Lunch with Brume, cailloux et métaphysique

Interview with Lisa Matuszak, director of Brume, cailloux et métaphysique [Mist, Pebbles and Metaphysics] 

Of Brume, cailloux et métaphysique, the first to appear is mist. Why were you interested in this type of “fog”?

It was initially a purely aesthetic desire. I really like misty landscapes, they lend a sense of mystery, a certain mystique. And that worked well with the mood of the film I was trying to make.

Are you receptive to the Beauty of Nature and to observing Nature? Had you already worked on wildlife films?

Absolutely. I think that’s pretty obvious in my film. Nature is a big source of inspiration. I think artists in general are receptive to observing Nature, because it entails aesthetic questions about light, perspective, colors, and how to retranscribe them in images.

I have never worked on wildlife films.

Why did you decide to give your characters animal faces? Could they not have had human ones?

It was foremost a question of personal preference: I like working with animal characters; I feel more at home with them than with human beings.

It’s also easier to create a personality by drawing an animal, especially if you’re not super great at character design, like I’m not. I chose a fox, which corresponds to a mysterious, contemplative character. At the opposite extreme, a duck is a really funny animal that fit well with a naive, joyful character.

Also in Brume, cailloux et métaphysique we don’t see where the characters come from or how they live. Did you imagine back stories for each of the two characters?

Absolutely not..

Why do you think we throw stones into the water.

I think it’s because it’s fun to do.

How did you work on the drawings, especially the movement effects in the film?

It’s 2D animation in TVpaint.

Do you think that all spaces are open to metaphysics?

Yes, of course. But some obviously more so than others. But then again, why shouldn’t we wonder about the meaning of life when we’re brushing our teeth?

What role does water play in your creative work? Do you prefer it to be still, flowing, violent, falling…?

No idea. The same goes for mist: water is handy for composing an image because it provides a reflective surface and it’s quite pretty.

But, I guess if I had to choose, still water is the best since it obviates extra animation and all that work with After Effects.

How did you come up with the pace for the characters in Brume, cailloux et métaphysique ?

I didn’t really think about it. My idea was just that the fox wouldn’t get up until the end of the film, which indicates a conscious decision on his part. I imagined the duck as more of a magical, other-worldly kind of spirit, amidst the rain and mist, and who was very different in terms of moving a lot.

Do you think short film is effective in questioning the meaning of family and of “macro” social units?

I don’t know what you mean by “macro social dynamics”, but if you mean questioning society in general, then I think not. Short films after all have a very limited audience. Before doing animation, I myself didn’t know the first thing about short film festivals and markets, which are nevertheless very important and interesting.

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Brume, cailloux et métaphysique is being shown in National Competition F11.