Fabien Legeron

Can you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your background in filmmaking?

Born and raised in the Paris, France area in the 80’s and 90’s, I can be portrayed as a pure generational product of TV, home video and a plethora of public libraries, bookshops and the overall cultural ooze of the era… Therefore I can’t really brag about any personal merits for having been an avid viewer and reader early on. So, movies have always been the number one beacon on that personal journey.

I then discovered the practice of photography in high school, and soon got to the conclusion that given I liked writing AND making pictures , cinema was the most natural option.

The rest is just wandering, making random things and meeting cool people to make some more.

 

What inspired you to become a filmmaker, and how did you get started in the industry?

As I said, opportunity met proclivity. I had the occasion to make little shorts and comical bits with friends, then to go a nearby college that provided cinema as an education, and agregate with people to keep on doing stuff : photography, music, books, films or showings. Haven't got a real breakthrough into a career yet – but I guess I'm keeping on trying because I'm compelled to by some inner compass.

 

What was your motivation behind creating this particular film?

At first, desperation, and then, blind luck in knowing interesting people and thus, wanting to uphold whatever trust they'd put in my attempts at art.

When Daniel contacted me about his long lived project GEROSTENKORP, I had been in a creative rut for some time – everyday life and the small tragedies therein take their toll on anyone.

Amazingly, what felt like a creative emptiness vanished when this old aquaintance reached out saying “Hi, I’ve got this musical piece I’d like to make a short movie of, the only guiding idea is the word “Archangel””. The main idea and story poured right out.

In 15 minutes, I had an almost complete pitch, along with the location and an idea for the cast of the lonely angel (Jennifer Gothuey is a tremendous actress and working with her is always a bliss). So much for being dried up. And Daniel (being the instigator and first sponsor of the project) as been incredibly supportive. We got to it right away. it’sbeenveryrefreshing and liberating. Along the lines, the feminist subtext emerged very quickly, along with the general symbolism : Daniel, Jennifer and I have walked together very smoothly, it was quite an organic process : so, maybe, I’d say that the joy of creating something just for the sake of it, and the joy of seeing it not only being put together, but having its own distinctive voice, has always been the main motivation. Feeling oneself getting back on track is a wonderful motivator too.

 

Did you face any challenges during the production process? If so, ho did you over come them ?

Well, means are of the essence, and none of us is particularly rich, so we had to count for every choice and measure our moves… And of course take leaps of faith. There were the usual hit-n-miss with wardrobe and props, but the main difficulty was also one of the main blessings : the location. As with everything urbex, we were beyond the fringe of legality one this one, following the proverbial "it's better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission". The premisces are in a fairly frequented park, secluded behind heavy fences but accessible… thus fairly frequented themselves. We almost got caught on the first day of shooting and had to flee. Then it got us into more reshoots than we had expected, wich took much time and tries, with the whole crew… Yet it has been for the best, as it allowed us to paint over many of the grafitti in the meantime, and to polish the visual narration around the mansion. It’s a wonderful location, but pretty empty – my initial error was to think it did it all by just being there. It needed much more planning and manipulation through continuity, framing and editing, all things the initial drawback permitted.

 

Can you discuss the creative decisions you made while developing your film, such as the visual style or narrative approach?

As for any creative process, the options to take and the dynamics tend to impose themselves naturally. You have to be humble and follow some of the paths your project wants to take on its own, especially with anything narrative. Movie making is bound the circumstances : as you prepare, shoot and edit, the when and the where are forces to be reckoned with, and you are never absolutely free from constraints, setbacks and opportunities.

That being said, the choices we made had to be pretty logical given the project itself : it became as a music video, so we did not want any dialogue, and excluded written text as well – we wanted to keep the whole thing timeless as well. As for the aesthetics, the caracterization of the two protagonists had to be our only concern, and this had to be conveyed solely with the visuals. So, all the decisions about the make-up were the fisrt and foremost ones to be made : the pale and transluscent skin, the cabalistic signs, the quality of the eyes, and of course the wings or lack thereof, everything came pretty easily given the angelic nature of the characters – the way a creature works is of the utmost importance for the lore it sits in, and ours have a pretty straightforward logic to them. Costumes came close, with our attention set the cohesion with the creatures themselves, telling more about the context, past, and hierarchical dynamics between them. Same thing with the sword, that we carefully chose to be more roman than medieval, as we wanted to be quite precise with the cultural tradition we wanted to point to.

