“One of the most decent people I met.” A Romanian tells the backstage of the production “The Legend of Eye”, a fantasy with Oscar actors, filmed in Apuseni

“The Legend of Eye”, a movie playing the winner of the Willem Dafoe Oscar, will enter theaters on April 25. Few know, however, that the film, a fantasy story, is fully filmed in Romania, from Transfăgărășan to the depths of the Apuseni Mountains. HotNews spoke with George Magheru, a Romanian who worked on this film, about the slides of production.

When the A24 production house – famous for movies like “Everything EveryWhere All at Once”, “Midsommar” or “Uncut Gms” – decides to launch an Epic fantasy in Romania, you already know that it will not be a story with pink elves and digital dragons. “The Legend of Eye” (launch on April 25) is a unique visual adventure, where animatronic dolls replace the CGI, and the forests of Apuseni become magical decorations for a story about courage, family and a mysterious creature named … Eyes.

Directed by Isaiah Saxon – a visionary known so far especially for his animated clips and the work behind the Ecyclopedia Painting studio – the film marks its feature -filter debut and also a change of interesting tone for A24.

The story has the story on Yuri, a shy girl (played by Helena Zengel), who discovers a wounded eye and starts on a journey that defies everything she knew about her world. Next to her, in distribution, we find the winner of the Oscar – Willem Dafoe (in the role of rigid father), Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things”) and Emily Watson (“Dune: Prophecy”).

Much of the magic of this film does not only come from the story or the practical effects, but also from the way Romania was transformed into a mythical realm-Carpathia Island.

From Transfagărășan to the depths of the Apuseni Mountains, “The Legend of Eye ” It uses our landscapes as no other international film so far. And this would not have been possible without the people behind the scenes, the Romanian team who collaborated closely with the international one.

One of them is George Magheruassistant director, who played an important role in coordinating filming – a job that means, among other things, to manage the local team, big actors, difficult field logistics and … animatronic creatures.

He told us about how it was to work on this ambitious film set in Romania, what it means to “organized chaos” behind an A24 fantasy and how it is, in fact, to stay with Willem Dafoe, but to remember that at 6 in the morning you have to organize a scene with a huge doll.

George is studying film and TV image at UNATC, but for about six years he has been working on film sets in Romania, for both local and international projects.

“I started in production, then I migrated to the Director Department and, more recently, on the technical side, in the room. In the first years, I did my” apprenticeship “to many Media East, a real job school. Then I provided services for various advertising and film production houses in Bucharest – I probably worked on several hundred ads, “he says. As for the movie, so far he has been involved in fifteen feature films, one of which is” The Gray House “, a series that says” it will break “.

“For more than a year I specialized in technical assistance in the chamber department, working as a freelance. And from June I will get involved in three feature films. A rich summer is announced and, I hope, full of beautiful projects,” adds George.

In the project “The Legend of Ochi” was brought in 2021 by Cristi Bostănescu, a Romanian producer with whom he had collaborated in the past.

“As a director assistant, my main role was to convey the essential information from the director to all the departments involved on the day of filming. This communication is vital for the rhythm and efficiency of a shooting day.

Basically, I work as a team with the first director assistant and we divide the responsibilities to the rest of the team, including production assistants. It is a position in which you must always be present, careful, calm and organized. And, ideally, to build a relationship of friendship and trust with everyone involved – from actors to technicians ”, George explains about the role that a director assistant has.

On the film set at “The Legend of Eye”, George and the other assistants were called at least 30 minutes earlier than the rest of the team, because they were the ones who had to prepare the actors, to make sure they came to costumes, makeup and hairstyle in a timely manner.

“Once the actors were ready, the actual shooting day began, and we had to keep the tranquility on the set, to make sure that there are no noises that would compromise the sound. Otherwise the sound engineer could ask for another double, if the actors' dialogue was contaminated with other voices on the background. To know how to negotiate, to temper, to support. To create a harmonious flow between all departments, ”says George.

“Romania offers all forms of relief in one country”

About choosing Romania as a country for filming this fantasy, George says Isaiah told him that he had been working on the script for about ten years.

“Romania was chosen because it offers all forms of relief in a single country, it has a talented and profitable workforce and, more recently, it also offers financial support through the Cash Rebate system. We have very good people in the industry and it feels more and more,” says George.

Also, Isaiah told the story that it inspired our country for creating this mysterious realm and because here the largest surface of intact virgin forest and the largest populations of bears, wolves and laughter from all over Europe is preserved.

Isaiah spoke about Romania in many interviews in the press in the states, saying that there is a deep feeling of mystery, both in the natural world and in the culture of people, and has been fascinated by the Romanian rural environment, where you still see carts drawn by horses, people who mow their fields and build hay, but also supermarkets.

“The Apuseni Mountains and Lake Bâlea gave us a headache, especially in the days with strong snow or when the roads froze. Sometimes the trucks could not climb. But the production team did exceptionally and we managed to take everything at the end,” George tells about the difficulties they faced.

“Hi, I'm Willem!”

The collaboration between international and Romanians was excellent, with small exceptions – as it happens when you put a few hundred people in one place, says George.

“I was a great pleasure to work on the same set as Willem Dafoe. I am a small fan and, in the first instance, it was slightly unreal for me that I happened to interact with a living legend, but this feeling passed quickly.

Because he is one of the most decent people I have met, even if he is known by the whole globe, ”George recalls.

Even their first interaction was a memorable one.

“When he arrived in Basecamp for the first day of filming-he had descended with a lust for a white X6, the car looked flawless. The man had a meal and he had observed me, timid, in the car.

Given his life experience in the field, he probably knew why I'm there, just before I introduced myself. I informed him who I am and I invite him to go to costumes to change, but not before verbalizing the appreciation for his work. It was presented: “Hi, I'm Willem!”

Hearing his penetrating voice, I thought Dr. Osbourne (no-character from the movie “The Spider”) gives me a good day. Energy, he changed the subject and asked me to show him where we were shooting.

We walked a little through the snow, to reach the edge of the hill, and I showed it the distant set from the valley. I had chronometer the road: it lasted 8-9 minutes to reach the set, from top to bottom. After seeing where he would arrive, I led him to the costumes. Later, I also went to makeup and hair.

Now I was going to get him back to the car with which he had been brought to Base and go to Set. Only he had other plans.

“Don't you see how much the car has to go there?

I remind you that he was 66 when he was telling me these things. I am surprised with his modesty, “George recalls and completes that the actor was very impressed by Romania.” Willem was still in the country after filming to explore. He went to a circuit through Romania. “

The story of the dog in Romania that arrived in Germany

Helena Zengel, although the smallest in the team, returned home with perhaps the most impressive story. In the first days spent in Romania, in a hike he met a puppy attached to the team. However, shortly, as is often the case on the roads in Romania, it was hit by a car even during filming.

George recounts that Helena, with the help of the production team, put in the car that had to take Willem Dafoe from the airport and transported the injured animal to a clinic. After healing, the dog was taken by Helena in Bucharest and did not break away from her. Helena returned with Kiwi, she named her because the first thing she ate was a fruit, back home, in Germany.