Lunch with Tempête sur anorak
An interview with Paul E. Cabon, director of Tempête sur anorak
What inspired you to make Storm Hits Jacket?
The film started with the picture of a person on a cliff in the middle of a snowstorm, arms spread, taking the brunt of the storm in order to conduct a sort of strange test of his anorak. From there, the rest followed.
Did you conceive this film as an imaginary projection of the possible effects of the consumption of a psychotropic substance?
No, but why not!
What animation processes did you use?
The film is a mixture of image-by-image animated drawings and digital paper cut-out animation.
Why did you choose a winter setting for your story, in the presence of snow and freezing temperatures?
If you saw snow, it wasn’t my intention! For me, the film takes place at night during a storm at an undetermined time of the year, but you are free to imagine that it is winter.
Why the cows? What do they bring to the ambiance of the film?
Cows are both super ordinary and super magical. Not many animals can brag about that paradox. All you have to do is look into their big eyes to notice the superimposition of malice and boredom.
Do you like films like The Big Lebowski by the Coen brothers? Do you have any other references in the same genre?
The Big Lebowski is one of my favorite movies. The Coen brothers are a great inspiration to me. Their stories possess a chaotic atmosphere and conserve their mystery even after the movie is over. A Serious Man comes to mind, or in another style, Burn After Reading. Those movies left a lasting impression on me and have clearly influenced my work.
Did you have a chemistry set when you were young and do you have a particular taste for scientific adventures?
Absolutely! I mixed up all the products without reading the instructions (in fact, I think that’s pretty much what everyone else did). I was quite disappointed when I didn’t succeed in blowing up the cellar of my parents’ house. The appearance of red brick precipitate still remains a big moment.
In Storm Hits Jacket, you also question our relationship with our self-image with the “selfie”. Our society lives in a constantly connected state. Do you think that the representation of one’s self – through, for example, the posts on social networks – leads us to react differently in certain situations?
I didn’t realize that I had brought up this subject in Storm Hits Jacket. Like many of my generation, I live in ambiguity in relation to social networks, the limp anxiety of constant spying, the joy of the “like”, the automatic sharing of important moments and the overuse of smileys.
You demonstrate the physical attraction between your female character and one of the male characters through a humoristic process, avoiding the emotional dimension that is linked to this attraction. Why did you choose to use this comic effect?
The two characters who are in love in this film are very shy and awkward. They haven’t yet finished getting to know each other when the film ends. They don’t dare to express their affection for each other until later, but that doesn’t prevent them in the meantime from using their imaginations. I didn’t want to sidestep the emotional scope of their relationship, but the film only shows the premises. It’s the perfect moment to laugh about it.
Storm Hits Jacket was produced in France. In your opinion, what does French short film production have that the others don’t?
We have the chance to take advantage of funding agencies that allow us to make short films and live from this work during the making of the film. The selection process remains a marathon that demands lots of energy and willpower, without the guarantee of obtaining sufficient funding at the end of the road. Despite this, it is an opportunity that authors from other countries don’t have and we need to be aware of its value.
Programme for viewing Tempête sur anorak: National Competition F7.
