Trevor Hogg chats with Geoffroy Faugérolas about producing cinema with a social conscious…
Geoffroy Faugérolas on-set of Alice.
“I have been greatly inspired by my mother, Marie-Ange Faugérolas, who is a French novelist that wrote a wide variety of books, ranging from historical novels, self-help books to spiritual guides,” states Geoffroy Faugérolas who comes from a family of artists and academics. “My sister Sasha Verner is an Opera Singer, my brother Matt Milan is a composer, my sister Lorraine is a producer, and my brother Gerault is an entrepreneur. My grandmother is a history erudite and her traumatizing experience of WWII helped me to develop a fascination for legends, myths and human tales.” Faugérolas notes, “The numerous historical and art museums, my travels around the world, historical sites and the exposure to American media fed my obsession to deliver messages through visuals.” Gladiator [2000] directed by Ridley Scott made a lasting impression upon the French filmmaker who realized he could combine his passion for art and history with cinema. “I got an access to my first computer around the age of 9. I learned film editing by experimenting with what I was able to capture on my camera. My passion for stories and experimentations with editing made me understand the power of film.” The childhood fascination would lead to pursuit of a cinematic career. “In France, I was educated in Science and then I moved to Canada where I studied at HEC Montreal in Business. Later I moved to L.A. to study filmmaking; this background helped me to develop a technical approach with a strong emphasize on production and management. Working for Grammy Award nominated producers at HK Corp was a valuable experience as it took me out of my comfort zone and trained me at many positions. I learned how to work at a fast pace and was able to put myself in the shoes of producers, directors, studio executives.”
“As a director, I have the chance to exercise my passion and share it with the world,” states Geoffroy Faugérolas. “However, I couldn’t have gone through this journey without the support of my producing partner Alena Burova; she is the one who initiated our partnership by hiring me for one of her production Limbo [2013], which was nominated for couple of awards.” The creative duo has a mutual goal. “We share a common passion for meaningful movies. For the short film Alice [2013], Alena heard about my mother’s past and put the team together to tell her story; it would have not seen the light without Alena’s persistence and talent to carry a film to completion. We are now continuing our partnership by developing a feature film based on Alice entitled Who is Alice? Regarding The Tsarevich [2013], Alena who was raised on the Romanovs stories, was the perfect producer to develop a vision and produce such an ambitious short film in Los Angeles with no budget.” Along with arranging the financing Burova had an impact on the casting. She was also a key element in approaching Mark Moses [Platoon] to cast him as the Emperor.” Faugérolas reveals, “I have been researching a lot about the Russian Empire Family since childhood. I visited Moscow and Saint Petersburg the summer of 2008.” Upon learning about the assassination of Rasputin, the filmmaker delved into the political and social events surround his death. “While studying the Romanovs’ history, I felt entitled to express the tragic perspective of the haemophiliac child, the Tsarevich Alexei.”
Jack Elliot on-set of The Tsarevich.
The man behind the camera also serves as a writer, editor and producer. “Fulfilling the four positions have been really stimulating to discover my voice and understand my strengths.” Creative support comes from an essential member of the production team. “Matt Milan, the composer of both movies, was also involved in post-production and advised Alena and me during the editing and the sound design. During the writing of both scripts, collaborating with Marie-Ange Faugérolas was an amazing experience as we completed each other. On-set, I was strictly a director, Alena was in charge of the production and Matt Milan did the production design.” Jack Elliot is another significant collaborator. “Jack’s dedication to his art, the way he immerses himself in the world he depicts, and his philosophy of ‘Let’s do it.’ are the true signs of a committed, passionate and intelligent director of photography.” Every single moment was storyboarded for Alice and The Tsarevich. “I used Hitchcock’s approach to consider movies like a puzzle made during pre-production. This gave me a guide and allowed me to be open and flexible to new ideas during the production.” The two short films are told from the perspective children: one placed in a metal institution and the other a member of the Russian Royal Family which was executed in 1919. “Children see more than we think; they live in a world of imagination and possibilities that open new perspectives for the story. We wanted to tell the stories of those who are oppressed, cannot express themselves and are ignored. There is in childhood something genuine for the audience that allows them to connect to the characters.”
