Interview
Michael Lasserre
M. Lasserre, born in Nice in the early 80s, has been passionate about arts since childhood, particularly integrating digital technologies into his work. Using the artist name Lucy(-x), he produced paintings and art incorporating binary symbolism and graphic elements. In the mid-2000s, he collaborated with F. Sanchez on video clips and experimental videos, while also joining a music band as a V.J. He gained recognition for his editing, camera work, and sound design on the award-winning short film "Impact" in 2010. Between 2011 and 2022, he split his time between New York and the Côte d’Azur, creating experimental films and exhibitions. He continued to work as a V.J., participating in festivals like the “OVNI festival” in Nice. Simultaneously, he served as a Creative Producer and Chief Editor at the International Athletics Federation, directing films showcased at the “San Sebastian International Sports Film Festival” and winning a prize at Sportel in 2020.
His film Memory of Water won Best Experimental Feature at Experimental Brasil 2024.
1-How would you describe your personal and professional journey to becoming a film director?
It was a long Journey, I started my professional life, first as editor (Where I met Fred S.) then chief editor, and now Creative Producer.
During this period, I tried to split my time between my professional life and my passion for Cinema and Art. Spending my free time to work on experimental video and artistic projects.
The balance between each world was not easy to manage but it made me to learn a lot.
2-Who are your biggest influences and inspirations in the world of cinema?
I like Avant-grade and experimental cinema since my very young age but the starting point was the discovery of one image on TV, late during a night, “A barn burning under the rain surrounded by forest”, this image was so amazing that I had to switch off the TV as it was impossible for me not to watch this film from the beginning, It took me years to discover the name of this Movie... Zerkalo -the Mirror from Tarkovsky. This image changed my life for ever. During this period, I also discovered Chris Marker and Lars van Tier. These 3 Directors changed my life for good.
3-Could you share with us a bit about your creative process when directing a film?
My approach on each Project is very different, for Memory of Water, my goal was to make a movie as commercial (or classical) as possible, for some other I just spent time filming around me with people without scenario or specific idea in mind waiting for the film to appear in front of my eyes.
But for this specific movie, I really tried to be guided by everything around, the venue, the weather, the nature, the team. I tried to be as receptive as possible.
I also film and edit all my projects which is for me really part of the creative process.
4- How do you approach casting and working with actors to bring the characters in your stories to life?
Coming from experimental cinema, the actor was at the beginning to my journey not my priority, but for this project it was obviously something important.
This movie was personal, the characters that you can see in the film are based on friends, this is why we have decided with Fred S. to choose friends or people that we know to be the actors.
It was challenging and sometime frustrating, but it was for me the right choice for this Project.
To answer more directly your question, I brought my life in this story, the difference between the film and the real life is tenuous.
5-What are the main challenges you face as a director during the production of a film?
Micro productions are complicated, you need to deal with so many things at the same time, it’s not easy. We have done this movie with a micro budget, and it took us years to finalise it. Keeping yourself and the others motivated and available was my main challenge. It was also very complicated to take the decision to put an end to the film.
6-In your opinion, what is the importance of cinematography in the narrative of a film, and how do you work with your cinematography team to achieve your aesthetic goals?
It’s for me the most important part of a movie with the postproduction, for most of my movies, I do the cinematography by myself, it’s like painting you have so many possibilities it’s very hard to give the paint brush to someone else especially on indie projects.
For Memory of water, I have done a lot of tests before and I have spent hours looking at black and white photography.
7-How do you handle feedback from critics and audiences regarding your films?
It’s not an easy topic, I’m most of the time very critical about my work, but even though the goal of all movies is to be seen by other people, I don’t really like that.
A project like Memory of Water is very personal, selfish, but at the end I had to show it to other persons and speaking with the audience is always a surprise, the film doesn’t belong to you anymore ; it becomes their film not ours and they see and analyse the film with their own history : it’s also the beauty of the cinema.
When it’s about critics, the worst thing is neutrality, if someone hates the movie or even falls asleep because he like the ambiance, it’s a success …but if someone is neutral, then it’s a proper failure and in this case it’s harder for me.
8-What is your view on the role of cinema in society today?
For me a film is political, not in a bad way, but each lens, each angles each camera movement you choose should say something. And it’s less and less the case.
I think that we are really on a border with so many things happening at the same time.
Nowadays everything is “professional” ; sometimes I have the feeling to look at the algorithm used to create the scenario and no more the film.
We watch again and again the same series or film, it’s the same scenario but on different thematic, the algorithm use was only to please the public and for me the role of Art is not to please the public probably the opposite.
As-long-as I remember the cinema helped me to grow, to evolve, to keep an open mind. Sometimes I have the feeling that something is broken, the social part disappears… but sometimes I prefer to think that’s it’s a long process for the mainstream cinema to embrace some thematic seen years ago in indie cinema.
9-What have been the most rewarding and challenging moments of your career as a director so far?
As director you need to take sometimes drastic decisions to keep your film alive, the most rewarding was probably to finish Memory of Water that took us years with Fred to finish.
10-How do you select the themes and messages you want to convey in your films?
I don’t think that I select themes, most of the time when I try to find themes or messages it’s not very good.
The best Themes are the one that popup in your life by magic or by accident.
Regarding messages, I don’t think that the best messages are the ones that we can see, but more the one that you don’t put consciously in your film.
11-In your opinion, what is the importance of collaboration between director, screenwriter, and technical crew in creating a successful film?
The collaboration is non-negotiable but challenging people is also non-negotiable for me. I ask all the time people to challenge me, to make other proposal etc. At the end, as Director, I decide but it’s important to keep an open mind and be sure to listen your team.
12-How do you envision the future of cinema, especially in terms of technology and innovative narratives?
Since the beginning of his history the cinema change and evolve, it’s a very young Art and each change, evolution are linked to technology (length, Colour, sound, 3D etc..).
Technology is not good or bad, it’s the use of it that makes it bad or good. Making a film with only the LiDAR of your iPhone can be interesting if you have a point of view on the medium, if it’s only for the effect it’s less interesting.
The Experimental artists are at the Avant-garde of technology and the results are most of the time very interesting. When the mainstream “takes” the idea from an experimental artist and puts it in a blockbuster without context I’m perplex.
Now regarding algorithm or the A.I. more and more used, I need to admit that I see more bad things than good things, it’s most of the time about pleasing people and it’s from my point of view not the role of an artist or a work of art.
Making films with A.I. only why not… it’s almost already the case, what are going to be the difference? saving money making bigger profit?
Video Artist are going to make great things and they already started, the issue is more the society not the artist, nothing new.
But as I say cinema is very young and I really hope that we are only the beginning of a long journey.
