Monday, June 2nd, 2003 Article by Jean-Eric Hénault and Xen Wildman

An Interview with Tomek Baginski and Marcin Kobylecki

CGC: What are the artists that inspire you the most?

Tomek Baginski: This is another difficult question. It depends on the project. For “The Cathedral” it was Jacek Dukaj, Antonio Gaudi – gothic architects, Zdzislaw Beksinski, Rembrant, and Japanese anime artists. (And it’s not the end of the list) For “Look” project it was mostly Alphonse Mucha. Every project needs a different approach.

CGC: What is this next film project called “Undo”?

Tomek Baginski: “Undo” is not my project. It is an animation project created by one of my colleagues at Platige, Martin Wasko. It has won already several local awards and we (Platige) decided to help Martin with making a version of “Undo” for the big screen. All the work is done by Martin – we just gave him the opportunity to work in a professional environment. Shortly after finishing “Undo”, he became a part of the team. “Undo” is a very short, simple piece with a great mood. I think Martin will surprise the community in future.

CGC: When do you expect to release it?

Marcin Kobylecki: Undo is finished but we are now in the process of making film prints. It will then be distributed through Polish Theaters. It will be shown before selected feature films (same way as The Cathedral was). We also plan to submit the film to international film festivals and contests.

CGC: In a project like “Cathedral” or “Undo”, what aspect of the work do you enjoy the most?

Tomek Baginski: I always wanted to make my own films. Of course making special effects or commercials has some advantages too, but making my own stories is my main goal. Films, even the short ones, have a much longer life than commercial work, and you become remembered as an “artist” no just as a “maker”. I have a lot stories to tell in my head and making films is the best way to tell these stories.

CGC: What is the production environment like in Poland?

Marcin Kobylecki: It is very young market yet. 🙂 We work for Polish clients as well as doing international orders. Apart from that, if you will compare us with other European companies, our services are quite attractive. As well as projects accomplished with us do not vary in quality from other international productions.

CGC: What is it you like and hate the most about living and working in Poland?

Tomek Baginski: All my friends are here. I like to spend time with them. I don’t like change very much. I got accustomed to places I know. Platige is also a very good place to work. As for money, of course it is far better in US, but you are not working only for money, right? I love the people here, I love that the work in Poland, and it is not the only thing in our lives. We have the best girls in the world 😉 , very good beer too. The cost of living in Poland is also very low.

What I hate the most about working in Poland? After more than 15 years of political changes in Poland, this is still a post-communist country, so sometimes, things are not working the way they should. The government is not the best. Every year it gets a little better but there is still a lot of work to do. It’s the same with our local clients. They are improving, but they still have a lot to learn; especially when they want to control every stage of a production. We have a lot of work teaching them to trust us. At least our common goal is always to make a high-quality products. In Poland many clients still think that we only want to steal their money 😉

I also really hate our winters in Poland. I spent few weeks before the Oscars’ Ceremony in California and I really liked the fact that I could walk with nothing but a t-shirt on the beach while we only had -10 degrees C (14 degrees F) in Poland.

CGC: Where would you like to be in 5 years?

Marcin Kobylecki: For sure, everyone have their own dreams and needs. In the future we would like to do what we are doing right now, and be able to do more. Certainly we will still work on different short animated movies. This type of production really gives us lots of satisfaction. Maybe, in not so distant future, we will also start to work on feature film projects. There are some ideas, but I wouldn’t want to reveal too much right now. I’m sure that we will be able to talk about them soon.

Big thanks to both Marcin Kobylecki and Tomek Baginski who took the time to answer our many questions. I am sure they have a lot of fans out there who appreciate.

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