Nafta, a film production company founded eight years ago, has recently started looking for foreign partners. “At the moment, we are researching the market and promoting ourselves. Our aim is to attract film producers to come and shoot in Estonia, ” explains producer Esko Rips. “Why should international film studios come to produce in Estonia? One of the reasons is our stable political system. Money does not simply vanish into thin air, as has been known to happen in some other countries where labour costs are cheaper,” adds Diana Mikita, a junior producer at Nafta. “We work together with some of the most talented directors and cinematographers, and our experienced specialists have versatile technical skills that allow our clients to order both pre- and post-production services all from one place, saving time and money.” “The name Nafta (in translation “oil” – ed.) was selected as it is short, clear and memorable,” explains Esko Rips. “Whether we want it or not, oil is something we come into contact with directly or indirectly every day,” he says, with a smile. Nafta produces commercials, shorts and full-length feature films, as well as TV series. Therefore, Nafta is able to offer the whole range of services of producing moving images, which includes pre-production, creating the storyboard, casting actors and securing shooting locations, costumes and props. This is followed by the production process up to editing the
Esko Rips
film material and colour grading. In addition, Nafta also offers sound mixing, after which the finished work is delivered to customers. “This is the range of our services. Considering our technical basis, I believe we are able to compete with foreign competitors in every phase of film production,” confirms Esko. And Diana adds, “Anyone interested in making a commercial or feature film can get a full package from us, from the creative side and technical implementation to post-production.”
Best acknowledgement: cooperation with Disney Channel Russia Therefore, Nafta is not only a service provider but a film production company in its own right. During its first years of existence, the company mainly produced TV commercials. However, in 2007 Nafta started producing short and feature films more actively, while also engaging in the development and production of series. Today’s Nafta has co-produced the feature film “Bad Hair Friday” (“Vasaku jala reede”, 2012), which attracted the 2nd largest audience to Estonian cinemas, and produced six short films, two TV series, two documentary films and about 250 commercial clips. “With reference to short films, we’re proud to note that “Must Peeter” (Black Peter – ed.) won the award for Best Estonian Short Film in 2008,” says Diana Mikita. She adds that their largest TV series to date, the science-fiction comedy “IT Planet”, which was contracted by the Estonian commercial TV station TV3, was produced solely by Nafta Films, whereas the youth series “Posle Shkoly” (After School – ed.) was coproduced with the Disney Russia representation and was aired on the Russian Channel One.
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I LIFE IN ESTONIA
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