So the change happened seven or eight years ago. Can you tell us what happened?One very pragmatic, and one more emotional. After trying so many different things for a long time, we realized that there are certain things that we were good at, and certain things that we should forget, or call other people to do it. When we started the studio in 2006 nobody was really doing the same thing. Especially in France, mixing all these different things was not a common thing to do back then. But it became a normal thing slowly, probably because of the internet. And I’ve seen a lot of amazing super talented directors, photographers, artists, and designers. So you’ve got to accept that at some point. But that’s also when you realize your talent is somewhere else and you should focus on your talents versus trying to be someone else. We realized that what was unique with the studio was more vision, that we are listening to stories, also the variety of people we talk to. We’re not just in fashion or music or sports but we can talk in the same way to so many different people, and I think that’s what makes us so unique. Versatility.
The second one is very pragmatic. I’m not even sure we should put on interview, but I’m still gonna say it, it’s a question of money. Because at the end of the day, it’s our job. It’s important for us that our talent is valued. We’re getting paid for what we’re good at. I don’t want to pretend I’m good at photography, if I’m not a good photographer. I don’t want to pretend that I should be paid for it. So that’s when we started thinking, “Hey, you know it’s weird. In all the invoices that we send, it’s always written photography, design, but it’s never about selling the story.” It was never about connecting the dots or crafting the narrative of the whole project, which to us is the most important thing. So that’s when we started presenting ourselves differently, but also talking differently, and trying to lean more towards the analyzing, storytelling side of our work. And we feel much more comfortable with it. It took a long time for us to realize but it’s such a relief to feel that you’re getting paid for what you’re good at.
Do you think your clients understand that they are paying for the storytelling and the concepts behind the visual work when they commission their projects for you?Yeah, a lot of them do. I would say more than half of the people who work with us are aware of it in the first place. And sometimes we get requests for projects that are more purely visual, or production side of things. We don’t really feel comfortable with that. So, we’d honestly tell them, “Hey, this is not necessarily our thing. There are better people out there to do this.” But then they call us back later on with something that really fits to what we do. It’s taking a bit of time and conversation but more and more… Now, almost all the people we work with are aware of that.
Let’s say you come up with a concept or story behind it. How do you share that vision with your clients? Is there a specific approach you take?It really depends on the client and the project. There’s not one formula that we apply to everything. But it’s also very important to reassure the people you work with and make them feel comfortable. A lot of times, people give more importance to visuals than stories. So we try to reverse that by telling them that the story is the most important part of the project. For example, someone will come up and say, “hey, there is this project of three months. We want your ideas in the next three days.” And that doesn’t quite make sense. Because development of story is meant to be the hardest part of project, the context, the culture around it, and make sure everything makes total sense. It takes more than two or three days. Some people don’t understand and some do. Yeah, it really depends on who we talk to. Really.
In order for a collaboration to be successful, what do you think are the most important components?I would say anticipation. You can see instantly the strength of the project, but also the potential failures where it could go wrong. While crafting a project, you need to always keep in mind some exit doors. It’s very important not to base everything on one concept because if that concept doesn’t work, you’re screwed. It’s super important to have plan B, C, D, to E. Most of the time when you do a project, the thing that you have in mind is not going to happen the way you had it in mind. Because of budget, time and other parameters. I think that’s something present in our work as well. It’s not just about telling stories, it’s not just about crafting narratives and connecting cultures, it’s also about having a very wide vision of the project and trying to anticipate what could possibly go wrong, and making sure you always have a backup plan for that.
What is your very first step when you’re going into a new project? And what are your approaches when faced with challenges or problems?I think both questions are connected. Every time there’s a new project, we establish a work frame around it. We try to analyze every ingredient that we want to put into the project, whether that’s narrative, cultural or visual ingredient. We make sure we have a defined context for the entire project, and we don’t lose sight of it during the process.
There are always difficulties. There are always things going wrong. But it’s also a matter of anticipation. If you have a backup plan, then it’s cool, then you’re not as stressed. It’s very rare that we end up panicking. Because there’s always a solution. But also, nothing that we do is important. Nothing. We’re not saving lives. Nobody’s going to die. Honestly, there is not a single project without a drama at some point. But there’s always a way to deal with it. I think what we do is serious but not important. The planet will still revolve around the Sun.
Are there any pivotal moments as a studio, where you changed your course of direction because of people you met or events that happened?I don’t think there is one specific event that happened. But I think, especially when you’re self-taught, you start with a big lack of confidence. You gain that confidence and trust over the years by experiencing and doing projects. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But when it works, that gives you confidence to keep on trusting your own vision and ideas.
I guess there was that one day, when people started listening to you differently. I couldn’t say when that happened exactly, but probably around 2010 or 2011. Obviously, there are some brands and some people that I’ve been working with that gave a lot of credibility to the studio. That’s just the way it works. When I look at photographers, of course, I look at the work, but I also look at who have been working with them, and clients they have.
You can be the best at what you do. But it becomes more relevant when you do it in a stressful context. To be good at something with not so much freedom, budget restrictions, space, consideration, you know, all these material parameters. If I see somebody’s good work, and I’ve noticed that they did it for a huge company, I’d say “this is much more valuable than the same exact thing that they’ve been doing over two years without any constraints.” Because I know all the constraints that this requires. And it’s the same for us. Initially, people were, “Oh, these guys are doing a lot of different things. It’s interesting.” But people started taking us seriously only when we started working with Louis Vuitton, or Nike. Then people see that we do cool things and also do it within those crazy constraints.