Karlovy Vary International Film Festival audiences certainly come to the Czech spa town in search of cinematic gems and the best of the past year. But let’s be honest: They also come for the trailers.
KVIFF’s signature pre-screening spots have become a festival institution in their own right — exciting, often thrilling short films starring former festival guests who have been subjected to some sort of ordeal, which often includes a Crystal Globe figurine deployed in creative ways. Previous victims include Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson, Javier Bardem, Helen Mirren, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Milos Forman, Danny DeVito, Casey Affleck, Andy Garcia and John Malkovich – and you can see many of them here.
The trailers are almost always shot in black and white, and are the work of Ivan Zacharias, a Czech commercial and film director who has won several Cannes Lions awards. Audiences have been known to discuss which trailer might be dropped before a particular show even before they take their seats.
THR caught up with Zachariáš to find out how the magic happens, how he got the gig, and why it’s harder than it seems.
When did you create your first trailer for KVIFF, how did you get that job, and what star or director was it with?
Firstly, I shot a series of short ads with Eddie Marsan in 2004. But it hasn’t been part of the final series yet. It started in 2008 when Jiri Bartoska and Krzysztof Mucha asked me to try to come up with a new idea – to make the trailers a bit more consistent. I came up with the idea of creating short black and white films with actors and directors who have won awards from the festival in the past – always highlighting the award in a funny way.
We were able to shoot four small films that year. We were very lucky to get Miloš Forman, Harvey Keitel, and Danny DeVito – we shot all three in just a few days in New York and Connecticut. Then we added another day in Prague [Czech filmmaker] Vera Chytilova.
Was there a year where you couldn’t make the trailer? If so, how much have you missed it? Or have you always made time for the trailer even when you’re super busy?
Yes, there were a few years where I couldn’t do it, so I passed it on to Martin Cretchie. It’s always a bit stressful, having a limited time to shoot and also being nervous about the immediate reactions from the audience – so to have a few years without that stress has been really nice.
How early or late do you usually start thinking of ideas for a new promo, and how do you choose the star for it?
We always agree on the star very early with Kryštof. But then you start the process of finding a shooting date and obviously coming up with an idea. It’s not that smooth – I usually get some missed calls from Christophe, when I’m struggling to grasp a new idea and don’t want to acknowledge it. But we’ve always somehow managed to make it work so far.
Do the stars or the festival usually shape and change the story of the trailer in collaboration with you?
No, but a few of them tried…
Was there a trailer that was particularly difficult to produce due to the short time the busy star had between his other work?
Oh yes! The worst was the photo shoot with Benicio del Toro. He can only give us two hours. And he was in the middle Phoenician plan Shooting with Wes Anderson in Berlin. We had to determine every camera and lens position in advance, and then literally ran from shot to shot to achieve the goal during those two hours. His voiceover was recorded in his hotel room while he was changing his wardrobe for his next scene in the movie and eating a slice of pizza for lunch…not ideal…
I suppose there have been many funny and wild experiences. But is there any experience in trailer production that was particularly memorable for you?
Well, yes. For example, shoot with Johnny Depp. He arrived about three hours late, but in a good mood. I asked him to bring his guitar case – as backup. He did. And inside he had a beautiful antique Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, worth hundreds of thousands. She asked him to take it out of the bag, because he was going to hit her with the door in one of the scenes. He obviously forgot. But the guitar somehow survived…
Trailers often show KVIFF statues being handled in funny and unconventional ways. How did this idea start, and is this something that’s very Czech, not just taking things too seriously?
It was the initial idea. I think it’s good not to take yourself too seriously. And this award is not an Oscar – but even if it was… I don’t think it’s necessarily a Czech award, but I also think Czech humor is very good sometimes.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about the KVIFF ads, your work on them, and what you want people to feel when they watch them?
I’m really enjoying making these trailers despite being a little nervous. And recently I found a pleasure for myself – I also composed music for them, and it was very interesting. I want people to enjoy it – of course. And also to make them proud to have such a great film festival, where all these wonderful people are willing to act in our trailers in their spare time – for free.
