Laurent Mercier’s interview by Daniel Dahan



- Callicore is a studio that produces everything in house. How your prod pipeline is put together?

- It’s very classical: several servers where our datas are archived plus one server for each project with back up solutions, an editing and post production station and computers.

- What equipment do you use?

- For a while now, we’ve been working on HP computers, quad core with 4 gigabite plus 1 gigabite for the video card. That’s more than enough forour applications.

- Why the choice of 3d Studio max instead of Maya or Xsi?

- It was done naturally. We worked on Lightwave a long time ago then we switched to 3ds because it matched what we were looking for. Since, the software kept on developping in the way we hopped.The day it wont correspond to our expectations we’ll change.

- How do you organize a production at Callicore?

- We pay a very particular attention to the layer’s cut-out by trying to be very precise. It’s put on the assembling software timeline. Then we superimpose the first 3d proxys with the music. We verify if the rhythm is good; if everything is ok we replace the proxys, as one goes along, with the final results.

- There isn’t any story-board?

- no, everything is specified in the cut-out. The story-board is done through the 3d proxy. This allows us to gain a stage, so time.

- How are the characters created?

- They are submitted to validation at the same time as the synopsis. They are graphic studies. Afterwards, they are designed and assigned according to their role.

- What are your relationships with the artists you work with particularly with John Lee Hooker Jr.?

- Excellent. With John it’s different, he’s above all a brother before beeing a partner. We have the same eagerness when it comes to starting a project and that’s what allows us to be quick to react. John is completely invested in what he does and we learn a lot by his side. He’s a great pro, I’m proud to be included among his close friends.

- Are there any artists you would like to work with?

- Yes, Elvis and Jimmy Hendrix. They are on tour currently. And their cell phones are switched on answering machine. As for the Rolling Stones they had the choice between Scorsese and us, they chose Scorsese!

- What’s the experience you draw from the Jules Verne’s project?

- Adapt Jules Verne’s novel “from earth to the moon” in animation was great. The script required a long work. We worked for 7 months on the pre-prod. Axel Hodin and Julien Roussel, Studio Mercier graduates, joined us. It was exhausting but we had a good time.

- Why did the project failed?

- In fact at the time of the pre-purchase we had to fulfill one condition that was to make a cinema release. We were focused on a TV special. We had just missed the Jules Verne’s year so we were aiming on the anniversary of the first steps of man on the moon . Our problem was of qualitative nature. All the production was made for TV. We didn’t have the means to compete with projects more ambitious. So we prefered to stop everything rather than to get a big slap on the face.

- What’s with that project now?

- We’ve met someone crazier than us who bought it from us.

- Does the adventure of a feature film tempt you?

- All adventures tempt us. Callicore can do a lot of things. But distributors must follow behind...and for the moment they are a bit feebleness...