Laurent Mercier’s interview by Eric Ribaud

Laurent Mercier’s interview by Eric Ribaud

-Tell us about your creative approach through your videoclips.

-In creation, the word videoclip has a bit light aspect, it’s often related to a marketing product. Our approach is completely different from the conventional making of the videoclip with its recurrent ingredients, the rock band’s old hangar, and the nude bimbos
on rapper’s racing cars. We develop our work as animated short musical movies, where artistic freedom prevails over the marketing target.
As for the word clip, it’s purely and simply a word used by french-speakers.

-Yet the videoclip is a marketing product...

-That’s why we work with artists who don’t need any advertising and who have some artistic ethic.This gives us a creative freedom and allows us to skip guidelines of some
record label’s actors, or what’s left of them...

-So a young artist who would like Callicore to produce his videoclip is not possible?

-But of course yes. As long as we are given the possibility to work freely and we like the music.It’s not being snobbery, but we are lucky to choose the artists we wish to work with, so why do without.
We are in a logic editorial too, almost activist. Some of the people who would like to work with us do not understand that Callicore is not a pictures’ factory, there’s certainly a confusion due to the fact that we produce and direct as well, and that in animation. We don’t act as ordinary provider or performer. Even if our means of expression is animation and for a little while now edition, we really care that our work has a meaning.
That can summarize our creative approach...keeping in mind that we need to be close to the artists, communicate with them is essential to be in harmony and evolve in their artistic univers.
We can say it’s a fusion, almost spiritual!

-At present you are in the middle of a production for the band Arrested Development, how is the collaboration going on ?

-Very well, the band and the management are very professional. Speech is always available and very attentive upon everything we can do. We have worked together on the main ideas and the scenario, as we did it with John Lee Hooker, Jr.
Arrested development is the most african of rap bands, with real, strong musicality, and a true commitment, wich is rather rare in this domain. The title we’re illustating “Bloody”shows it. Their rap puts forward violence and real problems related to race struggle.

-Are you sensitive to this problem ?

-Yes, most artists whom we’ve worked with talk and act in this direction. Mathias from Washington Dead Cats struggles since always against the extreme right political party in France, Mick Jones who during all his period with the Clash played for the minorities, John Lee Hooker, Jr. who puts forward Darfour’s problems and problems related to racial struggle.
Sometimes it happened that I was victim of racism for being a white man. This humiliation, much more frequent and present among black people, is intolerable. When you’re white it’s something you don’t understand. It’s impossible to understand or to feel what some peoples have to put up with daily.

-What’s with your collaboration with John Lee Hooker, Jr. ?

-Soon a live of his last tour must be released with the video of Extramarital Affair.
We’ll be able to follow a new episode of the adventures of Bluesman !

-What advice can you give to a young 3D computer graphics designer ?

-What we repeat regularly to the young people that we form through our 3D school Studio Mercier, that there’s no magic recipe, constantly work, set up a gaol to reach and
never give up...

-And to those how would like to be part of Callicore ?

-That is a bit more complicated, Callicore is above all a familly. It’s not obvious to be adopted there !
Within Callicore there are my partners, Linda my wife and Xavier my alter ego, which both of them can break down, only by their skills, about ten people. Better not be in the way when they give it all !

-Will we see soon a french-speaker group’s animation released from Callicore’s studio ?

-Why not ! The magic word : it must groove ! ! !

Available soon :
- New album “Strong” from Arrested Development
-Dvd live of John Lee Hooker, Jr. including the video of “Extramarital Affair”