What is “Aller Simple” and why do we need you?
“Aller Simple” (One-way Ticket) is a 20-minute short film written and directed by Jan Amor with the help of Jeanne Lorne, both graduates of the Master’s program in Film Direction from the Toulouse public film school (ENSAV). It is an end-of-studies personal project and a collective work in which the entire technical and artistic team has participated selflessly, driven only by their love of cinema and their great desire to make films.
Orson Welles used to say that the enemy of art is the absence of limitations. However, he also noted that while a writer needs a pen and an artist a brush, a filmmaker needs an army. We are a small army of filmmakers, actors and actresses accustomed to supporting each other, to fending for ourselves and to finding creative solutions with limited resources.
This time, we have additional limitations and we are short of recruits . We have launched this campaign because we need you and because we believe that the crowdfunding formula is the one that best suits our collaborative way of working.
Do you want to join this one-way trip into the unknown? We are waiting for you!
Synopsis
Robert, a veteran shepherd, buries his dog, his only friend, who died of old age on a stormy night. While digging the grave in the garden of his house, he discovers a buried suitcase of the brand “Aller simple;” it is locked and has a tag attached with an address written on it. The shepherd ventures to the city to find the owner. What seemed a priori a simple and unimportant errand, will become an endless journey, full of new encounters, failures and pleasures.
Original language
The original language of the film is French, but we will subtitle it at least in Catalan, Spanish and English.
Structure
The film is divided into three different acts, each determined by the location where it takes place: the countryside, the city and the urban periphery. We will treat the setting as a character, to characterize the particular atmosphere and the aesthetics of each space and in opposition to the others: purified (bucolic) in the countryside, populated in the city and degraded in the periphery.
The countryside: Robert blends into a setting of mountains, meadows and villages that is everything to him. This is his natural habitat, his comfort zone. Through his daily life, we will learn about his cultural identity, his work and the few social relationships he maintains.
The city: Arriving in an urban space, hostile because it is unknown, represents a break for Robert. The city subjects him to external influences all the time. His virgin gaze delves into the unknown and reinvents life in public space, both in its beauty and in its absurdities.
The periphery: The fumes, the dark colors, the frenetic activity that animate the suburb contrast completely with Robert's natural surroundings. The shepherd will move through this unfriendly space in a chaotic way. The fatigue of the trip and the metaphorical death that is approaching will be perceived through an increasingly dreamlike and fluid aesthetic.
Shooting
With "Aller Simple" we began building the house from the roof and started shooting before launching this campaign. We have been able to do it thanks to the support of ENSAV and a private loan.
In red , the rehearsal days. In blue , those of rest. In green , those of shooting.
From July 12 to 15, we shot at l'Ariège, in the French Pyrenees (look at the photos) From July 21 to 30, we will shoot in Toulouse.
Main features and goals of the crowdfunding campaign
Presentation of the project, by Jan Amor
The desire to write about this experience of travel into the unknown comes, surely, from my experiences abroad. Since I was a child, I have lived in several houses: one in Rabat, one in Cairo, another in Barcelona. Every time, new rules, new languages, new people.
Robert's story occurred to me after arriving in Toulouse, a city in which I have lived for years and in which I have often been lost, both in its narrow streets and in its cumbersome bureaucracy. What was in my suitcase? Maybe this short film.
I have built the script from the idea of "life as a journey". The true adventure of the shepherd is to take advantage of the time he has left before death catches him off guard, like it did with his dog. Leaving his satisfied and quiet solitude in the countryside is an attempt to escape from it. The suitcase will trigger the trip, it will accompany him throughout the entire film and will be the reason for everything that happens to him.
The suitcase, thus, has a lot to do with magical realism, a literary genre that I have explored in my previous short films, inspired by authors such as Pere Calders, Roald Dahl or Franz Kafka. What I am trying to do is reflect on reality from a "magical" perspective, maintaining at all times the internal plausibility of this universe.
Why this is important
We are very motivated; what we need is to motivate you! This project is aimed at anyone for whom cinema is an important part of life and who believes that it is worth promoting independent projects and giving new creators a chance.
Collective production
“Aller Simple” is a collaborative project that has the support and help of ENSAV, but not public or private funding. We have launched this campaign to ask you to participate in this collective production and help us to finance Robert's one-way trip in the best possible conditions. We will appreciate it very much and we will work really hard to deserve it!
Adding expenses ...
It has been almost a year since a bunch of people started working selflessly on this project and we will continue to do so until it becomes a reality. The enthusiastic participation of the technical and artistic teams allows us to start it up in an austere way and with few resources, but even so, we have a significant amount of small expenses which add up.
You will find all the expenses explained in the list of needs. As you will see, they are for shooting. Our priority is to make available to the entire team all the means they need (technical material, decoration, costumes, makeup) and guarantee that they can work, move and eat properly.
If during the first round of this campaign we manage to stay within the minimum budget, we can start another round, allocating additional resources above all to post-production and to present and distribute the short film at film festivals.
About the rewards
The rewards that we offer you in exchange for your donations are not material and are more related to sharing and enjoying movies. More than offering you objects, which would increase the budget and cost to send, and that perhaps you do not need or want, we have devised a series of proposals to cater to the cinephile in you.
You will find them on the right side of this page. We remind you that donations have considerable tax deductions in Spain and that, therefore, you will recover part of what you contribute if you are residents of this country. Check it out at Goteo's tax calculator
Team and experience
"Aller Simple" is a project that seeks to create links and collaboration between students, universities and different artistic fields that coexist in Toulouse. The team is made up of students and professionals of different nationalities and disciplines, many of whom have been trained in this French city.
