In the framework of the 38th festival of Deauville and the presentation of his new film The Secret, I had the chance to interview Pascal Laugier, French screenwriter and director of three genre films are particularly successful. I took the opportunity to ask him some questions about his work, his influences and the achievement.
When you see The Secret, we think a lot about the universe of Silent Hill or the movie The Village M. Night Shiamalan. What were your influences ?
Apart from the presence of Jodelle Ferland, an emblematic figure of the fantastic cinema in contemporary american, there is no real link with Silent Hill, filmed by my friend Christophe Gans. For M. Night Shyamalan, I am not necessarily conscious, even if these best movies, including Signs, are, according to me, particularly under-estimated. The conscious influence is that of Stephen King. Like him, behind a plot that can be linked to a gender specific, I am primarily interested in social issues, human behaviour.
Some of the scenes from The Secret appear to be fairly complex to set the stage. Do you usually storyboard artist for your film ?
For The Secret, only the scenes with waterfalls are storyboardées for reasons of insurance. About Saint-Angel, everything had been storyboardé, and this makes the film cold. From the Martyrs, I distanced myself from the storyboard to allow for more creativity, proposals of the actors during the shoot.
You’ve done a film school but have finally managed that a few years later. Do you have any advice for young filmmakers who would like to begin and succeed in the cinema ?
In my time, even if I had years of struggling, the school had its utility because it allowed to touch the film, access to the hardware. Today, anyone can afford a very good digital camera at Fnac for 3000€. And if a lot, theoretically, want to make films, there is not that much in practice. Few have the necessary will, few are willing to get out a few thousands of euros to make a movie. My advice is therefore to make a film, and then other, in order to advance, and with the help of one of these movies, one day be noticed. There is therefore, in effect, no need for film school today.
I asked other questions to Pascal Laugier about his new film The Secret. The interview is available on Oblikon.net.