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Witch Way Love
Interview
Taken from the press kit, March 1997
This movie is a very mixed bag : Love, suspense, comedy, white magic and black magic. Why did Christian Fechner choose you ?
I think there were a number of reasons. We met while he was producing the TV series Sueurs Froides. He’d seen Le Passage and 36-15 Code Père Noël, two movies I made which already dealt with fantasy and the world of make-believe. Plus, I had been living in the United States for the last five years and so I could write and film in both English and French.
What do you learn when you go off to the US to write screenplays and make movies ?
You learn how to be both efficient and modest. You write screenplays that will be signed by others, filmed by others, you become a script doctor, a Hollywood ghost writer.
But it’s well worth it. These are methods that turn out to be very precious when you come back to France.
How did you work with Vanessa Paradis ?
Since I hadn’t been in France, I screened her two movies Noces Blanches and Elisa. I was surprised by the contrast between how powerful her acting was and her « little bird » image. I wrote Vanessa’s role by purposely turning my back on all her « Lolita » aspects.
What is the movie’s style ?
It’s a modern fairy tale. Sleeping Beauty 2000. The movies I like are made with your eyes shut. They are connected to the imaginary. They use the real world, just like dreams do.
How did you strike a balance between real magic on the set and the special effects that will be added in post production using the latest techniques ?
I had Christian Fechner and his magicians on the set with me all the time. I asked them to coordinate certain scenes for me so I wouldn’t have to resort to computers. In the end, the actor and the magician do the same thing : they draw your attention over here while something else is going on over there. That’s « misdirection ». Ultimately, 90% of the illusions will have been performed live on the set and only 10% on a computer. I tried to bring back the simple wonder felt in the days of Méliès, and fairground movies.
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