It is still dark outside. Four o'clock in the morning. Neighbors' lights are off. It is time to leave for the set. It is the beginning of a usual working day of a film set lighting crew. They are the first to arrive on the set to prepare everything before the arrival of the most important ones- directors, actors, scriptwriters, later we will read about them in the papers and hear on the radio. Yet only a few of us are aware that without their work, without a professional technical crew, there is no success.

Light and sound, sound and light-they rule on the set. The base of good quality shots is the correct alignment of the light angles achieved only by a professional technical crew and the proper gear. One of the largest studios in the United States, specializing in technical service of film sets is Essanay Studio & Lighting Company, Inc. based in Chicago. Studio Essanay has a rich history behind them. Already at the beginning of the XX century, Essanay Company worked with one of the greatest actors of all time - Charlie Chaplin. For 25 years Studio Essanay has been supplying lighting and sound facilities as well as technical service for the film set. Two friends - Wayne Kubacki and Jules Tomko have been running the company for 25 years. Nearly all sets for feature films and commercials shot in Chicago are partially done by Essanay. Wayne Kubacki who serves as vice president of the company, talks about the work on the film set and about his Polish roots.

- Could you tell us about the beginnings of your career? How did your adventure with film start?

Wayne Kubacki: I studied at Columbia College. During one of the courses my professor told me, that one of the film studios needed an associate producer. To get this position I agreed to work for free. The salary was the very fact of getting a job in the film industry. It is not medicine or engineering studies. You can graduate the best university, but without luck or the right person who will introduce you to this environment, you have no chances. After several months one of the directors I was working with- Ernie Lukas, set up his own production studio and offered me a job as a production manager. It was an exceptional opportunity. You rarely get an opportunity to take on such responsible position after working only a few months on the film set! I was very lucky. I spent the next following five years with Lucas Film Production. After that I was offered to run other Lukas company the successor of the first Essanay- Studio Lighting Company, supplying technical equipment for the film set, and 25 years ago I met Jules Tomko, whom I have the pleasure to run the company to this day supplying sound and light facilities for film sets.

- How do you remember this period? Did you enjoy working as a production manager?

WK: There are two sides to these memories. I definitely learned a lot. It was sort of an accelerated course of the film craft. Since, at that time, the commercial business was not in the best shape and we were not to busy with work, my boss, Ernie, became my mentor. He thought me the secrets of the profession, and gave me a lot of attention, I am very grateful for that today.

:- What aroused your interest in the lighting and technician profession, that you decided to become one? Thinking about film career most people dream about becoming another incarnation of Polanski, Spilberg or Al Pacino, following by fame, popularity and money. However, you chose a very responsible and less appreciated profession. Why?

WK: My father was an engineer and my grandfather an electrician. I graduated a technical high school and everybody expected me to continue the family traditions. I would like to refer to the previous question, which also answers this one.
Working as a production manager I enjoyed dealing with logistics, planning, as well as tenders. On the other hand, I had difficulties cooperating with the customers. To be gentle with someone I do not agree with is against my nature. Behind the stage everything looks different, this part is not visible.

- How do you manage then with everyday work with actors and people from cover pages, who - as we all know- can be difficult?

WK: Fortunately this does not concern me. The producers are responsible for such contacts. For me contact with them is sometimes a problem. In order to please the clients, the producers have often unreal expectations, so it can be hard.

- America is known for credits. Most new businesses are based on loans. From what I have learned about your studio, in your 25-year career you have never done any loans! How is this possible?

WK: That is not entirely true. We had only one loan, but large- $3 million! We needed this credit to buy basic equipment for our new headquarters, where we moved 10 years ago. Since then we have never again taken any loans. To maintain a high level of services, we try to be up to date with all technical novelties. Each year we spend approximately $200 to $400 000 for refurbishing the equipment. However, the money come from our earnings, not loans.

- I know that when you were starting, nearly all of your projects were commercials. For a few years now the amount of commercials shot in Chicago has been gradually decreasing. Does working with feature film, enable you to run the studio at the same high level, as before? Filming commercials is much more profitable...

WK: Fortunately, the decline of commercial production is not so dramatic. Although, it progresses an average of about 5-6 percent annually, commercials are still made. As far as financial benefits are concerned, then -as everything else-filming commercials has its positive and negative sides, just as the case with feature films.
Renting equipment for a feature film means signing a long-term contract, for several weeks to several months. Renting equipment for a commercial takes an average of one day. However, in the second case any faults or a mistake can ruin the production. It is enough that in a take of sunrise something is missing- something small-and the shooting will not take place, since there is only one sunrise during a day. This business is very unappreciative and such "slip" can have serious consequences for the future.
It is not easy to gain and maintain high position on the market. In the film industry there is a saying "You are as good as your last job". Therefore you need to be very cautious and focused on the set. Otherwise you can quickly earn, and even quicker loose.


