ARCHIVE DPT - INTERVIEW
The on-site investigation revealed the existence of a series of VHS tapes, filmed between 1985 and 1996, when the center was still in operation. These tapes were used as video archives for the study of patients considered to be "major risk subjects". These tapes have never been authenticated, however, as the DPT 53s organization officially never existed.
HFF: Hello Nicolas, tell us a bit about yourself and the genesis of your film Archive DPT. Where did the idea for this scenario come from?
NF: The origin of this film is quite unique: after the loss of a close friend, I suffered from severe sleep disorders, deprived of REM sleep for some time. I started experiencing hallucinations similar to what the main character of my film goes through. To exorcise these troubles, I decided to give them a frame, a lore, and a story to make sense of this traumatic event.
HFF: You opted for a very simple storyboard in order to give this illusion of reality filmed live via several cameras located at different angles of the room, why this choice?
NF: I am a fan of found footage (V.H.S, Poughkeepsie tape, to name a few), a genre not always appreciated by film enthusiasts. I find that the codes and constraints of this genre are a great way to promote immersion without requiring production means beyond my reach, as I am self-producing. The multi-camera approach is quite interesting for budget-limited shoots, but it's also, for me, a real choice beyond time constraints. It's a technique I particularly like for shooting sequences in master. It allows me to direct my actors in a global dynamic that shows through the entire sequence. The result is something really organic, in my opinion. For this to work, you need talented actors capable of memorizing the text and playing with nuanced intentions. I was incredibly lucky to meet Céline Berti and Emmanuel Menard, two actors who excel in this type of exercise!
HFF: How did you choose your actor Emmanuel Menard and actress Céline Berti? Did you have castings?
What were your instructions? Have you given way to improvisation?
NF: For casting my actors, I primarily looked for chemistry between my two characters. Regarding improvisation, I believe it should be framed by solid prior preparation. We had a few improvisation moments on set, keeping spontaneous reactions in the edit that enrich the film. I also enjoy reworking the text with my actors to make it fluid and authentic, avoiding overly contemporary expressions, essential to maintain the authenticity of the 90s where our story takes place.
HFF: What is your relationship with VHS? An element very present in your film. Do you have any?
NF: This film is also a tribute to VHS culture. Apart from Sunday morning cinema sessions, I mainly enriched my cinematic culture by renting VHS tapes during my childhood. The object itself is an artifact that perfectly represents my passion for horror and science fiction cinema.
HFF: The technical and formal aspect is really successful. The images in the film seem vintage, just like the sound recordings, how did you work on them? With old equipment?
NF: The technical aspect of our film is very particular and prototypical. As a trained editor, I started from the principle of having the best possible technical capture, then adjusted the settings to find a balance between the authenticity of the VHS rendering and the staging artifice in service of the story (color choices, frame structure, lighting work).
Our film was captured in 4K using modern cameras (diegetic camera hidden in a vintage VHS casing emptied for the occasion). However, the post-production required the use of vintage equipment to capture authentic glitches and tape jumps (using a BNC). To summarize the steps, we made several passes of the film on actual VHS tapes, with bands more or less deteriorated. We worked separately on some passages to have maximum control over the appearance of glitches and other tape jumps, following a precise narrative logic. Indeed, the appearances of the different creatures disrupt the recording, requiring them to appear at specific moments in the film. This was a major challenge, as we had to interact directly with the tape to maintain this level of authenticity. Then, we re-digitized these VHS tapes to integrate a second video track of higher resolution to recover color and definition. I want to thank Selim Altmane for his remarkable work on the visual authenticity of our film.
For the sound, the post-production work was done by Bastiste Coulon, sound editor and designer, who managed to maintain a perfect balance between authenticity and sound elements serving the story (extra-diegetic soundscapes, voice timbre work, creature sound effects).
HFF: Was there significant visual effets work for creatures?
NF: The CGI creatures were a colossal task done by one person, Nessim Chebaane, who was captivated by our project and took on multiple roles, from sculptor to animator to composer of CGI scenes. Based on some drawings I had made, Nessim brought these creatures to life. Usually, this work is done by distinct teams, but our limited budget didn't allow for that option.
HFF: What do you think of current cinema and the dematerialized digital format? Do you think this is a good thing?
NF: Even though nothing will ever replace a real movie theater, whether for the immersion it provides or its status as a sacred temple, I discovered many classics through the rental and purchase of VHS tapes and DVDs, and I remain convinced that discovering films, no matter the viewing context, is the most important thing.
I believe the issue lies more in certain production methods that stem from dematerialization, such as algorithm-based writing or the dominance of marketing at the expense of genuine human producers who are willing to take risks out of conviction for a talent or a story.
Ideally, the democratization through platforms should be more reflected in production, by taking risks to introduce the audience to more atypical works.
HFF: Where did your shooting take place? How long did it take?
NF: We shot in a studio that was very accommodating. A big thanks to Sylvain from Diamond Studio. Despite only two and a half days of shooting, our fantastic team brought the film I had in mind to life despite these time constraints.
HFF: Did you have specific directing references?
NF: I am a big fan of masters of horror and science fiction cinema like Carpenter, Verhoeven, and contemporary directors like Neil Blomkamp. Naming all those who influenced me would be impossible! If I had to choose one film, it would be Carpenter's The Thing, which had a major influence on me.
The further I progress in my projects, despite animation being a distinct field, it permeates my entire writing process.
In this domain, Otomo's Akira is an animation reference that deeply marked my youth and fueled my passion for storytelling through images.
HFF: What part of the film's design did you enjoy the most?
NF: The conception of this film was extremely challenging for me, given that I took on the roles of producer, writer, and director. It occupied all my thoughts for several years, bringing me both moments of adversity and happiness. I want to express my deep gratitude to the filming team because, unlike my previous experiences in directing music videos, this shoot was a real source of artistic joy thanks to their collaboration.
HFF: Has your film already been shown in a theater?
NF: Yes, thanks to the festivals that selected our film, I was able to see Archive DPT on the big screen, which was a great honor for me.
HFF: Do you have any other upcoming projects in the same genre?
NF: Archive DPT is a slightly open window into a much larger universe. With my co-writer Maxime Détournière, we are currently finalizing the script for a feature film extending the universe of this short. We are currently looking for a production company and a distributor to help us realize this ambitious project.
Archive DPT - Official Trailer
