Vadim Yusov: biography, films, pedagogical activity

This is the most talented cameraman of the Soviet Union and Russia. Vadim Yusov created a large number of films together with George Danelia, Sergei Bondarchuk, Andrei Tarkovsky and many other filmmakers.

Biography of the legend

He was born in a small village of the Leningrad region under the name of Klavdino in 1929 on April 20. After graduation I moved to live in Moscow and went there to work at the metal products plant. Having worked for almost three years, I realized that the soul lies in a completely different profession.

Vadim Yusov, the chief operator of the Soviet Union, decides to enter the Cinematography Institute at the camera faculty. At the institute he passed the school of BI Volchek. In 1954, he received an education, and immediately becomes an assistant operator at the "Mosfilm", and after only three years becomes an operator-director at the same film studio.

The first serious work with which he appeared as a production director was the painting "The Roller and the Violin" by Andrei Tarkovsky. After the debut, the work of Yusov and Tarkovsky continued. They took together such masterpieces as "Andrei Rublev", "Soryalis" and "Ivanovo childhood".

After the success of these paintings, the director of photography was offered a job in such films as "Do not Grieve!" And "I Walk Through Moscow" by Georgy Danelia, and "Boris Godunov" and "They Fought for Their Country" by Sergei Bondarchuk.

Since 1968, Vadim Yusov is a well-deserved figure in the art of the RSFSR. On October 3, 1979 he was awarded the title People's Artist of the RSFSR, and in 1982 he received the Lenin Prize. Since 1983, Vadim Yusov - cameraman and head of the department of camera skills. He taught young directors the mastery that he himself had, reading lectures in VGIK. He was a professor of the department.

Unfortunately, in the 84th year a unique cameraman, director and actor Vadim Yusov died. August 23, 2013 he was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

The motto of Yusov

The cameraman loved his work very much, he could talk about it for hours. He praised her and told me how difficult it is. In his monologue one can learn a lot about the author himself and his life priorities. Despite the fact that Vadim Yusov, whose personal life was inextricably linked with the cinema, worked for almost thirty years as an operator, confessed that he still knew too little about his profession. He liked to say: "There is no hard work, it can be interesting" - which was his motto for life.

It is difficult to imagine that the operator, who shot a huge number of film masterpieces, was once fired from the Mosfilm studio because of lack of ability. To date, all have noted his high professionalism, which technically far ahead of his time.

Back in 1963, when filming the film "I walk around Moscow," the officials who were watching the painting were amazed at how they could remove it without a helicopter. And when shooting "They fought for their country" to the operator, military officials were so imbued that they presented him with a helicopter as a token of respect. And Vadim Yusov, as a dedicated operator, used it in the film, taking off in the fall.

Work Style

To his work he treated with special trepidation and all responsibility. In his work on paintings from other operators, he was distinguished by the thoroughness of the choice of light and nature, the selection of the necessary optical and stabilization equipment, a selection of the composition of the frame, and at the same time an academic approach.

At that time the film industry was not in its prime, to get the right and unique frame it was necessary to constantly improve the shooting technique and equipment to make a great film. Vadim Yusov, the main cameraman of the films "Ivan's Childhood" and "Andrey Rublev" by Andrei Tarkovsky, himself invented the devices for the specific camera movement necessary for these pictures.

Prizes and awards

For all his creative work, he received a huge number of awards and awards. He was encouraged as a reward for his contribution to the creative activity in general, and for separately taken pictures.

In his collection three awards "Nika", received in 1991, 1992 and 2004. The first two were presented to the best cameraman for the films "Passport" and "Prorva", and the third - "For Contribution to Cinematographic Criticism, Education and Science".

In addition to "Nicky", for the film "Prorva", Vadim Yusov received the "Constellation" prize in 1993 for the outstanding shooting of performers, and in 1992 at the CF of French films in Chalon - the CIDALC award.

For the painting "I walk around Moscow" in 1964 he was awarded the prize of the WCF. And in 1977, for the film "They Fought for the Motherland", released in 1975, he was awarded the RSFSR State Prize for the Brothers Vasilyev.

It was symbolic to receive the Lenin Prize in 1982 for the film "Karl Marx. Youth". In 1984 he was awarded the State Prize, as well as the Order of the IV degree "For Services to the Fatherland" in 1996.

It is worth noting receiving in 2002 a special prize from the President of Russia "For outstanding contribution to the development of Russian cinema."

In 2010 he received the last award in his life - the Order of Honor.

Filmography

For all his creative career, he not only made films, but in some he also shot himself. So, in the film "Kopeika", filmed in 2002, he not only worked as an operator, but also starred in an episodic role.

Mostly he starred in documentary films. These include: "Russian artist Alexei Shmarinov", "Man in the frame", "Vasily Merkuriev. While the heart beats, "" Great Combinator "," Islands ", etc. Yusov tried his hand and as a screenwriter. So in 1974, the light came out the movie "Purely English Murder," the operator and screenwriter of which was Vadim Yusov.

As for his camera work, the pictures he shot are difficult to even count. More than thirty films were published with the light hand of the master. The most popular of them were: "They fought for their Motherland", "Do not worry," "Solaris", "Andrei Rublev," "I walk around Moscow," "Ivan's childhood," and many others.

"I'm walking around Moscow"

The picture was published in 1963. A huge crew was working on the film, and Georgy Danelia, the director, and Vadim Yusov, the main cameraman, were responsible. Photos of Moscow in the sixties, captured on film, still awake in us nostalgia today. Over these years, the capital has changed simply beyond recognition.

In the picture "I walk around Moscow" in a completely new light saw the capital. It was shown more picturesquely and plastically. Frames of wet asphalt, removed after the summer rain, hurrying passers-by against the background of static architectural plans, panoramic images of the city, taken from the upper points - all this gave the painting an extraordinary depth and filled with a unique atmosphere.

"They fought for their country"

The second most popular, however, not important, is the picture taken by Vadim Yusov. A 1975 film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk. The film is based on the novel by Mikhail Sholokhov. The action of the painting takes place at the most terrible time for the Soviet people, when the entire course of the war was broken in a bloody battle, but, unfortunately, in this battle a large number of officers and soldiers of the Soviet Army died.