VAF 2018!

These past few months I had been working for the Viborg Animation Festival of Denmark aka VAF.

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VAF is the biggest animation festival of Denmark and I got the opportunity of being the VAF artist of the year! It means that I was responsible of the visual identity of the festival (Poster/program/tote-bags/tee-shirts/banners etc.) and the trailer/teaser of the festival. The trailer is shown before every screenings in the cinema. This year, Denmark meets France at VAF and I could really design this trailer in the style I wanted.

VAF if a 7 years old danish festival taking place in Viborg and having a VAF green dog as a mascot.

This year it happens from the 24 to the 30 of September 2018/ (so starting tomorrow) and is a combination of cinema screenings, masterclasses, talks, game exhibition, art exhibition, installations, events etc. It really is an unique festival in Europe I think.

Here is the teaser of this year VAF trailer :

CLICK HERE

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeand the final poster of the VAF 2018 festival :

When I got contacted to be the VAF artist 2018 I knew the theme of 2018 was France so I came with the "french kiss" drawing (under) primarily and one logline for my upcoming trailer :
"Two girls in two countries are not as different as they seem to be"
And that's when the real VAF adventure started for me.

>>> First concept art for the VAF 2018 visual identity

The idea of two girls meeting for the VAF trailer was accepted and I started exploring this meeting. I wanted to work even more with abstract that I normally do, even more with symmetry/asymmetry. For me the VAF artist opportunity and especially its trailer was a way to push my current narrative storytelling on SIBLINGS (the short film I'm currently working on) and my designs toward something more simple and more elegant.

>>> First idea about the two girls :

It is also at that time that I decided that the two girls will have same overall design to reduce the animation load and play with the similarities between the 2 countries.

I will post more posts later about the characters, the background, the story and its color, so stay tuned if you want to know the "behind the scenes" of the VAF 2018 visual identity!

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eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeand come to the festival from the 24 to the 30 of September 2018!

Mother's day

Today it is the Mother's day in France, and even if I am in Denmark I think strongly to my Mom in France; may tenderness cross borders.

Amour

ART Action 2017

I drew an original illustration for the amazing ART ACTION association in Paris
(A3 with color crayons).
ART Action is an association which, thanks to diverse actions help local association.

This year they do again an art auction which full profits will be donated to the BAAM association (which help refugees).
I strongly recommend you guys to go to the auction,
THIS SATURDAY 14 OF OCTOBER from 13h (with presentation of BAAM) and auction at 14h at La Bellevilloise in Paris! (until 17h)
more info here >>> THEIR WEBSITE 

(anyways a lot of awesome artists participate to it so a lot of amazing original pieces will be there too, this is your occasion to go and buy some AND DO IT FOR A GOOD CAUSE!)

Here is my piece for them : "A la piscine" ("in the pool")
done in July 2017 especially for the auction

 a little close up of these cuties

and of one of their feet

SIBLINGS -Proof of concept

SIBLINGS updates!

I just finished my first stay in Open Workshop (in Denmark). From middle March until beginning of June I worked on that project in its development phase. I networked for it, developed a pitch package and pitched SIBLINGS to a festival, and overall worked on a strong story (developed treatment ready for script) and strong characters.

Here are two approved proofs of concept for this project... 

I am now in Annecy, ready for the animation festival starting tomorrow, my business cards are ready and my accreditation taken, I will go to screenings, conferences, WIP, Making of, pitchs and parties!

So basically I will be EVERYWHERE!

Drop me a message (email/phone) if you want to meet me there!

LOVE ON UR FACE

enjoy SIBLINGS updates, and let's Annecy 2017 begins!

French National Animation Festival

Last month I went to the "French national animation festival" in Brittany (Bruz and Rennes) where I was selected to go pitching SIBLINGS (the short movie I am currently developing). It was the first time I was invited to a festival to pitch.

The week I spent there was really interesting, and I met a lot of people whom shared the same passion as me. During this week I was in charge of the Instagram of my former school "The Animation Workshop" in Viborg in order to show my perspective on what an independent animation festival is, and also what is the life of an aspiring animation filmmaker.
(as well as I was updtaing mine @love.on.ur.face)
I decided to share some of my "daily diary" of this week on my blog too so... here is the result of it!

this is the festival website : http://www.festival-film-animation.fr/
and it was located in Bruz and Rennes, in Brittany, in France : CLICK HERE (google map link)

Day one : Monday, the discovery
First thing of the day, the pass for the festival! I got mine, with my name and my status "pitch", with it I can access to the all festival for free. The two first days of the festival were mainly for schools and association, I only met 5 or 6 peoples who were above 15. But it was nice to have an ease in that festival, so I could discover a bit Bruz, eat some culinary specialty (crepes and cider miam!) and get to know my couch surfers (yes I was couch surfing there).
On Monday so, I went to a rehearsal of cine-poetry-concert with a band explaining to an elementary school audience how to record sounds from scratch. They even recorded us doing some sounds for the movie they were playing for. Then I saw some professional short films almost all in papers and it was really interesting to see so many different use of that technic.





