Pierre-Luc Granjon Charts the Creative Journey of His Annecy Cristal-Winning Short ‘The Night Boots’

Last Saturday, French writer-director Pierre-Luc Granjon (The White Wolf, co-director on the 2023 feature, The Inventor) took home the short film Cristal at Annecy for his beautiful and thought-provoking film The Night Boots (Les bottes de la nuit). The black-and-shite short, which centers on the friendship between a young boy and a strange creature he meets in the forest, was made using the pinscreen method (first invented by Alexandre Alexeieff and his wife Claire Parker in their studio in Paris in 1932) using a side-lit screen filled with movable pins.

Granjon was kind enough to answer a few of our questions only a few hour after winning the top prize for animated shorts at the festival. Here is what he said:

Animation Magazine: Congratulations on winning the top Cristal for Animated Shorts at Annecy! We’re thrilled for you. Can you tell us a bit about the origins and inspirations behind The Night Boots?

Pierre-Luc Granjon: Thank you very much! It was an amazing edition of the Annecy Festival for me this year!

When I started writing The Night Boots, the world news was very dark (it hasn’t got better since…) and I didn’t want to add darkness to it. It is important to keep tenderness alive even when so many things seem going the wrong way.

I had two images in my head: the first one was a child stepping outside his house at night, while his parents had guests; the second was the same boy (but not totally the same) getting home two or three hours later. These two scenes would be the beginning and the end of the movie. I had to imagine what happened in between. I am also inspired by many different directors like Yuri Norstein, Jérémy Clapin, Suzie Templeton, Miyazaki, Greco/Buffat … I really enjoy the work of many directors! I can’t name them all.

When did you start working on it and how long did it take to make?

I wrote the script and drew the storyboard in 2019, just before co-directing Jim Capobianco’s The Inventor for more than two years. The Night Boots’ shooting started in March 2023 and ended one year later. The film was completely finished a few months after.

Can you tell us about the animation tools you used to create it and why you decided to use the pinscreen method?

I used an Alexeieff/Parker pinscreen, called l’épinette. It is a metallic frame in which 277,000 white tubes are stuck. In each tube, there is a pin, 5mm longer than the tube. When all the pins are pushed inside, one can see the cut of the tubes, and the screen is white. When pins get out, they project a shadow on the surface (we use only one projector to light the pinscreen) and these shadows create different greys, and black.

I decided to use the pinscreen because I felt it was the right tool for my project, which is set on a night of full moon in the countryside. When I draw on a pinscreen, I have the feeling of sculpting the light and the shadow (the chiaroscuro). When all the pins are out, the screen is black (it looks like a black velvet). I use little tools in glass (a pointy bulb could work) and when I pass it on the screen, the light appears, it’s a kind of magic!

What do you love about the way the short turned out?

I started the shooting with the shot of the boots on the corridor, with the shadow of Eliot. And I decided to keep on with the next shot, following Eliot in his room, then in the forest. In a way, I was following the same adventure as Eliot, discovering for each shot what the pinscreen could propose and offer me.

It was also a wonderful adventure thanks to all the people I worked with. First, my producer, Yves Bouveret (Am Stram Gram), who tried to be the cloud gobbler of my film, trying to keep the sky clear above my head during all the process! I also think of Loïck Burkhardt, the sound designer. We worked together for several weeks, giving life to the forest and its different creatures. And there is also Timothée Jolly, my musician, and Cédric Lionnet, the film mixer, and Bernard Bouillon (the voice of the creature), and so many others (Brieuc Laudet, Antoine Rodet, Xavier Drouault, Sara Sponga, Christophe Gautry, Eymeric Jorat…)!

What would you say was the toughest part of the process?

Well, the pinscreen needs to be in a dark room, with only one projector. To be in that kind of cave for 12 months was not the most pleasant. I had to go out regularly, to enjoy the light, and look at the horizon.

You have been able to work as an in demand director in this field for over 25 years. What is the secret to longevity?

It is not easy to answer, but my chance is that I am not only a director, but also an animator or a scriptwriter. I really enjoy working for other directors. These are moments of discovery and it can lead to very rewarding experiences which enriching my own work.

And what do you hope audiences will take home from your short?

Another tricky question … I wanted the film to be tender, and if the audience can feel that, that’s something. The core of the film is this encounter between the boy and the creature, two solitary beings, and the birth of a friendship. There is no antagonism in the movie, which is another important point for me. Most monsters are no longer monsters once you know them, it is ignorance that creates them.

What is your take on the state of the animation scene worldwide? What kind of advice can you give young animators who are just starting out?

This year in Annecy, I saw many movies from all around the world. I know that it’s often said that there is a crisis in animation — well, that is said in France anyway. That is certainly true about the animated series industry,  but when we talk about shorts and features, it is amazing how rich and diverse the productions are. My worries are more about AI, but I know that part of the audience will always appreciate movies, shorts and TV shows made by humans. Perhaps we need a new label: 100% human-made.

My advice for young animators is to keep in mind why they chose animation. Pleasure, excitement, passion for an art that combines narration, visuals, movements, sound and music. The industry can be very harsh and heartless, and if that’s the case, then run! Find a job in animation that is perhaps less paying, but more exciting for you. Or make your own movies.

You can find more information on The Night Boots at cnc.fr, unifrance.org and see more of Granjon’s work on his Instagram.

 

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