Documentary Project: Heart Horse

Heart Horse – Documentary By Michael Firus and Ildikó Varga from Michael Firus on Vimeo.

Every now and then in one’s cinematic career, there comes moments where time stands still. These moments possess an element of sheer and blatant beauty. OK, without sounding too romantic, one such moment took place at a shoot for a documentary that I am currently shooting, editing and directing. The following images are stills isolated from the footage I shot as part of a documentary that I am currently creating.

Over the last few weeks, I have been undertaking a few projects, but none has seen such creative investment than this one.

This particular project is a short documentary on a horse expert and trainer Ildiko (Ildi) Varga living in a small country town in the alps of north-eastern Victoria, Australia.

michael-firus-still-image-from-video_documentary-project-on-ildiko-varga-8 — We decided to utilize the early morning fog to create an ethereal aesthetic

michael-firus-still-image-from-video_documentary-project-on-ildiko-varga-2 — An introductory shot introducing the documentary’s protagonist Ildiko (Ildi) Varga. The contrast between the colors in the mise en scene; the vibrant red of her hair and the deep green of the field creates cinematic contrast.

For this particular shoot, I really wanted to capture the poetry of a rivers dance as the mighty horse moved through its lapping shallows. To do this safely, it became apparent that a large camera could not be used, since the blocking I envisaged for the camera would be one of the most dangerous in terms of the equipment’s well-being. I wanted nothing less than for the camera to be as close as possible to the action, capturing a perspective that I have never seen, and I hope, neither would my audience.