Asude: Welcome Geoffroy, thank you for accepting our interview! We’ve been following your projects for such a long time. As edelkrone team, we all wonder where you are from and how you got started with videography.
Geoffroy: I was born in GAP, in the Hautes-Alpes, in France I started quite late actually, because I wanted to work in the video games industry when I was young. I started making videos at the end of my high school years, when I was 19, making short movies with a friend. Luckily, they are no longer on internet ;) Then I got interested in cinema and wanted to do the same thing. Now, I work as the video editor and motion designer for TV commercial, corporate and documentary films.
A: So, how does it feel like being a self-taught videomaker?
G: Now, with internet, we have a way to train very well and very quickly with tutorials on YouTube, Vimeo or specialized sites. It allows you to develop your own point of view and your own methodology. And above all, it allows you to extend your skills and touch all trades. To make videos, I had to learn to film, edit, do special effects and color grading. Passion was my best teacher.
A: What’s the point of view that you’ve developed? I mean, how would you describe your videography style?
G: I am an ultimate fan of director Zack Snyder, so I try to be pretty close to his style. But, I am also a player, passionate about video game teasers. So, I try to have a pretty cinematic style with very precise and millimetric images. And a touch of poetry… at least I try.
Never give up and have fun!
A: Game teasers must be fun to work on! So, how much planning is there behind the scenes? What are the preparations you make before you begin filming?
G: I start by looking for a music, before starting to film. The music affects me and how I’m going to shoot my shots. I’d also visit Fubiz and Vimeo to find references and ideas of style and atmosphere that could inspire me.
A: And, what are your equipment preparations? What’s the equipment you generally bring to a set?
G: I like filming with minimum equipment. I’m using the Blackmagic 4K camera, a tripod Manfrotto and my edelkrone sliders. I also take 3 LED panels, if I film at night. For my time-lapses, a camera and a tripod are enough.
A: I think that’s quite minimal and ideal. Do you ever feel the need to rent your filmmaking equipment or do you prefer buying?
G: I prefer buying my equipment. I don’t work with a working plan and a defined schedule. I film when my project is ready and when I have time. Renting would be too complicated for me.
A: It seems you put a huge effort in the post-production phase of your work-flow because we always see “something more” especially in your inception shots. Could you share the software you use for post-production with us?
G: I use Adobe software. Premiere for editing and color grading. After Effects for sfx. Photoshop for pictures. Cinema 4D for 3D.
A: With the new apps, cameras, equipment and other new technologies making video making more accessible to the public, what do you think about the future of filmmaking with the technology is advancing so fast?
G: I find it cool, the equipment is more and more affordable to more people. Now, we can do self-produced movies with very little budget. But you have to be careful, affordable does not mean quality. And, it is necessary that the manufacturers stop their race for solutions. It's almost impossible to edit a movie in 4K and the guys already announce the 8K! It's good on the box of the camera, but it's useless. They direct the development of their technology from a marketing point of view to sell their products, but it does not meet the expectations of filmmakers. I'd rather have rushes with better sampling rather than an 8K image. That's why I love my Blackmagic filming in 4K RAW!
A: Thank you Geoffroy! And, last but not least, what’s your biggest ambition for the future?
G: I hope to work in cinema or TV commercial. I’m starting to edit some commercials, so it’s cool. I would also like to do more photography.