- Which work gives you more satisfaction: On the film or the commercial set?

WK: Filming commercial is much more closer to my partner and me. We both derive from commercials, it was our first step. Myself as a production manager, Jules as a gaffer. We know much more about the secrets behind this work and we automatically feel more connected with the commercial.

- How big is the competition on the market? How do you get your hands on the projects?

WK: Usually the people and previous contacts decide on the choice of a particular technical crew for production. The company does not make a decision, but a person and his skills. The producers choose people who are easy to cooperate with on the set, so they choose the particular person who represents the company. Of course production managers, depending on the budget they have, employ a crew with well-maintained, modern equipment. Nowadays, it is difficult to make a good film, without good equipment.

- How many similar companies are in the state of Illinois?

WK: Not too many. There are a total of about 20, but they are often one-person companies with basic equipment, sometimes having their own truck for transporting the equipment. Although, there are much fewer companies supplying sound for the set.
We are not a monopolist, but in the commercial production we are the best-known company that supplies lighting and sound for the set.

- Two weeks ago we talked to Brenda Sexton about alluring the film business from Toronto and Hollywood to Chicago. It was supposed to happen due to a special tax relief introduced in 2003. How do you assess the situation today? Has this law regulation resulted in increased production in the state of Illinois?

WK: The tax relief in of our state is not as aggressive as a similar legal solutions as in other states, e.g. in New York. I believe it is not a sufficient solution, if we want Chicago to regain its earlier rank in the film industry. This does not mean however, that I do not appreciate the measures of our state authorities. If it is a first step in the right direction. Although, I do not admire the interference of politics in the film business. It was forced by the Canadian procedures. The long-term consequences can prove to be very dangerous.

- Do you have any unforgettable moments from the set?

WK: Nothing particular at the moment... Let me think for a moment. Let's return to it in a moment.

- Our readers would certainly like to know something more about your Polish roots. Have you ever been to Poland?

WK: My family is a typical case of quick assimilation. Both from my mother's side and my father's I have Polish roots. After my grandparents arrived in America they entered the American environment. It was a similar situation with my parents. I think that my mother in defiance did not teach me Polish, since she knew that she could always communicate with my father or grandmother in my presence, taking about topics which were not always anticipated for my ears. I think this is the slightly worse face of the American culture that we very quickly forget about our origins and roots.

- Did your family cultivate any Polish customs?

WK: Of course. Especially at my grandparents home. I miss those times a lot. I miss my grandmother's stuffed dumplings (pierogi), cabbage soup and mushroom soup. I have a few reminiscences, e.g. Easter, when the table was full of traditional Polish dishes. Every year in June our whole family went by the lake or river, where young Poles celebrated the shortest night of the year. During my childhood the Polish center was in around Wicker Park. I remember clearly my mother's involvement in the organization called Legion Of Young Polish Women. I cold never understand why most of them were 65 years old. My mother was the only young woman in that group.

- Do you often work with Poles on the film set?

WK: In Chicago the Polish community is so large, that I have probably had many such "unconscious contacts". Perhaps because most of these contacts were with next generation Poles as with my case. Sometimes someone shouts "Oh, Kubacki! You must be Polish!" It is a very ungrateful business, as I mentioned earlier and it is difficult for someone from the outside to breakthrough. Certainly it is worth a try, since only the ones who try may succeed.

- Have you ever thought of visiting the country of your ancestors?

WK: Yes. We planed such trip with my cousins from Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, in my case it is not so easy. During the last 20 years I have had 5 days of vacation. In this business very few people can afford to take a two weeks holiday. It can be fatal.

- What about your teamwork with Tomko? You can pride your seniority more than most today's statistical marriages!

WK: You are right. It is exactly like in a marriage! Ups and downs and no escape- you must support each other and move forward.
I think that thanks to the diversity of our interests we complement one another. Tomko prefers working on the set, I prefer dealing with the company. It is important to appreciate each other. Words of approbation or praise for a job well done create a positive atmosphere, and what follows that- contribute to the success of the company.

- Now it is time for an anecdote...

WK: I knew you are not going to forget! Oh gosh, there are so many things going on the film set each day, but I doubt they will amuse the readers. I remember one incident though. Unfortunately, it was not very funny. Because of someone's mistake our car burned down during filming. Specially adapted truck for transporting the equipment burned down in just minutes. It happened a day before next shooting. It shows what a smilingly small oversight can lead to.

- Do you think that Charlie Chaplin's spirit keeps a watch over Essanay?

WK: Well, It is a funny story with Chaplin, because he only made one film in Chicago with Essanay. He flew over in winter, at a time when it was windy and cold and the weather frightened him so much that he has never returned to Chicago. Chaplin's next movies with this studio were filmed far away from the state of Illinois.

- It sounds frightening, especially with the approaching fall. Thank you very much for the interview and I wish you many successful productions!