Students of the Conservatory of Music will be in charge of the soundtrack and students of Fine Arts will be in charge of decoration. Many of the actors have been or are being trained at the Theater Conservatory and members of the technical team have studied at ENSAV or at the Jean Jaurès University.
Art team
Robert - Jean-Pierre Clami
Robert is a universal character, moving and not very talkative. We have modeled him in the image of Jean-Pierre Clami, an emotional actor with a mischievous smile very present in the work of the French director Jean-Pierre Mocky. Jean-Pierre will come expressly from Paris for the filming, which says a lot about his passion for cinema and for the character he is going to play.
The Dog - Holly
Holly is a beautiful dog and an excellent actress! She is the companion of Elódie and Christophe, a charming couple of cinephiles, specialized in training dogs and whom we thank for their help. Holly has previous experience in the world of cinema: she was the leading role of a short film directed by a colleague from ENSAV.
Guirlanda - Véni Lacombe
We have also written the character of Guirlanda in the image of Véni, a magnificent and very versatile actress who has already collaborated in three of Jan’s previous short films. Véni has a long career in the theater world, as an actress and director, and has also participated in professional feature films.
The Lawyer - Yves Belaubre
Yves is a filmmaker and scriptwriter professor at ENSAV. This is the third time he has played a role in one of Jan’s short films. Acting is in his blood: his grandparents were actors and his mother acted in several of François Truffaut’s films.
Yves Belaubre in the short film "The Desert" (2018 ), by Jan Amor
Technical team
Director and screenwriter - Jan Amor (Rabat, 1996)
“Aller Simple” is the film with which I will end my studies in film direction at ENSAV and the project with which I would like to thank the school for all the training, and the human and technical resources that it has provided me to help me develop my style as a filmmaker. Cinema has always been a real obsession for me and from a very young age I started shooting family short films. The ones I have directed afterwards, in and out of school, have in common a genre that fascinates me: magical realism. “Aller Simple” is the most ambitious short film that I have developed so far and I am very happy to be able to make it with this team of professionals and good friends with whom I hope to continue working throughout my career.
If you want to know more about what you are getting into, take a look at my website
Co-writer and assistant director - Jeanne Lorne (France, 1997)
Like Jan, I graduated last year with a Master’s degree in Film Direction at ENSAV. Over the last three years, we have worked together on various projects, from writing to post-production. Passionate about fiction and documentaries, I have also directed short films of various genres and have gradually specialized in editing. "Aller Simple" is a long journey and is the fruit of a long creative process. Being able to carry it out is very important for both of us: it is the culmination of these precious years of study and it will surely be a great boost towards a future full of projects.
Second Assistant Director - Tristan Houllemare (France, 1993)
I studied film in Lille, I spent six months in Morocco directing a documentary and then I obtained a Master’s in Film Direction at ENSAV, in the same class as Jan and Jeanne. I have worked with Jan on various projects and we have co-directed two short films together. I have followed his trajectory very closely. I know his style and way of working very well and I know that “Aller Simple” is the culmination of everything he has done so far. Therefore, it is an honor to be part of this fabulous project and with this magnificent team. I can't wait to get started and make it happen now!
Art Direction - Genjo Selwa (Iraqi Kurdistan, 1993)
I studied Fine Arts at the Duhok School in Iraqi Kurdistan, where I regularly produced stage designs. I have lived in Toulouse since 2015 and I am currently studying at ISDAT, the public school of Fine Arts. Since we met, Jan and I have shared a great friendship and have collaborated together on various projects, in fiction films, documentaries and shows. I have followed the development of “Aller Simple” from the beginning and to be able to collaborate as a set designer with this magnificent team is a dream that comes true.
Aller Simple has two Directors of Photography, each with their own style and sensibility. Celina Filgueiras will direct the first part of the shoot, in the mountains, and Teja Miholic, the second, in the city and on the urban periphery. It is a stylistic decision that we have made to mark the contrast between the two spaces. The two will travel to Toulouse from their respective countries of origin to shoot the short film (with a round-trip ticket!).
Director of Photography - Teja Miholič (Slovenia, 1993)
I am a filmmaker, photographer and digital artist. My films have been screened at festivals in Slovenia, France, Croatia, Serbia and Colombia and I have exhibited my work in museums and galleries. I have a degree in photography from the Ljubljana Higher School of Applied Sciences and a Master in Image from ENSAV, where I met Jan and the rest of the team, with whom I share a great friendship and professional relationship. I am very happy to travel to Toulouse to participate as a cinematographer in this great project.
Director of Photography - Celina Filgueiras (Brazil, 1995)
Photography has been my passion since I was a child. At the age of 17, I began to capture the reality of the streets of São Paulo, my hometown, with a camera. From there I jumped into journalism. After four years of studies, the passion for the visual arts and the desire to experiment with new cinematographic forms led me to travel to France to train at the ENSAV, where I obtained the Master’s in Photography. This is where I met Jan. His vision as a director moves me, especially because of his absurd and critical but always sweet nature. It is precisely this romantic eccentricity that motivates me to participate in this magnificent project.
Lighting - Tom Sarrat (France, 1995)
I am a final year student of the ENSAV Master’s program and I have been passionate about lighting since I first touched a projector. I consider that lighting is crucial in a film, because the light, colors and effects signal the artistic intentions of the director. I have known Jan for four years and have always admired his films and that combination of burlesque and fantastic elements with a social and philosophical background that is so characteristic of him. I think he has a great future and that it is worth supporting him and investing in his work.
+ Info:
If you have any questions or comments, you can write to us at allersimplefilm@hotmail.com. Also follow us on our Facebook page