TULIPE was the winner of BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY at the March 2021 Dance & Music Film Festival.
1. What motivated you to make this film?
Ted: Samuel (Ryvage) approached me with this great concept of the Dutch Tulipmania and I couldn’t say no, because of what it represents.What drew me to the project also was this collaboration between the 3 of us.
Samuel: We wanted to explore the concept behind my track “Tulipe” in a choreographic and visual manner. The track concept stems from the Tulip mania phenomenon, a period in the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century during which human hubris drove the prices of virus-infected tulips to stratospheric heights before they collapsed dramatically. It was really a collaborative process combining electronic music, dance and video. We finally made a music video and a multi-screen video installation displayed near the place where the video was shot.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this short?
Ted: Very little time, Samuel came up to me with the idea and Jill Crovisier in mind to dance. Shortly after we fell in love with the space we shot in and after a rehearsal day and a bit of planning for lighting we went at it.
Samuel: Once the initial idea had taken shape, I knew quite quickly that I wanted to work with Jill Crovisier for the dance and choreography and with Ted Kayumba on the video part, so I took a chance and contacted them. Once the team was in place, things went really fast. We visited the location a few weeks before the shooting, a bit by chance, and we immediately fell in love with the place and its story. It’s a former workshop of a furniture shop in my hometown Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg which has now been refurbished as a contemporary art space called “Konschthal”. The cracked walls, the atmosphere of the abandoned place full of traces of a past human activity, the colors and light, everything fit perfectly with the image we were looking for.
3. How would you describe your short film in two words!?
Samuel: dark but not hopeless…
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Ted: For me the editing was a whole process, it was linked to a lot of insecure moments, wanting to create something I was proud of but also the reality of this representing three people got really real.
Samuel: I think the biggest obstacle for me was the uncertainty at the beginning. I had this concept and a certain idea of where I wanted to go… but once everyone started working on the project those doubts faded away. You can never be sure of the outcome in advance, but that’s the charm of this kind of projects.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Samuel: It’s always interesting to hear the associations that viewers or listeners make and the references they use to describe a work. I like the fact that once a work is finished, people can make it their own.
Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:
6. How did you come up with the idea for this short film?
Samuel: It all started with the music. I wrote the track “Tulipe” last March during the first lockdown. I think I wanted to capture the clash between the imposed lockdown slowness and the feeling of sanitary urgency. After listening to one of the mixes, I knew I had to call the track “Tulipe” (in French) because of the Tulip Mania phenomenon, a period in the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century during which prices for tulips reached stratospheric heights before dramatically collapsing and ruining huge parts of society. Those flowers had been infected by a virus which was causing very fashionable and unique colour effects on the petals, but also endangered the reproduction of the tulips, which led to the creation of a speculative bubble and an economic crisis. Something struck me about this story and the idea of an audiovisual and choreographic development kept turning in my head.
Once Jill and Ted were on board, things developed very naturally. We had a lot of exchange and discussions on how we could explore the notions of lockdown and claustrophobia as well as the feeling of crumbling certitudes.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Ted: La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz)
Samuel: Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
8. What song have you listened to the most times in your life?
Ted: ‘Jamie xx – Gosh’ with the music video whenever possible
Samuel: There’s no one particular song… I tend to listen to a lot of music.
9. What is next for you? A new film?
Ted: More filming, more editing… Trying to get better and hopefully a new project with Ryvage, love the exchange we are able to have on our projects.
Samuel: Working on some new material and hopefully playing live again soon. And making a new video with Ted when the time is right. There are quite a few projects in the pipeline.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Short Bio – Ryvage :
Ryvage is the electronic solo project by Luxembourg based musician and producer Samuel Reinard. The name derives from the French word rivage (French pronunciation: (/riːˈvɑːʒ) meaning “shore”.
Driven by his love of contrasts, produced in isolation, Reinard’s synth-driven electro-pop and its visual incarnations are a reflection of his personal obsessions, spanning from 80s sci-fi movie soundtracks and industrial electro to immersive installation art and echoes of French literature.
Tulipe VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_19I41OHjoI
Tulipe MUSIC: https://fanlink.to/tulipe
Ryvage Website: http://www.ryvage.com
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 