All those decisions were made along our preproduction and writing process, with input from us three : Daniel, Jennifer and myself. The point is, we wanted to have all the background told not only by the location and acting, but conveyed by all the artistic elements. Nothing is gratuitous to us, everything you can see means something storywise. The main character is eerie, sad, otherworldly, and is obviously bound to a location cut off from the world. As the other charcter comes in, it's clear they go way back together, in a realationship that's heavy with underlying tension. We understand they're angelic beings, and those two components imply an unspoken commentary about power dynamics in their own reality. With all those elements made clear, we can turn this relationship on itself and show the protagonist's agency. Some of our first ideas were overexplicative, with some flashbacks and scenes taking place outside the manor. We rapidly chose to trim all the unnecessary elemnts, to keep the story and themes leaner and more effective. Your average, normal filmmaking process, yet pleasantly organic between us three.

 

Are there any specific themes or messages that you aimed to convey through your film?

Well, it's mainly and creature feature, plain and simple, a candid and criticallook at the idea of angels. The theme is a trickle down of the creature itself : a pondering on the notion of hierarchical dynamics, dominance, and whether one submits to it or doesn't. Of course, it's defiant of any system of dominance, following the principle that "a starving wolf is worth more than a well fed dog". It can be applied to various subjects , feminism, antimilatrism, anti-corporatism, anti-submission to authority in general.

 

How do you feel your film stands out from others in the same genre or category?

I'm not sure I'm the best suited to affirm or even consider such an opinion. In addition, I'm not comfortable with the general idea of competition in art.

Taht said, I'm happy about the genral cohevive quality of our story and themes, the emotionality of Jennifer's acting, as with the location. And I do like our practical burning sword.

 

What do you hope the audience will take away from watching your film?

I'd love them to genuinely feel the emotion and lore, and to really relate to the angel's sorrow, determination and defiance, but would not be so bold as to recommend anything – hell, if anyone enjoys the film and is not bored, I'll consider it a huge win.

 

Can you share any interesting or memorable experiences you had while making this film?

There were those two moments we had, hiding in the basement from people who could have us get in trouble for being in a forbidden place, with full make up, a truckload of gear and props, flammable substances and a big sword... One of those two times, we hid from a group of kids who were playing adventurers and frightening themselves. Looking back, the anecdote is funny, but at the time, we were very much frightened ourselves.

 

What are your aspirations as a filmmaker, and where do you see yourself in the future?

As any other guy who makes creative thingies I guess : I want to keep making art, and to be lucky enough to achieve a good object every now and then. As for the future, damned if I know – I'll just keep on trying, hoping to figure out things along the way.

 

Are there any filmmakers or films that have greatly influenced your work ?

I'll admit I'm less and less a fan of the "High Fidelity-style Top 5" frame of thought. I could list five dozens of films and filmmakers and not feel accurate as to how relevant It would be to what I'm trying to make. Not be arrogant or anything – I just can't really detail each and every emotion, idea, etc. Given by this film or another. Movies have been a steady, daily diet for me for four decades, and although I use regularly a precise reference to a shot, or to a sequence, or even to some piece of dialogue I remember from wherever, one's culture is not just a catalogue of elements : it's a living and breathing entity with its own way of combining everything summed up in it – what you pick up from it at any given moment is not easily quantified, I think.

 

Have you participated in any other film festivals or competitions? If so, how was your experience ?

Quite a bunch, all over the world – the Internet is a tremendous tool for distribution of film. Yet, it's a somewhat abstract experience most of the time. Your projects travel but you rarely do – and yet you get out there too. It's paradoxical.

There was one festival in Paris that's been a cherished moment, not because of the prize won, but because we all got to attend as a team.

 

Is there anything else you would like the audience and the film festival organizers to know about you or your film?

Well, there's an easter egg, painted on one of the location's walls,connecting the whole story to the everexpanding SCP lore. We thought it would be a fun little addition. It's in the film somewhere.