The Slovak film set maker that Hollywood productions choose - MZV EN
The Slovak film set maker that Hollywood productions choose
And just like the main character William, he is also of an indigent background. But he persisted and made a name for himself among both Hollywood and domestic film crews alike. He created castles, even entire streets for the biggest film productions.
“When I was on various film sets, there were suddenly world-class names such as Bruce Willis and Nicole Kidman in front of me, a poor boy from Terchová. So somehow I became a knight like William.”
Every film crew has its architect. But their drawings are never completely detailed. This is where the skills of people like Jozef Mičo come into play. He just reads the script and already knows exactly how to create the set. That is why he enjoys working on movies.
Film crews hire Jozef Mičo not only because of his experience, but also his ability to acquire authentic material that makes the film sets even more realistic. For example, the roofs in A Knight’s Tale featured shingles from his native village of Terchová. People from all over the world saw the film and Mičo is really happy that he could promote the region he was born in.
“When I was on various film sets, there were suddenly world-class names such as Bruce Willis and Nicole Kidman in front of me, a poor boy from Terchová. So somehow I became a knight like William.”
Every film crew has its architect. But their drawings are never completely detailed. This is where the skills of people like Jozef Mičo come into play. He just reads the script and already knows exactly how to create the set. That is why he enjoys working on movies.
Film crews hire Jozef Mičo not only because of his experience, but also his ability to acquire authentic material that makes the film sets even more realistic. For example, the roofs in A Knight’s Tale featured shingles from his native village of Terchová. People from all over the world saw the film and Mičo is really happy that he could promote the region he was born in.
He perceives Slovakia as a beautiful country that has a lot to offer to top film crews.
The first film in which he involved was the 1996 fantasy adventure Dragonheart. As usual, chance played a role. The head of the film studios in Bratislava came from the same village as Jozef. He needed carpenters who knew the old craft - that is, wood that was not cut, but chopped. In the end, Mičo and his team created an awesome house opposite the monumental Strečno Castle, one of the filming locations.
In addition to A Knight’s Tale, among the dozens of films the film set maker from Terchová worked on are Dragonheart, Uprising, Hart’s War with Bruce Willis, The Peacemaker with Nicol Kidman and George Clooney, Behind Enemy Lines with Gene Hackman and Owen Wilson, and last year’s Nightsiren in a Czech/Slovak production.
For the historic film Uprising, Mičo created a 300-meter long street set in WW2 Warsaw. At the time it was described as the largest street built in Europe, featuring approximately 15- to 16-meter high buildings. They were erected on the windy riverbank close to the Bratislava city centre. He remembers that once the wind was so strong it started to shift the entire street, so they had to shore them up.
Working on Behind Enemy Lines entailed the creation of a square evoking the atmosphere of wartime Yugoslavia. The premises of an abandoned factory in Sučany, northern Slovakia, were used for this purpose. The scene was so authentic that it was depressing, the film set maker chuckles.
Still, his favorite film genre is fairy tales because everything is allowed. He believes that there is a child in each one of us, no matter our actual age. But most of all, good always triumphs over evil.
The list of famous films Jozef Mičo worked on is proof of a success story. Thanks to his creativity and hard work, he gained renown in his field and earned the respect of film set both domestic and foreign film crews.
Photos: Jozef Mičo
