Restraint in Relief with Milo Chiavarino-Annaud

We first saw your work, Singularity, on YouTube. What we loved about it immediately is its restraint and patience. Then we learned you’re quite young — how did you learn so much restraint?

I intended to keep Singularity minimal and restrained because I believe in not showing too much, and letting the viewer make its own connections. Some films feel better when the direction isn’t too noticeable. Visually, I took inspiration from directors Yasujirō Ozu, Bong Joon-Ho and Denis Villeneuve, who mastered restrained and efficient framings to tell their stories.

Why did you decide to take on a stereoscopic adaptation and was it a rewarding process?

I have to thank you once again for this opportunity. What’s exciting about Theater and VR headsets is that they’re a real step up from the old history of stereoscopy, delivering the purest approach to the experience with one true image per eye. Adapting monocular shots to binocular comes with a learning curve — each shot has its own set of challenges. Long lenses, focus pulls and foreground compositions are habitual parts of the filmmaking toolbox, but it’s a cautious process translating them to stereoscopy, which is based on human vision. So it’s rewarding finding the right way to do it and finally see depth appear.

In addition to animation, you also work on live action commercials. That’s not a usual combination. Which came first and why do you continue to work on both?

For me the two aren’t as separate as they might seem. My approach to animation is anchored in live-action filmmaking, and my live-action work is often infused with CGI in pre and post-production. So, to me, it’s a fluent process between those two different worlds. I have a lot of fun working on full-CGI animated projects because of the creative and iterative freedom it gives, and the fact that you can make crazy stuff as an independent. Live action comes with its own constraints, but I really value being on set with a crew and actors. What I enjoy in both, honestly, is just working with interesting people.

Is animation getting easier or harder? Having made a short about artificial intelligence, how do you feel about generative AI?

There’s no question AI is a powerful tool that is going to shake many parts of the industry, mainly because of how aggressively cost-reductive it is compared to traditional workflows. Although, my position is: taking shortcuts comes with counterparts. Let’s be cautious not to lose artistic originality and the research for new visions, for the sake of economic interest. My only focus is trying to make interesting films that are true to me by delivering quality work that conveys the right emotional weight and brings something original to the table. To this day, I don’t use generative AI because to me, it’s not an intentional enough process and I don’t find myself in it. I want to approach filmmaking and animation with purpose and authenticity, and the human component is essential to achieving this.

You’re based in Paris. Is that an advantage for the work you’re interested in doing?

It is! Alongside Japan, Canada and the US, France is a leading country in VFX and animation. We carry a historically strong respect for the craft, and many amazing studios keep releasing spectacular work — Fortiche’s Arcane first comes to my mind, among others. I’m excited to see what will happen in the next few years worldwide, and looking forward to discovering what comes out on Theater next.