 00:51:13 Christopher Nolan used us in that film and many of of his other films. I felt like that linear, non-linear way of telling a story was used really effectively in that film. And just, and because it's a complex idea that he was trying to present in the film, it's also intellectually stimulating. So I felt like the movie was challenging me.

Starting point is 00:51:42 And so it has stayed with me over the years. Yeah, maybe makes you to watch it a few times to understand everything. I think I believe that most other people have seen those films, but if anyone hasn't seen it, definitely films from both Tarantino and Chris Nolan are worth watching. I want to ask you from your, whether university experience or working experience, what are some pieces of advice that you would share to people, maybe someone who wants to get into the industry or is thinking maybe about studying film at university? Yeah, the first thing I would say is for people who are currently studying at university, I think it's important to meet as many people as you can and also develop relationships with your professors

Starting point is 00:52:50 because it's through those relationships that you're most likely to get a job after you graduate and even while you are still at university. Also the other thing is I think it's really important to develop your portfolio while you're at university so that you can use it as a calling card for getting jobs in the job the industry after you graduate.

Starting point is 00:53:19 And I think it's also really important to have a CV and get someone who actually works in the industry, or even if it's not someone who works in the industry, someone who looks at CVs for a living. I think it's important to get someone like that to look over your CV and give you some pointers that you could improve. Yeah. I think those three are the main lessons that I learned. Yeah, that's great advice, I agree.

Starting point is 00:53:55 And my favorite, a bit deeper question. Imagine if you had attention of everyone in the world, what would be your piece of advice that you would tell them? Does it need to be film related or carry related, but something that you would find, important. I mean, one thing that I always try to do is I try to avoid wishful thinking. That to me means reflecting honestly about where I am and where I'm going based on where I currently am and what I'm currently doing. And I think it's important, I think, to avoid wishful thinking

Starting point is 00:54:44 because if you don't avoid it, then you won't be doing what's best for you. Each person can adapt that to their own situation, but I think it's important to be honest with yourself. That's what I would say. Yeah, that's a good advice. is there something that I should have asked you and did not or something that you would like to share? Not really. There's nothing that I can't think of right now.

Starting point is 00:55:27 I think we've covered them. So then feel free to promote yourself or tell people where they can follow you or connect with you. So people can follow me on Instagram on my photography page. It's andy.g underscore photography.

Starting point is 00:55:54 And also you can follow me on my website, Andreas gregaras.com. And you can subscribe there for free and you'll get updated on what I'm doing if you want to support it. NDG, it sounds like some rep name. Yeah, that's interesting. story so when I was in yeah so when I was in high school my physical education

Starting point is 00:56:28 teacher used to call me Andy G because there were two Andreas in the classroom and in order to distinguish between the two of us he used to call me and DG so I thought I would take that use it no I like it because it reminds me of RDIG Sasha Barron Cohen it does

Starting point is 00:56:53 I don't know if you know it but it's amazing comedy I can only recommend it I'm having a look at it yeah yeah definitely it's it's I don't know like 20 years from now but oh my god it's so funny

Starting point is 00:57:11 you laugh but anyway I will add the links to the notes and are you like open for any collaborations because as you said before it sounds like you might be so if anyone wanted to collaborate can they reach out to you yeah yeah i'm open to collaborations internationally so if you listen to this podcast then you think we can collaborate feel free to reach out Whether you are from Africa, South America, or I don't know, Eastern Asia, feel free to reach.

Starting point is 00:57:56 Even if you live in Antarctica, I'll find a way to be there. Yeah, cool. I think we can finish it for today then. Thank you very much. It was nice to catch up. and I wish you good luck in your career and that you will reach out your ultimate goal to become a director. Thank you. Thank you for inviting me on your podcast and I also wish you good luck with everything that you do in the future. Thank you as well and speak soon. Thank you for listening. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a five-star review on your favorite podcast app, get in touch to provide your feedback or share any ideas for future guests. Thank you and see you soon.

Produced By - Collecting Filming Experience Across Various Cultures | #34: Andreas Gregoras

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