SAINTE BARBE Directed By Claude Barras, Cédric Louis

Tell us about your film?

 It’s about passing values on to the next generation. The grandfather’s beard is a metaphor showing how a child can get over his grief more easily if he has positive memories of the deceased. 

SYNOPSIS: Can the affection between a little bald boy and his bearded grandfather survive death? Yes, it can, especially if the boy is resourceful and inspired by the old man’s rebellious spirit.

How did you come up with the idea for the film?

Cédric had the idea first one day when he’d just shaved / trimmed his beard and was letting the wind blow away the trimmings / hair. I’d previously told him the story of my grandfather disappearing in the forest, to be found a few months later, dead beside a dried up river bed. 

Was this a school project?

No, it’s our third animated short.

How did you find your team? 

We’ve been working in Geneva with a loyal team for two years. For music and post-production, we met Michael (NFB producer) at the Hiroshima festival. He liked our imaginative world and suggested we come to the NFB in Montreal for sound recording with Pierre-Yves Drapeau and Normand Roger. We also did image post-production with the NFB Animation Studio. It was a very valuable experience and we hope to repeat it for our next film.

How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

About eight months from the initial concept to financing, then three months of preparation with six people to make the sets and puppets. An eight-week shoot using three shooting stages and nine people, then two months for sound and image post-production. So in all around two years.

What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

The trickiest and most complicated part of stop motion animation is that you absolutely must edit the film, using the storyboard, before the shoot. You can’t forget anything about the animability of the characters or details of the sets. You have to make a big conceptual effort to visualize how it will turn out. The last few weeks before the shoot were especially stressful. The actual shoot was euphoric, like a liberation. But during the final edit, when you’d like an extra cut-away shot, or you get a new idea, you have to calm down and do with what you’ve shot! It can be frustrating.

Tell us about the film festival experience so far.

I love the presence of the audience at our film screenings, though I’m nervous every time. I’m always amazed how the same film can get such different reactions. Sometimes I feel we’ve totally failed, other times I’m really happy that we’ve managed to convey something emotional to the audience.

What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

Seeing other films.

What films or filmmakers inspire you?

Sean Penn, Clint Eastwood, Tim Burton, Pic Pic André, Chan-wook Park, the Dardenne brothers, Chris Marker, Terry Guilliams, Jim Jarmusch.

What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

Meeting other people in animation, especially Cédric Louis, with whom we directed most of our films. He always has three or four scripts in his head, which is good for me as I prefer actual shooting. Cédric hates admin, so I take care of production. We complement each other very well.

What is next for you?

We’re just starting a new stop motion short this summer, Land of the Heads. It’s a tragicomic story about the divorce of a very old couple of vampires who collect children’s heads. We’re also working on a feature, again stop motion, adapted from a French novel entitled Autobiographie d’une courgette.

What is next for the film?

Sainte Barbe will launch as the pre-feature in Switzerland, and then continue its mini world tour of the festivals. It’s always difficult to predict a film’s career. All we can say is, have a safe journey!

If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film what would it be?

Never start shooting without meticulous preparation and a script you’re absolutely sure of.