Interview with Vincent Menjou-Cortes, director of Pulsion

What inspired you to create Pulsion?
I spent a week in a theatre that welcomed us with a group of actors. We had to work in the room but had no funding for set design. I decided to work with actors on filmed improvisations on the theme of performance in natural spaces. I wanted to film people who would have discovered that the end of the world was imminent. I wanted to see how this news would or would not upset their daily lives, and what their reactions might be. The actors would come and go during that week according to their other commitments, and on the last day there was no one available. I asked the music composer to come and do the sound. I asked Leon, our stage manager, to sit next to him and, starting from the same point as with the other actors, we began shooting the film. 

What interested you in the relationship with the sound and music?
I wanted to create a drama without dialogue by relying on sound.

How did you approach the framing?
I didn’t take framing into consideration. Having very little time to shoot, we always chose obvious framings since we had to cut as little as possible in order to be able to finish on time. When I think about it, I think the main objective of the framing choices was to make people believe that these two guys were alone and that we have no idea of the world that surrounds them.

Where did the shooting take place?
We shot in Bellac in the Limousin. A charming stopover village where we were welcomed by the Théâtre du Cloître.

What do you think the future holds for short films?
A very bright future, I imagine. This format is the necessary choice for many stories and creative endeavors.

If we were to go back into lockdown, what cultural or artistic delights would you recommend to alleviate our boredom?
It’s over, we’ll never go back into lockdown again.

Pulsion is being shown in Lab Competition L4.