For the last Nova Prod campaign, the agency Young & Rubicam asked to 8 directors to create a film on a musical style to illustrate the Grand Mix. Director at Passion Pictures, Romain Ségaud (Imagina 2003 Grand Prize for Tim Tom, his end study short co-directed with Christel Pougeoise at Supinfocom) has chosen the theme of ELECTRO to make a journey in a colourful world where its use of organic elements and its sense of space work wonders. This humorous film called some details with its director.

Note: interviewed in february 2008.

- How did you start with the creative brief ? What did you bring to it ?

The Nova campaign organized by Young & Rubicam is primarily based on posters. It is only when the creative process started that creatives of the agency had searched for interested directors to adapt these print visuals in animated films. Thus the brief was "make a funny film from the posters that we are currently developing." I decided to choose electro ( "electro, the intimate conviction that all music has not yet been explored"), which later became the principal displays ( "Nova, the intimate conviction that all music has not yet been explored ")...
I liked very much the basic idea of flying over musical islands styles. Unfortunately, we had to refine in order to avoid a 5-minutes film which catalog all styles of music. So the creatives and I came to an agreement: "Let's seek the most delirious ideas and keep only what caricature the music best." Then we had enough material to make a selection and thus favouring certain music as compared to others.
In addition to the ideas of the poster (agency Y&R), I have been able to develop the acoustic guitar farmer, the cascade of beer, the earthworm "rainbow", a Jacuzzi filled with breasts, the car ghetto Blaster ...
Once the ideas has been set up, I made a storyboard then an animatic (animated storyboards). This enables the linking of ideas and gives rhythm to the film. The whole team has then used it to develop the film.

- Can you give us some insight on the various stages of development ?

Once the ideas have been sorted and selected, I draw a storyboard that I submit for approval. Then I scan and edit this storyboard : it's the shooting-board or "animatic." When it's finished, I contact the people with whom I enjoy working to develop the designs of the characters and decorations. When the designs are approved, they move to color. These painted gouache characters and scenery are then scanned, cleaned and separated into different layers in Photoshop. These images are finally animated and calculated in After Effects.

- How long did the production of this film last ?

first brief : end of august 2007
final film : mid-november 2007
release : mid-january 2008

- What was the technical challenge for this film ?

I used to make cut paper movies with photographs. This is the first time I use illustrations. It is a longer work but I had this idea in mind for a long time! We also mixed shots (water, splash ,...) with the illustration and it works really well. Some people believe there is 3D whereas it is not the case ... It's just a mixture of techniques.

- Any upcoming projects ?

I am working on various french and english commercials tenders plus a generic for France 2.

Credits :

Title : Electro
Media : TV, cinema, Internet
Client : Radio Nova
Agency : Young & Rubicam
Agency manager : Xavier Barbagelata, Géraldine Hincelin & Pierre de la Caffinière
Client manager : Bruno Delport, Eric Karnbauer & Marc H’Limi
Tv producer : Nicolas Gilliot & Valérie Montiel
Creative Director : Les Six
Art director : Jessica Gerard Huet
Copywriter : Jean-François Bouchet
Production company : Passion Paris
Producer : Marc Bodin-Joyeux
Director : Romain Segaud
Character design : Laurent Nicolas
Character grading : Landry Munoz
Set design : Daniel Cacouault, Brigitte Riboux
Compositing : Benjamin Binjo
Sound design : Nova Owl