Jolanta Malicka

(Born 1955) Also known as Jolanta Paliwoda and Jolanta Jodłowska. A camerawoman and film still photographer, she graduated from the Technical School of Photography in Łódź. While still a student, she took a three-month internship in the Se-Ma-For Studio. The permanent still photographer in Se-Ma-For, Bolesław Ciupiński, showed her a few tricks of the trade and suggested that she should take over his position. Shortly afterwards, he opened his own private photographic studio.

Malicka started permanent work in the Se-Ma-For Studio at the beginning of 1975. They had just finished production of the TV series "Przygody Misia Colargola" and "Wio, Leokadio". She took her first stills for the last episodes of these animations. Then there were "Opowiadania Muminków" and "Przygody Misia Uszatka". Initially, Malicka took stills in the 6x9 format with a wooden Mentor camera, which was very cumbersome, and with a heavy tripod. However, from the 1980s she began to use the Pentacon Six. When the opportunity arose to take colour stills, the film rolls were passed to the laboratory at the WFF [Feature Film Studio] on Łąkowa Street while the black and white prints were developed right away in the Se-Ma-For Studio labs.

Malicka has always combined taking stills with her role as assistant to the director of photography. In her private life, she became involved with camera operator Bogdan Malicki, who also worked in the Se-Ma-For Studio. "In the Studio there was more than just a friendly atmosphere" – says Malicka. "We all formed one great big family. Our whole life revolved around our films. The world of animation was our world. We would happily sit in the Studio till three in the morning to finish the film in order to obtain the desired effect.^{" 1}

For each film or episode, Malicka received a 12-exposure film. She took the photos after changes in the set decoration or after the appearance of a new puppet in the storyline. Then, with the director, she would choose six frames to be turned into promotional paper prints. "The exception was Tadeusz Wilkosz" – says Malicka – "who did not like to take stills while making the film. That's why I worked with him in a different way: after finishing the production, we stayed behind for three or four days just for the stills. Then, with Tadeusz, we set up the decoration and puppets again and that's when we photographed them. That's how I took the stills for "Trzy misie" and "Colargol".

It's a matter of some regret that Malicka took so few on-the-set production stills on the sets of Polish animations. „Back then, nobody thought of it" – she admits. "The same people had been working in the Se-Ma-For Studio for many years. It was enough for them that someone once took a picture of them working on their first film. After that, they didn't care. So even when I wanted to take some on-the-set production stills, they waved their hands around to say that it was not worth it."

In the 1990s, Malicka began working as an independent film camera operator.

Piotr Śmiałowski

Filmography of Malicka as still photographer (incomplete):

1977 - „Opowiadania Muminków”, odc. „Wiosna w dolinie”

1978 - „Colargol zdobywcą kosmosu”

1979-1987 - „Przygody Misia Uszatka”, odc. „Robota na drutach”, „Później”, „Wesołe miasteczko”, „Wrotki”, „Wyspa”, „Czajka”, „Podróż Uszatka”, „Przysługa”, „Królowa Kleopatra”, „Wycisk”, „Tajemnica”, „Stary zegar”, „Letni domek”, „Krem bez gotowania”, „Suchy prowiant”, „Strach ma wielkie oczy”

1980 - „Sekundeczka”

1981 - „Lykantropia”

1981-1982 - „Plastelinki”, odc. „Zawody”, „Bzyk, bzyk”

1981 - „Powrót Smętka”

1982-1988 - „Kolorowy świat Pacyka”, odc. „Papierowy wiatr”, „Lew w kwiatki”, „Ogródek”, „Różowa kotka”, „Papierowy teatrzyk”, „Barani upór”, „Pacykowo”, „Zielony byczek”

1983 - „Malowanki skrzatów”

1983-1986 - „Trzy misie”, odc. „Spóźniony podwieczorek”, „Leśne święto”, „Leśny trybunał”, „Niesforne myszki”, „Pomocnik bobra”, „Pożegnalny bal”

1985 - „Leśne skrzaty i kaczorek Feluś”, odc. „Kolega z Afryki”, „Wielki wyścig”

1987-1990 - „Maurycy i Hawranek”, odc. „Echo”, „Kisiu misiu”, „Przygoda z czajką”, „Sposób na mrówki”, „Piąta klepka”, „Urodziny”, „Pułapka”, „Żaba w kąpieli”, „Łakomczuch”

1987 - „Tymoteusz i Psuńcio”

1988 - „Przygód kilka wróbla Ćwirka”, odc. „Obrączka”

1988 - „Tymoteusz i łobuziaki”

1990 - „Niezwykle przygody pluszowych misiów”

1990-1992 - „Mały pingwin Pik-Pok”, odc. „Wiercipiętka”, „Pik-Pok na morzu”, „Biały miś”, „Lisek chytrusek”, „Mały Eskimos”, „Szkoła w igloo”

1991 - „Filemon i przyjaciele”

1993-2000 - „Mordziaki”, odc. „Odyseja Mordziaczka”, „Wyprawa na obcą planetę”, „Groźny olbrzym”, „Sherlock Mordziaczek”, „Wyspa Robinsona”, „Mordziaczek w krainie liliputów”, „Skrzynka marzeń”, „Wielka podróż doktora Mordziaczka”

1994 - „Legenda krakowska”

1996 - „Wigilia w lesie”

1997 - „Mamo, czy kury potrafią mówić?

2001 - „Fantastyczny sklep z kwiatami”

2004 - „Tajemnica kwiatu paproci”

2006 - „Mokra bajeczka”

2008 - „Parauszek”