Awarded at the Annecy Festival, the Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis unveils this week the animated film "Elsewhere", entirely produced alone. He reveals his approach to us on this poetic and immersive work, inspired by video games.
Elsewhere - at the cinema on September 23
A young boy wakes up hanging from a tree after a plane crash. In the distance a large threatening form approaches him. To escape her, he takes refuge at the entrance of a cave where the strange form fails to follow him. In this cave, the young man finds a map and a motorbike which push him to take the road to try to reach, on the other side of the island, the port and civilization.
AlloCiné: You created this film on your own. Can you tell us about this lonely creative adventure, from the original idea to the final work?Gints Zilbalodis (director): The story is designed around the many limitations I had. Because there is no dialogue in the film, I knew the story had to be very simple and clear, so that it could be understood only through pictures. This is also why it takes place on a desert island: I wanted there to be a reason to justify this lack of dialogue, so I gave as a setting a place where the main character has no one else to talk to. And having made a few short films before, I knew which things would be easiest to animate. I tried to avoid having to animate difficult and time-consuming elements.
How did you feel when you put the last piece of the puzzle together and complete the journey?I think I have "finished" this movie several times. Every time I thought I was done I noticed something that needed to be corrected. This has happened several times. I didn't feel a sense of completion until after the movie premiered.
The film is very reminiscent of exploration video games, like Myst or Journey. Is this a source of influence for "Ailleurs"?Some of these indie games are very good at telling stories without words, and using only the environment. I wanted to create an immersive experience where audiences feel like the characters are in real space rather than in front of flat backgrounds.
Seventh Factory
What can you tell us about the writing process: was the story written in advance or did you "discover" and imagine it as your hero traveled along?When I started working on Elsewhere, I wrote a global plot. I had the beginning, some parts in the middle and an end, but the details were not very fleshed out. I then started animating chronologically and made a lot of discoveries along the way. I didn't have a finished script, in the traditional sense, or even storyboards. Instead, the story was found during the animation and editing process. It was much more spontaneous than the way animated films are typically made.
What was your graphic approach on this film, from the main character to the sets, including the fauna, flora, and the threatening shadow?Before Elsewhere, I have directed several short films in different mediums and I like to combine their elements. I wanted a simple graphic that looked like a hand-drawn animation, but without trying to emulate that either. And I wanted to move the camera around freely in a way that can only be done in 3D animation, but I also wanted it to have imperfections like in making live movies. The environment in relation to the characters is a little more detailed. It helps create a more immersive feel. The characters are rendered in a simpler style, as I think that with more detail there is a risk of creating discomfort for the viewer. This way, it is easier to relate to them.
Seventh Factory
What can you tell us about your music work? Was it written before the animation, during the animation or after?The idea is more important than the technique
Ideally, I would like to have the music finished before I start animating. That's what I'm doing on my next movie. Sure Elsewhere, the music was made in the middle of production before finalizing the edit. In this way, the music could be better integrated into the story, without becoming something that it is not. Like everything else in the film, I wanted the music to be very simple. It doesn't tell you what to feel in every moment, but rather creates a general mood.
The film was presented at the Annecy Festival. What memories do you keep of your time there?Annecy was very exciting and overwhelming. It's a place where I meet many old comrades from the animation world and meet new ones. I miss going to festivals like this, and hopefully next year things can get back to normal. Having won an award, an independent filmmaker like me got a huge boost. I have a lot of respect for Annecy for presenting very daring and experimental films alongside the very big studio films.
What advice would you give to young filmmakers who dream of getting into animation?Technology has reached a point where it's possible to make movies on your own, so just about anyone can do it now. This means that there will be a lot of competition. It is therefore important to keep in mind that if you want to stand out and make striking films, the idea is more important than the technique.
Interview on September 16, 2020