Close your eyes and try to imagine how sluggish the streets become bright and colorful, and the people who meet you are smiling … You know, dreams come true! Of course, not by themselves, but if people do it. Creative, bright, who love their work and life. Artem Shapyrenko from Zhytomyr is a clip-maker, and it is his dreams that can make our LIFE the way we wanted to see it together with the Zhytomyr.Travel team
«A clipmaker is first and foremost a type of thinking and a way of life. I can’t say it’s a profession or a way to make money. It’s the bigotry that makes you live, create and you can’t do it without it. This is a lifestyle»
«The director is a specialty, and the clip-maker is a peculiar branch of it, the specificity of shooting music videos and everything related to it. Clipmaking, in particular, is not separate and is not taught. The basic concepts of directing, dramaturgy, stage skills are taught in educational institutions. Clipmaker simply listens to music and interprets into some images, symbols from his imagination»
«There is the concept of «eternal commerce», which will constantly sell, and there is the concept of non-format, new social trends. Now a topical body positive or coverage of the problem of billing. I think it has even become fashionable to some extent. I also encountered bullying – I was constantly bullied at school. To me, this is not a FASHION, it is a belief – something to talk about. But there is a hype. And some people say serious things because they have to deal with it, and there are those who do it just for the sake of the hype, catch the wave and swim it: «Look at me, how fashionable am I and what I’m trying to talk about.» That is, there is a topic, and one can notice it. Somehow it works»
«There is an American rapper Drake. Last year, he released a four-minute clip in which he distributes money to people throughout the clip – donates to homeless people, and opens a school. Probably I would like to capture something with a similar message. It would definitely lay some cool social message about a good being spread like a virus. In today’s world, good is not enough»
«Recently I made a video for Anya Petrash. This is a young singer who does «commerce», but one that is not ashamed. Anya is very committed to her work: at 16, she does what artists with experience do not. We filmed a scene where a police officer presses her into the hood when detained, and quite hard. We shot this scene ten times, it was cold, she already had an injury on her forehead, but we continued to shoot. People with the same dedication who believe in your idea bribe»
«I like artists who understand what they are singing and what they want to convey the idea for. The right type of customer is a person who understands what needs to be filmed and shown in a video when visual and musical synthesis is apparent. With such approach I understand that I do my job not just so – not just make money, and it will not be just a fun picture. This will be the right message»
«It’s hard for me to say which artist I would like to work with. It’s like asking what movie you like. Since my whole life is a solid dream, I can dream of working with Western rappers. I love rap. Like Isaac Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, and pop artist Billy Eilish is cool, Beyonce. These are the tops of the industry that make great music, so you would want to work with them. With the Ukrainian like Monatic. It is not just cool: it produces good, but it hits both the head and the heart»
«I don’t study, I reckon. (Laughs) This is the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, third year of 20 years, in the course, part-time education. .. I have parents who very convincingly ask me to graduate. I don’t really understand why, but for them to fell calmer, I’ll do it. I get a «crust», I will make tea and I will have such a stand (Laughs). This is conditional, of course. I have very modern parents: they sit on social networks, send memes to each other, but the «Soviet hardening» remains. And understanding that sometime, somewhere, this «crust» may be useful to me too. I think the maximum where I can get my diploma is getting state funding for my projects. Suddenly I want to shoot a «short meter» and there will be an opportunity to get financing, that’s when I will mention the diploma»
«I have a subtle understanding of the concept of a clip. There is the term «cinema», and the term «clip» is the outer shell of music. That is, the clip screens the song, completes it and goes «in one track». A good music video has to be hypnotized in order to want to see it through «a certain form that is»
«I am free to do something that pleases me… When I am asked how much my video is worth, I reply: «The less I like music, the less it’s more worth the clip.» It’s hard to tune in when it’s not your music. And sometimes the idea is born literally at once, after five auditions, as it was with Anya Petrash. I listened to the song, told about my plan, and in one and a half weeks we prepared and filmed everything, and in two – everything was done. That is, we did all the work in a month, though sometimes it can only take a month to prepare and approve the script. At first, my mother and grandmother were very skeptical, they did not understand: «How can you make money by shooting something? It is impossible. Become an interpreter, become an interpreter.» Dad, on the contrary, gave freedom. Then the grandmother watched the clip with the words: «Listen, not bad. I even liked it.» Now they support me. Support is generally very needed. I can’t say I’m asking for it, but it’s extremely nice that they are happy, sharing, talking»
