Fortiche: Can you tell us about your career?

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After a high-school diploma in sciences, I did a MANAA (Applied Arts) at Estienne and then a course in Animation at ISART DIGITAL (Paris). At the end of my education, I did an internship at Mikros Image as an animator on Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods. Once I graduated, I worked at Illumination MacGuff in CFX on SING, then I came back at Mikros Image to work on Captain Underpants in CFX and Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion in Layout and Compositing. Afterwards, I joined Fortiche Production in the Layout department on Arcane.

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F: Why did you choose this career path?

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As being raised in an engineering family, working in an artistic environment was not an obvious choice. I couldn’t see myself in the professional world yet, so I needed concrete experiences and skills to reassure me and to be guided throughout my path. 

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At Isart Digital, I followed a work-study program that allowed me to get acquainted with the reality of the animation sector and to confirm my career choice. This 3D general training enabled me to work in several departments at the same time and to discover what I would prefer.

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Even though I worked in Fix Anim, CFX, Compositing, and Layout with a lot of enthusiasm, I’m much more attracted to Layout because of its creative freedom and the general skills it requires. 

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F: How long have you been working with Fortiche?

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I joined Fortiche in February 2019, so it has been over 3 years.

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F: What is your role on the project or at Fortiche?

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Layout is a rather unknown step of the pipe and often imagined as a simple technical transition from 2D Storyboard to 3D scene. Personally, I describe it as the “Stage director in a 3D space". At the Layout, we are the first to gather all the elements of the pipe in a single scene: the sets, the characters, but also the frames, the lighting intentions, and so on... At the end, we get both a "draft" of the final image, but also a base, on which the following departments can add their input. To ensure that everything works to serve the directors' intent is really satisfying.

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F: What is your best memory at Fortiche or do you have an anecdote to share with us?

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I love the closeness that brings together all the artists from all the departments at Fortiche. Even if the studio has grown enormously with the Arcane project, we feel that the spirit has remained very human. The moments of sharing and pre-dinner drinks on the terrace are just as enjoyable as the work. There is a very organic collaboration between all the departments allowing everyone to move in the same direction. Compared to other studios where we don't mix between departments and where we are only focusing on our own work, without caring about the others, at Fortiche the atmosphere is more pleasant and productive in my opinion.