WHEN AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO FILM?

I got into film about a year ago when I filmed my first video going to Bali with my sister. I had seen all these amazing travel videos and so I wanted to make a travel video myself.

 

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT FILM COMPARED TO OTHER MEDIUMS?

What I love about film is the fact that I can combine my two passions which are art and music. It’s the only medium where you can put them together and make something unbelievably cool that everyone can relate to.

 

WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM? 

What inspires me is we’re living in a century where there’s Youtube, Vimeo, Facbeook and you can search up new people making new content. I found a lot of film makers that way by searching on these platforms.

 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ASPECT OF FILM-MAKING? 

There are no boundaries and there’s so many different aspects and layers to it. You can make a travel or advertising video, you can do a video campaign for school, it’s limitless.

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MORE IMPORTANT - STORYTELLING OR AESTHETICS?

That’s hard. I would say aesthetics because I love making amazing images but at the same time I’m getting into storytelling which is the most important part of film making.

 

HOW USEFUL DO YOU THINK A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IS FOR GETTING INTO FILM?

I think degrees are here nowadays to broaden your concept of the future, like virtual reality and animation, that you may not hear about right now. University trains you to think and prepare for the future mediums that are about to arrive.

 

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE GENRE TO MAKE OR WATCH?

Travel film making. Travel is my passion and a lot of people’s passions if they had the chance to. Travel film making makes it possible for everyone.

 

YOU SPEAK BOTH FRENCH AND ENGLISH AND HAVE REPRESENTED THAT IN SOME OF YOUR MORE RECENT FILMS, IS REPRESENTING YOUR BILINGUAL IDENTITY IN YOUR FILMS IMPORTANT TO YOU?

For me, I speak English all the time. I have denied my background for a long time because I don’t relate to French people or French society anymore. My film ‘Renégat’ was looking at reconnecting and going back to basics. Sometimes you can feel lost because you forget where you come from so I was trying to address that in my film.

 

DO YOU UTILISE FILM TO EXPLORE YOUR PAST?

Film making is a part of me that I have realised I absolutely enjoy. If I hadn’t pursued this I would be on track to be a physics teacher. So now I am questioning who I am, where I come from and what my videos relate to. 

 

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF YOUR PROJECTS YOU'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

I have three really big projects coming up. The first one is for a company that runs five different smaller food companies. I’m working on their summer campaign, which is a lot of pressure and requires team work but I love working in that kind of environment. Secondly, I just came back from a trip to Bolivia and I’m making a video from that experience to practice my storytelling. I’m planning to tell the story of the way I saw Bolivia, not the way Bolivia is, which is going to be interesting. Finally I just got a big contract with a company to work on all their projects and soon festivals. I’m so pumped because they give you so much creative space which I’m really looking forward to.

 

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THOSE PROJECTS?

I used to work in retail for a company and worked for one of the food companies, and I now make videos for both of them. I film about 2-3 times a week for DJs events, usually for free, and I try to make contacts and talk to people. I also try to be honest. If you compliment someone’s work and don’t believe it and aren’t passionate it shows in what you do.

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DO YOU SEE A FUTURE FOR FILM THAT'S MORE INTERCONNECTED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?

Nowadays there’s an incredible amount of content uploaded online. If you compare this amount to blockbuster films being released, there’s way more on platforms like Yotuube, Vimeo or Facebook. It doesn’t make sense to spend so much time and effort climbing the ladder in the film industry, which includes giving people coffee for years without touching a camera, when you can actually do what you love now and have people atch it and make a career out of it that way. So I don’t see why you shouldn’t go into social media and look at what people want. You can engage more ith your audience and look at the comments and that’s something I can see myself doing.

 

DO YOU ENJOY ENGAGING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE?

I wouldn’t say I have a fanbase but I’ve met and spoken to a lot of people that enjoy what I do and do the same thing as me. It’s also healthier and more enjoyable to meet people that actually are in the film industry, that you’ve met through social media, and they tell you ‘Oh yeah, I was just like you. I was 21-22 when I changed my career and went to videography and now I’m making huge blockbusters’. All these different aspects can lead you to film making and film school is not the only way to get there and that’s really pleasing to know.

 

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PEOPLE TRYING TO GET INTO THE SAME POSITION YOU'RE IN?

Create, create, create. Make videos and don’t look too much at the comments and likes. Make videos you like and meet people. If you start to worry if people are liking your stuff then you won’t enjoy the work.