«Some of what I am doing now came spontaneously – during the 11th grade EIT. Before that, I really planned to be a translator, and even earlier, I wanted to be a cyber sportsman at all – to play in tournaments and make money. But he changed his mind, because there are more cool things in the world than sitting at the computer»
«I rarely go home. I have my own way of living in a metropolitan city. I love my city, it is very cool, but I have boiling blood: I want to be somewhere, to get acquainted, to look – I am fed from new people»
«I am interested in people without falsehood and those who understand what they want from life. I clearly know what I want. No, this does not mean that I have a schedule of exactly what I will do tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I’m just aware of the vector of my movement. Sometimes it even seems to me that my brain is programmed to take some action»
«I can’t call myself a volunteer, but I’m in favor of an interesting young cool product to develop, and I’m happy to help if I have the time»
«I recently had a birthday celebrating my 20. I peeked at an acquaintance who organized a Challenge in honor of her birthday: a charity fundraiser for clean drinking water for children from African countries and remote corners of the world. She posted a link where people could transfer money. And instead of receiving material gifts, she offered to send a dollar for water. I duplicated this promotion on my birthday and my friends send in almost $ 100. I never thought it was so pleasant: you go to the link and you see that Artem Shapyrenko has collected an amount that will allow three people a month to get drinking water. It’s so warming to the soul! So I think if I had a lot of money that I just got, I would probably give half to charity. And the other money would be spent on a house in Iceland. (Laughs). Well, you also have to live! And a wooden house, spacious and light, in which it could be cool on the walls. A space for creativity where you can go on holidays, turn off your phone and paint, paint on walls»
«I like contrasts in everything and in people as well. For example, when a person is romantic and absolutely dry at the same time. Iceland is a country of contrasts, with very different things combined: green grass and trees and snow. That’s cool and good! It was the first country that I discovered for myself as a child from the «Orel and Reshka» program. Then I saw the clip of Justin Bieber, where he is in the mountains. Iceland is a favorite country and I read a little, but from school I liked Ukrainian literature. We had a very classy teacher Maxim Stotsky who gave us readings of works not included in the school curriculum. Usually they offer to read many of some template works, where Ivasyk loves Marichka, and Marichka’s parents do not like Ivasyk something like «Kaidashev’s family». But I remember the impression of the work of Mykhailo Kotsyubynsky’s «Apple Blossom», which describes the death of a child, who the hero loses, but is powerless to do anything about it. Any feelings and reflections on the hero-artist who in his own way perceives the tragic situation, the contrasts of life that have always attracted me, listen? Only the first desks, and the back of your life. And here we read the work, the bell rings, I come back with tears in my eyes. Both girls and guys. It is one of the most vivid memories- it all struck. And at school as children»
«Comfort is important to people. Some people feel comfortable being evil, some sincere. Speaking of men, they should be gentle on their loved ones. It is strange that we boys are taught not to cry because you are a boy. Then these men grow up, close themselves, and cry all the time»
«I wish there was more warm, spiritual warmth. People should not only receive, but also give in return, not only to relatives or loved ones, but also to strangers walking on the streets. On the eve of the holidays I rode a taxi. The whole time we went in silence, and when I was leaving, the driver said to me: «I congratulate you on the coming holidays and I wish that dreams come true and the new year is a good one.» It was so strange, I was confused, but it lifted the mood! I thanked and the warmth inside was still long. We want people to give warmth to others! Ukrainian culture can be portrayed in a different way, not just in some classic and traditional way. You can and should show youth parties or reps. Social commercials should be youth-oriented, stylish, rock-solid, and social. For example, The Trouble Tribe created a commercial for PUMA called Kyiv Style. There are no actors in it – only friends, acquaintances who live in Kiev. Each and every one of them in the frame just did what they can. When removed and mounted, it came out cool. It would be good for Zhitomir to do the same»
«I love my town, my home. If you define the most beautiful place in Zhytomyr, it is Mukhailivska street, and the spiritual one is the house, the place where I grew up. Unfortunately, the town is sad and gray not because it is bad, but because people did it. If I shot a video about Zhytomyr, it would be a story about a city with bright characters – red, pink, green, which add color to the city … with such a lyrical, even a children’s song»
