INTERVIEW WITH FRANCK MARCHAL
You are the author and director of the movie Taro which is in preparation and research of a distributor; Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions about your project.
You haven't directed any movie before, why have you switched job ?
Franck Marchal :
Just making business had no sense for me. Making films and teling stories is the most wonderful experience i had.
Who are your filmmaking inspirations ? Were there any particular films that inspired you ?
Franck Marchal :
First "L’Île nue", from Kaneto Shino, a sonorised film but without dialogues, where everything is told by the rythm and range as well as by the staging.
"Mort à Venise", from Luchino Visconti, a movie that strongly inspired me in the writing of Taro.
"Les 39 marches", a matricial film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
"In the mood for love" from Wong Kar-wai, where the culinary metaphor, (as with Abdellatif Kechiche in "La vie d'Adèle") is particularily insistant, almost heady, with the erotic couple, almost pornographic, blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream.
"Gummo" from Harmony Korine, from which we can feel a real sense of poetry.
And finally, "Salò" also known as "Les 120 jours de Sodome" shot in 1975. Last cult film by Pier Paolo Pasolini, a controversed and frequently misunderstood movie.
But let's not forget Gaspard Noé with his movie "Enter the void" amongst others, a hypnotic film from which we cannot get away unscathed;
When did you first get into films ?
Franck Marchal :
In 2005, I met The French actress Emmanuelle Béart, and everything started from there...
What camera will you shoot with ?
Franck Marchal :
One red and a Super 16 Camera. but we are not fixed on our choices. Filming in argentic would leed us to more freedom in our capacity to expose colors.
Have you had any companies interested in distributing and producing TARO ?
Franck Marchal :
I am currently talking with different companies.
How autobiographical is "TARO," or was it at all ?
Franck Marchal :
Taro is not autobiographical unless i don't know it.
How did you get the idea to write "TARO" ?
Franck Marchal :
I don't know, it came as a dream one night, and the writting was quite spontaneous. It somehow took me 3 years for the whole project to be ready.
The dialogue between the characters is often intense and very creative . How long did it take you to perfect or "tune up" their speaking parts ?
Franck Marchal :
Around 3 years.
Do you have a particular method for directing ? Do you shoot on the go, do you plan meticulously… ?
Franck Marchal :
I plan meticulously everything with my team so that I am free to shoot on the go and leave maximum freedom to actors. Audiences will forgive almost any technical inadequacies as long as the performances are strong and true. My goal is to tell a story in a dramatic rather than didactic way, which means characters do things rather than explain them. I try to encourage actors not to make faces, demonstrating, but on the contrary to live truly the emotions with their heart, soul and body.
Aside from directing, you are also a journalist what is the connection with making films such as TARO
Franck Marchal :
When i was actively following the recent legalization of gay wedding in France i discovered that religious homophobia was one of the most important issue in particular when it comes to young people who row up in a religious surrending or who look for answers within a religion.In this respect, the recent new position of pope Francis is interesting as he called on the Church to wonder how to teach Christ to a generation in transformation. He asked the church and the believers to love gays and lesbians, who "must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity".
Aside from the "TARO" project, do you have any other future movies or projects that you are working on ?
Franck Marchal :
I have been working for few years now on a drama feature film "the Cliff" treating the subject of resilience.
Movie making can be a time consuming job what do you do for hobbies? Do you have any peculiar interests ?
Franck Marchal :
I like Cooking thaï food, traveling, massage my friends, play chess and walk alone during the night in the desert.
What are some qualities in yourself and others that make one suitable for film directing ?
Franck Marchal :
Being human, loving human, welcoming true emotions.
In one word, what is Taro about ?
Franck Marchal :
Freedom.
Which was the most difficult character to cast in "Up" ?
Franck Marchal :
All of them, It took me 2 years !
What is homophobia for you?
Franck Marchal :
Fear of the unknown.
Do you think there's a place, commercially, for films that are more interested in people than plot ? I'm like you, these are the types of films I crave for-- it just seems unfair to me that someone who does really moving work like you might struggle to get films funded and to make a great living, whereas filmmakers making 'Scary Movie' prosper.
Franck Marchal :
I believe a film should make people think and entertained as well
the difficulty is to get a good balance. I dont create films for money. I had an other life for that.
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How do you decide which festivals to enter ?
Franck Marchal :
As filmmakers, we’ve definitely gone the route of spending way too much money and conducting seriously long DVD burning sessions to get our films into as many festivals as possible. We blindly submitted because we simply didn’t care to research the festivals out there. Thinking back, it might have been important to explore festivals a little deeper, find out who their target audience is, what length of films they typically program, what genres do they tend to show, and what themes or missions does the festival aim for.
Why did you decide to shoot with the camera RED and in super 16 ?
Franck Marchal :
Because I love contrasts as well as the 70's.