Le Cortège
By Pascal Blanchet & Rodolphe Saint-Gelais (Canada)
Even a casual viewing of Pascal Blanchet and Rodolphe Saint-Gelais’s stunning short Le Cortège reveals that the animators are hugely influenced by the film noir era of the 1940s and ‘50s. But other influences may be harder to decipher. “I also love the silent era, and you can find the very principles of animation in silent films,” says Saint-Gelais. “Since there’s no dialogue, every idea must be shown and clarified. That lends great efficiency to the storytelling.”
“The inspiration for the content was the relationship between the trivial and the tragic, loss, cause-and-effect,” adds Blanchet. “Aesthetically speaking, it was the Golden Age of Hollywood, the great set designs in the movies of the 1940s.”
Funded by the National Film Board of Canada, the entire project took about five years to make — with two years of full-time production. The film’s budget was about $490,000, but a huge portion of that money was allocated to the music (by Pierre Lapointe), which also included two classic songs (“Don’t’ Take the Lovers from the World” and “Lullaby,” Op.1, No. 5)
Since both directors are professional illustrators, they decided to use Photoshop to create the animation. “It’s not the easiest tool for doing animation, but it definitely allowed us to stay in an environment conducive to drawing and illustration,” says Saint-Gelais. “I think it even reinforced the very ‘sculptural’ aesthetic of the film.
According to the directors, bringing out the emotion in the viewers and having it grow through the film was one of their key challenges.“We made a sad film, so there was a constant risk of that becoming boring for the viewer,” says Saint-Gelais. Blanchet adds, “I think it was to make a film that the viewer would receive at face value, and not have them bail out. To convey the emotion of the film without it being cheesy.”
The filmmakers hope that audiences will be moved by their sensitive short. Saint Gelais adds, “Secretly, our hope is that this film will appeal both to fans of animation and a broader audience of cinephiles. It depicts life as it is — non-judgmentally. That, to us, is beauty!” Blanchet concludes, “We hope it revives an idea of dramatic beauty that has maybe fallen out of favor in cinema.” ◆