Makhaev (TV miniseries)

Makhaev
Genre	Military drama
Written by	Oskar Larsson Yuri Kaspov Manuel Delakreuz
Directed by	Markus Greylinger
Opening theme	"Makhaev"
Ending theme	"Men of Eastval"
Composer(s)	Rolf Lundbarg
Country of origin	Radictistan
Original language(s)	Radictistani
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producer(s)	Klas Wernheim
Cinematography	Konrad Sein
Running time	544 minutes
Release
Original network	RBS Two RBS HD
Picture format	HDTV (1080i) 16:9 PAL (576i) 16:9
Original release	September 4 (2010-09-04) – October 9, 2010 (2010-10-09)

Makhaev is a 2010 television series produced by the Radictistan Broadcasting Service and aired on its flagship entertainment channel RBS Two in six parts. The series tells the story of a young Hyarpsur man from his early life in the blutstats to his attendance at the Royal Military Academy, Redford and becoming a commissioned officer in the Royal Radictistan Army. The army cooperated with the production of the series which was the most expensive on Radictistani television to date. Six episodes were produced each of 90-minutes duration. The series enjoyed consistently high ratings during its inaugural broadcast and was edited into a pair of cinematic features.

Synopsis

The main character is Boris Makhaev, a young man living in one of the blutstats of Capstat, a city in the Radictistani county of Hyarpsur. Over the course of the series he is admitted to and attends the Royal Military Academy, Redford where he must deal with his unfamiliarity with the customs of the upper classes and the prejudice exhibited there against those of his social background. The horrors of his past also catch up with him. Against the odds, Makhaev eventually comes to thrive at the academy and graduates with the expectation of a distinguished career.

Cast

• Karl Woyzeck as Cadet (commissioned as Lieutenant in "Officer") Boris Makhaev, a young man from the Capstat blutstat who is admitted to the Royal Military Academy, Redford for training as an officer of the Royal Radictistan Army.
• Dieter Spann as Cadet (commissioned as Lieutenant in "Officer") Rupert Lazheier. The younger son of a Count, Lazheier is representative of the Radictistani aristocracy and serves as one of the primary antagonists to Makhaev.
• Ranulf Yerhasen as Captain (later Major) Ulrik Bernard, one of the senior instructors at the RMA.
• Manfred Eumann as Cadet (commissioned as Lieutenant in "Officer") Friedrik Kamp, a cadet of middle class background and Makhaev's roommate at the RMA.
• Erika Schwansen as Katerina Shopov, a local woman with whom Makhaev begins a relationship in "Cadet."

Episodes

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Viewership (millions)
1	Blutstater	Markus Greylinger	Oskar Larsson	9/4/2010	6.02
2	Cadet	Markus Greylinger	Oskar Larsson	9/11/2010	5.78
3	Outcast	Markus Greylinger	Yuri Kaspov	9/18/2010	5.75
4	Wounded	Markus Greylinger	Yuri Kaspov	9/25/2010	5.63
5	First	Markus Greylinger	Manuel Delakreuz	10/2/2010	5.87
6	Officer	Markus Greylinger	Manuel Delakreuz	10/9/2010	5.91

Production

The series was shot on film using the Super 16 format. A 1080p24 digital master was then created for final production of television and cinematic release. Postproduction was performed at RBS facilities in Nuxenstat.

Budget

The series had a total budget of over R$68 million, making it the most expensive television series in Radictistan to date by a considerable margin. The production utilized large numbers of extras for scenes filmed at the Royal Military Academy and on the backlot. Some episodes, most notably "Wounded" and "First" contained complex special effects sequences.

Filming locations

Exterior shots of the RMA were produced on location outside the very buildings depicted in the story. The first episode of the series, "Blutstater" also included aerial footage of the Capstat blustat. All other filming was done at Keimbald Studios in Westwoodsur, the home of many large-scale RBS productions. Each pair of episodes was shot back-to-back with principal photogaphy occuring from February to May of 2010.

Broadcast

The series premiered on RBS Two. All six episodes were broadcast simultaneously at standard and 1080i high definition (on RBS HD) over a six-week period. The series was a resounding ratings success with more than five and a half million households tuning in to each installment.

Cinema

In order to help recoup the considerable costs of production, the six-part series was edited into a pair of films, Makhaev: Beginnings and Makhaev: Journeys for cinematic release. The two films had a combined runtime of 312 minutes, down from the 544 minutes of the original series. Beginnings was released in January 2011 and Journeys in April. The two films achieved modest success at the box office.