![]() The brief was both very open creatively and specific on concept. ![]() It all took shape in very close collaboration with the creative director Richard Flintham at 101. How detailed was the brief? Were you given quite a lot of creative freedom to capture a specific tone? It was slow cooking, it is easier to stay focused that way. It felt that the concept would be best served by multiple narratives and sometimes non-linear structures, so this is what we set out to do on the shoot as well as in the editing process. There are multiple narratives and details going on – how did you stay focused on your vision? The French Connection films are sensual and funny and the more you view them the more things are revealed. He was at one point going even bigger, but we restrained ourselves. We did think we were going to have an exploding bunny on our screens for a moment there. The other challenge, is the usual one, covering in a short amount of time a very ambitious amount of shots. We didn’t want the film to be posty and overcooked, but to look spontaneous and strangely believable. The challenge was to get the special effects right in order to do as much as possible in camera, and to give the maximum amount of elements for the post. We went digital as we needed to shoot on the Phantom to achieve the speeds required for the shots. The shooting time of each scene/portrait varied in length, depending on the actor’s performance and getting the timing and rhythm right when developing their expressions, also depended on the complexity of the lighting needed for the shot. We had to squeeze in 6 character portraits per day, in mostly daylight situations, so we did not have the luxury of time. The longest process was actually the casting, we ended up casting 450 actors for the 13 characters. Did it take forever to get the one-takes working? You’ve created 13 one-take portrayals for Ergo. How would you describe your visual language?Īnd where do you draw your inspiration from? ![]() We think and breathe a project when we are in the middle of it. We haven’t thought about doing it differently.ĭo the boundaries of home and work life constantly blur? It insures there is always a critical eye present throughout. ![]() Is it easier working as a pair? Could you imagine doing it alone? So we overlap and part, then overlap again in pretty much all the stages of the process. We have always liked to escape defined roles. How does your working relationship operate? Do you have defined roles? In a way we wanted to include a bit more of the before and after and make longer sentences. Our ‘observational’ photographic work is also very ‘filmic’, in the sense that the characters always look ‘inhabited’ by a story that we can only just imagine. We have always based our photographic work on mini scenarios and on the premise of a before and an after to the still image. What triggered your move into directing film? Challenging, yes, but we found it to be a very interesting part of the process. Working with actors (and non actors) for film was the next step. Some of our photographic projects actually involved working with actors and we always found it to be a very rewarding experience that provided a different dynamic to the shoot and the final end result. Now their campaign for Ergo – perceptive slo-mo up-close portrayals reflecting “understanding” – will be airing throughout the year in Europe.Ĭoming from a stills background did you find it challenging to direct actors for film? Leila and Damien De Blinkk caught our eye with their fluid and beautiful direction for French Connection and HTC (see Related Content).
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