Day two : Tuesday, the voting system
Today I went to 2 different professional screening. To reach the two main places of the festival in Bruz ("Grand logis" and "Aurea"), we just had to follow a green line on the floor! Pretty smart!
Because it is an independant festival, each screening require a ticket so the festival can register the number of people at each screening. Before entering in each "in competition" screening you receive a paper with all the name of the shorts and the directors of them for the public to vote. In that way this festival is sure everyone who sees will vote. Generally speaking someone introduce the screening you are gonna see, you see some trailers of the movie screening events of the week, the teaser of the festival and PAF, "place aux films"! I personnaly found that way really interesting because it forces the audience to think, take a side and especially associate each movie to its creators.

Moreover it was a really good weather.

Day three : Wednesday, the opening
Today was the official opening of the festival in Bruz. After having seen some workshop movies done by children or people outside of the animation industry in order to discover the filmmaking process, I went to THE event of the day : the "En sortant de l'école" ciné-concert (the extended version of the one I rehearsed on Monday). A live band played music and sounds for 13 short movies illustrating poetry of famous French poets (Appolinaire, Prévert, Devos etc.). Before each movie a short clip was introducing the work of the director of the next short. Funnily all directors were women! After some graduation movies I went to the official opening ceremony of the festival. First a speech then a big buffet, then networking and more cocktails and a special event screening by the festival. This evening was really nice as people were talking way more easily to each other as I remember this kind of event was. I think this had to do with the little-ness of the festival and the family kind of feeling of it.





Day four : Thursday, THE PITCH
Today I pitched SIBLINGS, in a cinema room with a big audience. I was the third pitch of 6 in total. People asked me precise and interesting question toward my workflow (the actionmatic), the reasons behind the length of my short etc. but generally speaking, it went REALLY WELL. The pitch and the question time was short though (10min to pitch, 5 for questions) and I can tell you now that I got more feedbacks or collaborations offers after the pitch. Funny fact though, a lot of people congratulated me on my "american" pitch; family in Florida, we are apparently not so far!
After that I went to other "transmedia" pitchs and a marathon of the french (really good!) serie "Lastman". Frankly this show is amazing, not just fights, girls and gags but a full story arcs behind, and animation and cinematography really adapted to the plot, Yes, to sm up this day was epic and tiring!






















Day five : Friday, more pitchs
Today I went to a conferences about the producers view on the film industry, then to 8 pitchs of short films, then 8 of series. Generally speaking short films were pitched by women between 20 and 30 and the series by omen and women, in group and older. In the afternoon I went to a kinda story making of, of the serie Lastman, presented by Laurent Sarfati and Joseph Jacquet and it was SO interesting! The talk was dynamic funny, Laurent explained to us how they were creating the story for each episodes, how the team worked together, and Joseph was asking deeper question or reminding Laurent about certain anecdoctes. At night I went to see 'Psicaunotas" again (I saw it last year in Annecy). Watching it again, aware of what is happening made me appreciate thismovie more, also at the French producer of "Autour de minuit" who helped a tiny bit on that movie told us about the insight of the production in that movie. And this was really interesting too!





Day six and last one : Saturday, the grand final
Today I went to a making of of the French upcoming movie of Folivari "The Big Bad Fox and other tales" (co-Directed by Benjamin Renner). I can't wait to see this movie (in Annecy or in the theaters!). Later I went to the "rendez vous" of the authors who talked about the why behind the movies and then to the price ceremony of the festival! We also thanked all the volunteers who helped making this festival come true, basically it was 90 per cent retired people from the city, huge congrats to them to make this intense festival run so smoothly! After the ceremony the prized shorts were screening so I went to see them with in mind the point of view of the jury explained earlier. It was really interesting to discover or rediscover these shorts. We finished that day by a buffet and cocktails again and I had a hard time to leave this festival definitely....

AND NOW?

So yes this festival was an amazing journey, and I feel really honored to have been selected to go to it, (because otherwise I will not have been able to go I think). I made contacts, I made friends and I made contacts who become friends. My pitch went really well and I got contacts as well as feedbacks from it. I returned to Denmark exhausted but really blessed to have lived that experience.

So from now until Annecy you can find me again at my Open Workshop spot, in the third year building of The Animation Workshop! I am currently working on the story of SIBLINGS and helping OW until the festival of Annecy!

Thanks to have read me, and I hope this was as interesting to you as it was for me,

here is for you a proper Brittany goodbye : KENAVO!

Making of STELLAR

In my 3rd year of studies at The Animation Workshop last year, as a bachelor, I made a short movie STELLAR together with 8 other classmates (from Character Animation and Computer Graphic classes).
It was actually a music video with a song from the electronic danish band Kenton Slash Demon.
I was the Editor, Animation Lead (and 2D/3D Animator), one of the Storyboarders and Character Designers. 

The video is now out on internet click HERE (vimeo link), and is on tour for festivals
-last week it go the "Best craftsmanship" prize at the Golden Egg Awards in Denmark-

I made a "making of" / behind the scenes / reflections about it, and I think now it is time to share it.
It is as long as I wish I could read about projects that interest me.
A journey is never black or white, or even grey, it has a bit of everything and, I don't know for you, but what interest me in an making off is the way of thinking and not so much the artworks.
SO be ready, read all if you can, there is artworks and links to some videos with moving explanations.

OH AND DON'T FORGET TO SEE THE ACTIONMATIC
that was the part of this project I preferred, and the one I might have learnt the most of.



so CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAKING OF

and here is just a little sneak peek at it...

In the following months I will update that website with more "making of" of my previous projects, maybe not as deep as this one, but stay tuned, if you like to see more...

Have a great Easter long week end!