Companies I have worked for on international movies:
My name is Alexandra Tzvetkova. I am a film unit publicist and custom content producer, based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Hi!
Companies I have worked for on international movies:
The Outpost was a very emotional project, for all of us invloved, because we were committed to do the real story justice.
I had the honour and responsibility to interview on camera the war veterans who came to visit the set. These were touching conversations. Director Rod Lurie liked them and included quotes in the film credits.
I was handling the unit publicity on the project but also served as a creative producer of the documentary featurette. Watch its shorter version below.
Reading the script thoroughly and researching as much as possible about the project - a priority for me during prep. Every day on set I pay attention to the shooting process and study closely the interactions between the director and the cast members - to understand the director's vision.
I talk to the actors and filmmakers from the position of a genuinely curious person, emotionally invested in the journey. I really care about how much effort went into making it all possible. Knowing how editing works I aim to moderate the conversations in a way that they easily intertwine in post.
One of my biggest strenghts is that I am able to identify the unique publicity opportunities during production. My extensive experience in PR and communications helps me in the organization and handling of all media set-visits, interviews, gallery stills, special shoots, production notes, etc. I work closely with the EPK cinematographer and still photographer and provide them with creative and production support. So we could capture and deliver fantastic material from set.
Favourite quotes from some of my EPK interviews:
"We are only on this little pale blue dot of a planet for such a short period of time and I think we all kind of will experience at some point in our lives, before we pass on to wherever, we pass on to stardust, heaven, hell, wherever - that we have to try and do some kind of good, we have to try to leave some kind of a mark, trying to help our fellow men in some way."
"When you are playing men of honor, like these, somebody who’s dedicated their lives in service of their country, there’s a great responsibility to the family and friends, and the people who are left behind. You wanna make sure that you are doing them justice.”
"Sometimes you get in projects but you don’t know why projects come to you. It’s so difficult to make choices when good projects come. In this sense I’m so lucky that I have the chance to be on this set. I’m sure that this role would give me a chance maybe to become a better actor."
"The cast was stellar, the director was pure gold so you know you are in incredible hands and that any journey you embark on with the actors and with the director is gonna be a journey of discovery."
" It feels good. The timing is right. The important thing was that there was enough depth to the story. And sort of a reason to make the movie. Ralphie has never, I guess, fully left me. A Christmas Story just winds up on in our house as well. I still get recognized a lot. I’ve stayed connected to him and to the role and it’s been really fun to approach him now as a man with his own new dreams and all the things he’s now stepping back into."
"Always with actors - see what they have to offer, let them. They have their own interpretation of the character. I listen to what they have to say and then we have discussions. Often their ideas are very good."
Heart-warming memories and wonderful stories
How often does a sequence of a movie get in the works almost 40 years after the premiere of the original? And not just any a movie - an iconic classic, with a significant influence on two generations of people, a film which still plays every Christmas in millions of homes. And then - the sequel gets to be made with the participation of most of the lead cast members from the original, well... their grown-up versions.
Never has there ever been another American film project that had to recreate authentically such iconic locations (Cleveland street and Higbees) in Eastern Europe, Bulgaria - a part of the world that lived in a very different 1970s than the US, in terms of architecture, home design, appliances, cars, phones, costumes, way of life...everything.
(a note from the unit publicist)
The story, told in the sequel, is about a time period during which most of the filmmakers involved were kids - the 1970s. Thus, the filmmaking creatives are actually able to pull things from their own childhood experiences and engrave them smoothly into the story thus making it feel as real as it could be. The filmmakers are all vigorous fans of the original story, some of them to such extend that they would rather not participate in the project than make a compromise with the tone, the style, the messages, the love of the fans and staying true and respectful to the film.
One could only imagine how much dedication, persistence, creativity and stubbornness did these filmmakers need to have in order to succeed in achieving their goals with this project, under the above mentioned circumstances and environment. But they did it, and they did it beautifully, because they were led by the absolute belief that now was the best time for this to be achieved and they were the right people to do the job. They had the same eagerness and resilience that Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd, the creators of A Christmas Story, showed back in the days.
And as one of the returning cast members R.D.Robb said about A Christmas Story Christmas: “For me, it’s my life kind of coming full circle. Just as our story does.”
Feedback from Marketing and PR executives I have worked for:
"Thank you so much for all your extraordinary work on our behalf. The material we captured during production was fantastic. You made it easy.”
"A huge thank you for all of your assistance during production, you helped us accomplish so much on set that would not have been possible without your guidance and hard work!"
"Alex, you are a star, thank you so much for everything, this is all wonderful!”
"Well done, Alex, you have done a great job capturing everything!”
