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LE CLIP C’EST CHIC!
French Video-Makers in the News
Paris
20/09/2004 -
There are the out-and-out stars in the video world, the Jean-Baptiste Mondinos and Stéphane Sednaouis who dream up images for the likes of Madonna, U2 and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Then there is the off-the-wall specialist, Michel Gondry, who has managed to create a surreal visual universe to accompany Björk's weird and wonderful music. Then there are those who emerged in the 1990s, accompanying the rise of the French electro movement, the so-called "French Touch." Of these Ludovic Houplain and Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, who cut their teeth on the French scene, have gone on to make a name for themselves abroad, working with the likes of Massive Attack, Röyksopp and Goldfrapp.
Judging by the wealth of talent involved in the "Beats & Images" conference at the "Maison européenne de la photographie," however, the afore-mentioned clip-makers are only the tip of the French iceberg. Although it has to be said, apart from Charles Petit, none of the other participants are really known outside a tight circle of initiates. Content for the moment to weave their magic on the underground, these video artists are experimenting with cutting-edge technology, inventing new fusions of music and image. A new generation of talent is emerging, spearheaded by the likes of Paris-based video-maker Xerak, a totally self-taught and self-financed entrepreneur who describes himself as "a total all-round artist." Xerak is a one-man sound-and-music extravaganza, in fact, producing his own compositions and recordings, designing his own album covers, making his own video clips and working with computer interfacing to reproduce his music live in concert.
Meanwhile, other young video-makers, many of whom, like Xavier Boissarie, come from the world of game programming, are pushing back barriers in other domains. Working with cutting-edge musicians, Boissarie has invented his own video concept, Bandonéon, which through simple interaction via a mouse or a skateboard linked to the computer, allows users to fly through an imaginary city, crashing into trees and buildings. Every crash produces a burst of music. Boissarie describes his concept as being "more of a sensorial experience than a narrative" and adds that previous demonstrations of his virtual town have proved a big hit with the public. "There was this one guy who stayed on two hours, exploring the city," he says, "I guess it's a pretty cheap form of hallugogenic!"
In France, it is clear there is no lack of ideas or technical know-how - the missing link is television. No mainstream French television channel devotes the slightest bit of airtime to music videos any longer. Internet obviously provides an alternative means for clip-makers to broadcast their work, but many of those involved in the "Beats & Images" conference appeared to think that DVD offers the most promising form of alternative. French artists have recently been exploiting the medium to the max. The group Dionysos accompanied their latest release, Whatever the Weather, with a short film which went far beyond the usual tour shots or "behind the scenes making of the album." And in June this year, Les Troublemakers shot a veritable mini-feature film, given to fans who bought a copy of their second album, Express Way. Video is not just a means of creative expression, it seems, but also a cunning ploy to stop people downloading music from the Internet for free.
Charles Petit : "Not so caught up in the dictates of the Anglo-Saxon scene."
After a series of noted collaborations with French electro stars such as Super Discount and Alex Gopher, Charles Petit now divides his time between shooting music videos and making TV ads. Petit is in great demand abroad, but still finds time to keep an eye on what's going on on the French scene back home.
RFI Musique: Would you say a video clip helps build a reputation abroad ?
Chris Petit: Yes, there's no doubt about that! We've got used to making clips almost exclusively for export, knowing in advance there was next to no chance of them being seen in France. We didn't necessarily produce them with the idea they'd get shown abroad, either. The clips were made to help French independent labels promote their artists and strike deals with Japanese and American labels. Obviously, if after that the clips get shown at a music festival, then that's going to help raise an artist's profile!
Would you say there's a particular style of French video-making ?
Well, it's hard to define really. I wouldn't say there's any coherence between different video-makers working on the French scene. I think if there is a French 'style', it has more to do with the care we take over artistic direction and the final production touches we're concerned with adding. But that's maybe something only people watching our work abroad would be able to pick up. We're too closely involved with our work to take an objective view. Maybe what I can say is that French video clips have more freedom of expression. We're not so caught up in following the dictates of the Anglo-Saxon scene and, as we tend to not give so much of a damn about all that, we end up doing something different. We slip in by the back door and take them by surprise!
So it's like that other famous 'cultural exception', French cinema ?
No, I'd say it's more to do with what's going on in schools right now, the way graphic design and the fine arts are taught. Over the past few years, we've seen a whole hotbed of young video-makers emerging from art colleges and film schools – and there are a lot of women involved as well as men! Let's not forget, the whole video scene has also taken off thanks to funding from the CNC (the "Centre national de cinématographie") and the FCM ("Fonds pour la création musical"). A lot of young video-makers got their careers off the ground by making clips which were 100% financed by these funding bodies. You don't necessarily get that kind of funding in other countries!
Another thing is, there's a new breed of video-maker emerging on the scene today, young clip-makers between 23 and 30 who are impressive multi-taskers. That's something I've seen myself over the past five years or so. These guys can write scenarios, draw storyboards, shoot the video, then edit it and take care of post-production. That kind of video-maker just wasn't around before, apart from someone like Michel Gondry who was already working that way over a decade ago.
We can thank technical progress in the computer world, then?
Yes, absolutely! There's some brilliant software out there today and it doesn't even cost much!
Dyonisos Whatever the weather (Tréma) 2003
Troublemakers Express way (Blue Note) 2004
Xavier Boissarie's video Bandonéon will be at the "Numérique Festival" at La Villette (Paris) 21 September – 3 October 2004.
Ludovic Basque
Translation : Julie Street
