{"id":312,"date":"2020-05-20T11:52:04","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T11:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yukiyamaya.com\/?p=312"},"modified":"2025-02-05T11:16:24","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T11:16:24","slug":"interview-this-time-away-director-magali-barbe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yukiyamaya.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/20\/interview-this-time-away-director-magali-barbe\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: \u201cThis Time Away\u201d director Magali Barb\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"

At last year\u2019s festival, we were delighted to screen a brilliant little film called\u00a0This Time Away<\/em>. The film stars legendary British actor Timothy Spall as a reclusive elderly man haunted by his past and memory of the family he once had, until an unexpected visitor arrives and disrupts his lonely routine\u2026<\/p>\n

Our judges and audiences adored the short, and it was selected by our judging panel to be nominated in our Best Short Film award category. After a very successful festival run, the film is now available to watch for free online. Check out the film below and then continue reading to check out our interview with director Magali Barb\u00e9!<\/p>\n

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This Time Away<\/a> from Magali Barb\u00e9<\/a> on Vimeo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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What was your inspiration behind This Time Away<\/em>?<\/b><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s quite personal. My father is not the easiest person to handle and we never had a proper relationship. But I still care for him, despite our lack of connection. This film is a way to express that and a sense of nostalgia, too. I\u2019m very nostalgic.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Above: Director Magali Barbe on-set with Timothy Spall.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What was working with Timothy Spall like? What attracted you to casting him?<\/b><\/p>\n

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Beyond the fact that he\u2019s a great actor, I love his natural charisma. There\u2019s something about him \u2013 a little \u2018grumpy\u2019 and really loveable at the same time. I was very intimidated at first but when you start rolling it just goes away and it\u2019s just about making the best film you can.<\/p>\n

I remember there was a take during the breakfast scene where I wasn\u2019t convinced about his acting, so we sat together to discuss it. I explained more clearly my vision of the scene. Then we did a couple of other takes and right after, he came to me and said \u201cyou were right, this was better\u201d. I felt so proud and relieved!<\/p>\n

After the shoot, his agent sent a lovely email to say that Timothy enjoyed the experience very much, and then later he came to the little cast & crew premiere I organised in London\u2026 and he loved the film. So those are sweet memories I\u2019ll keep with me for a while.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Could you talk about the process of bringing Max, a VFX-based character, to life on screen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The design was made early on by a friend, Ronan Le Fur (a talented concept artist). So when we started shooting, everyone already knew how he would look, which was quite helpful. Then on set, Max was represented by a bamboo stick, stuck on a base, with coloured tape for his eye-line, so Timothy would know where to look. I was rehearsing Max\u2019s action with Timothy before we\u2019d start rolling on every shot as the actor needed to know what Max was doing.<\/p>\n

The animation studio Passion Pictures did all the VFX on Max, from animation to rendering. I know them well as I\u2019ve worked there as an animator in the past. Then it\u2019s all the \u2018CG magic\u2019 \u2013 modelling, rigging, animation, texturing, lighting\/rendering, compositing. It was well prepped, so it went actually quite smoothly. A team of 10 artists worked on the film for about 2 months.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Above: A selection of different concepts for the character of Max.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

How did you find the festival circuit? What did you gain from screening This Time Away\u00a0<\/em>at festivals?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve seen some really great shorts and met a few nice directors. It\u2019s great to enjoy a film and then get to meet its author \u2013 or the other way around, you meet someone at a party and then go see their film. I love that about festivals.\u00a0 And it\u2019s always nice to see your own work on the big screen! Even after working on it for so long and seen it a thousand times, the first watch on a big screen got me a little emotional.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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If you haven\u2019t already, do make sure you check out\u00a0This Time Away\u00a0<\/em>on Vimeo!<\/a><\/p>\n

Want to be in with a chance of having your film screened at our 2020 festival? Regular submissions close in less than two weeks on 31st May \u2013 submit your short film today!<\/a><\/p>\n

The post Interview: \u201cThis Time Away\u201d director Magali Barb\u00e9<\/a> appeared first on Norwich Film Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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