Oliver Twist (2005), Schindler’s List (1993), Shutter Island (2010) and the work of David Fincher (Fight Club) influenced the desire to depict human suffering in an emotional, imaginative and authentic manner when putting together Alice. “There is a combination of realism and surrealism subtly mixed in those movies that influenced my creative choices and allowed me to experiment with both extremes.” The Tsarevich was inspired by Barry Lyndon [1975] helmed by Stanley Kubrick. “Our main goal was to bring the audience into a time of darkness, led by social and political chaos.” Geoffroy Faugérolas states, “I saw the Romanovs not as an Imperial dynasty but as an ordinary family bonded by love and suffering repression.” The short films were not shot in a studio environment. “We looked for grungy locations that have a history, to transmit a unique energy to our actors and to plunge them into an authentic mood. For Alice, Alena and I both knew since the beginning that the Linda Vista Hospital was the perfect location. It wasn’t affordable with our budget but Alena being a determined producer, she went on to find additional funds. Regarding The Tsarevich, we searched for a house around the Los Angeles area for five months.” The right setting was discovered in Orange County. “Alena found incredibly authentic and affordable Victorian houses. It was a small house but I loved the constraints it gave to the crew and the actors. The production design team led by Matt Milan and Gerault De Marion did a fantastic job to transform the house into a Russian bastion.”
“Alice and The Tsarevich are dark subject matter but they deliver a message of hope, faith and love,” states Geoffroy Faugérolas who is attracted to projects that have a social conscious and are entertaining. “Blade Runner [1982] was a major influence in creating mood with lighting. But the word mystical also refers to the supernatural twists influencing the life of our characters. There is something intriguing about destiny and we wanted to depict those elements that are not controllable but that affect us in our every day life – most of the time, without our acknowledgment.” Matt Milan was given creative freedom when composing the musical score for Alice. “Matt decided right away to give a theme to each character and depict the battle of Good versus Evil in music. For The Tsarevich, we extensively immersed ourselves in Russian music [Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev] to recreate a believable atmosphere. However, Matt surprised us by using almost magical tones that took the Prince Alexei quest to a new level.” Michael Huang was responsible for the sound design. “Michael recreated with his expertise of sound entire battles or crowds to convey the story. Michael is also a subtle designer that merges new sounds through out the movie to expand the story to a new level of emotion.”
“For The Tsarevich, the entire movie was a challenge as recreating a 1918 Russian Civil War film in Los Angeles on a student budget was almost impossible, but stimulating,” remarks Geoffroy Faugérolas. Most of our props and costumes were imported from Russia.” Finding the right actor for the main role was initially a concern. “I thought that casting the Prince Alexei would be our biggest challenge but Michael Fitzgerald was the first actor who applied and his audition was impressive; his commitment, knowledge about the history and incredible connections to the Prince [like a shared birthday] motivated our quest of authenticity. Michael almost lived in a wheelchair for six weeks to become Alexei. Regarding Alice, our challenge was to make an entertaining but realistic movie about a girl [Masha Malinina] locked in a psychiatric room that has no contact with humanity. We embedded surprises through out the film and made use of archetypal characters to spice the film and the result surpassed our expectations. Alice is an exciting crossover between a thriller and a mystery film.” Alice and The Tsarevich have been submitted to various film festivals. “Currently, the production team is developing a feature film based on Alice entitled Who is Alice? The script is being written by Marie-Ange Faugérolas, produced by Alena Burova and me, the music will be composed by Matt Milan, and I will be directing. It is a drama mystery horror: When a little girl is violently hit by a pebble, a series of supernatural events open the door to another world. Pitch: The Devil’s Advocate meets The Others.” Faugérolas concludes, “Thank you for the opportunity to introduce our movies to your readers. Both films offer a new vision about reality that will take the audience on a journey of self-discovery.”
Many thanks to Geoffroy Faugérolas for taking the time for this interview and make sure to visit his official website.
Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.
