Maria rêve

AC3 Studio used Notch to add depth and emotion to the vibrant work of Quad Film on their latest feature, Maria rêve.

Last year, production company Quad Film approached AC3 Studio about their upcoming project–a feature film starring Karine Viard and Gregory Gadebois called Maria rêve, which tells the story of a clumsy housekeeper who, when assigned to Paris’s School of Fine Arts, discovers and becomes enamoured by a fascinating place where freedom, creativity, and audacity reign. While absorbing students’ work, Maria makes it a goal to expand her horizons.

Quad asked AC3 to imagine and produce an interactive installation within which the actors could interact. Key Set Chief David Bersanetti’s instructions were specific: he wanted one piece of artwork consisting of a digital mirror on a projected screen measuring 6.1 x 3.5 metres standing in a theatre above a reflective ground. AC3 Studio explored different shot techniques to collect as much data as possible.

The AC3 team shot footage throughout several sessions, beginning with initial workshops led by Bersanetti, a team of creative researchers, and the film’s directors, Lauriane Escaffre and Yvo Muller. The studio also collected footage during a pre-shoot session with actors and doubles over real-time previsualisation and during the film’s actual shoots. They then used said footage to generate visual effects in Notch. Notch’s tracking features, particle capabilities, and endless filters helped add impressionist passion to an intimate silver-screen moment.

“During the iteration and production processes for this project, Notch’s efficiency gave us a lot of flexibility, which is very rare on a film set. The directors were so satisfied to see their ideas come alive in a second thanks to the real-time workflow.”

Benjamin Chassagne, Principal Creative Director, AC3 Studio

Additional press coverage:
20 Minutes, France Bleu, Exit Mag.

Credits
Film: Maria rêve
Directors: Laurianne Escaffre & Yvo Muller
Production: Quad Film
Chief Decorator: David Bersanetti & Vlad Turco

Interactive Installation: AC3 Studio
Project Managers & Product Owners: Roman de Villeneuve & Max Coisne
Creative Director: Benjamin Chassagne
Creative Technologist: Rémi Grosson
Setup & Installation: Benjamin Legris