La maladie de la mort: From Théâtre Prospero to the Big Screen
In December 2019, I created the trailer for La maladie de la mort at Théâtre Prospero, handling directing, cinematography and postproduction. The project gave me a chance to develop a visual proposal around Marguerite Duras’s text, adapted for the stage by Martine Beaulne, with Sylvie Drapeau and Paul Savoie.
The play ran from January 28 to February 15, 2020. For the trailer, the challenge was to convey its world before audiences even entered the theatre: an atmosphere, tension between two presences, a way of inhabiting silence. The images needed to accompany this sensitive material and make people want to discover the show.
I particularly enjoy this kind of collaboration, where video opens another creative space around a theatrical work. Close-ups, editing rhythm and a strong graphic aesthetic allowed us to build a small visual story. The show’s music also contributed to continuity between the stage and the images.
Conversations with the Prospero team and Martine Beaulne’s comments fed the preparation. We needed to remain attentive to the characters’ relationship and the distance between them so the video stayed true to the staging. It’s a part of the work I appreciate: finding my place as a filmmaker within a world already shaped by other artists.
This memory has a special dimension: the trailer was also shown in cinemas. December conversations planned screenings at Cinéma Beaubien, Cinéma du Parc and Cinéma du Musée from January 10, 2020. Seeing content created for theatre reach the big screen gave the project another scope, introducing the play’s world to audiences attending the cinema.
When the team received the first edit, they noted that the video matched the spirit of the show. That feedback still stands out for me. Beyond distribution, the feeling of having helped extend a work in the right way makes this collaboration valuable in my independent filmmaking career.
Discover the show and its team:https://theatreprospero.com/programmation/pieces/la-maladie-de-la-mort
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