^{Credit: The Shyness of Trees (Gobelins Paris)}

Bingqing Shu, Maud Le Bras, Simin He, Loïck Du Plessis D'Argentré, Sofiia Chuikovska, Lina Han, and Jiaxin Huang attended animation school Gobelins Paris, together directing their graduating short, The Shyness of Trees. The story centers on Hélène, a woman coming to terms with the mortality of her aging mother, who is literally becoming one with the earth. The Shyness of Tree won Bronze at this year’s Student Academy Awards, qualifying it for consideration at the 98^th Academy Awards. Cartoon Contender spoke to this seven-person team about the roots of the story, folk horror movies that inspired the aesthetic, and making it to the Student Academy Awards.

^{Credit: Bingqing Shu, Maud Le Bras, Simin He, Loïck Du Plessis D'Argentré, Sofiia Chuikovska, Lina Han, and Jiaxin Huang} 

Q: Where did the idea for this story stem from?

A: The idea for the story came from Loïck contemplating his parents' mortality, what life might be like when they are gone. The rest of the teammates attached to this idea as we all thought about it at some point. Working together, the story developed to explore the mother-daughter relationship of the characters. Each teammate shared personal stories about themselves, their mothers, and grandmothers to sculpt Hélène and Marie-Annick. 

A: The Shyness of Trees has seven credited directors. What was the collaborative process like between you all?

Q: Each person naturally settled into their role in the film, but we did not give ourselves specific labels during production. For example, Loïck was the main person behind the script, storyboard, and editing. He was very story-focused. But other teammates had equal opportunity to voice their opinions, if they chose to participate. We had many team meetings to debate the path we wanted to take with the art direction and story. It would definitely be a very different film without such collaboration. 

Q: Did any of you know one another before attending Gobelins Paris?

A: Maud and Loïck knew each other from their bachelor's at Rubika. Simin and Lina also knew each other from their prior university. Another connection within the team came from a game jam, where Bingqing first met Lina and collaborated with her on a small project. Even back then, Bingqing already found her work to be really impressive. None of them expected to cross paths again at GOBELINS, but it seems that people with genuine talent often end up meeting again in this industry.

Q: What were the inspirations behind the film’s atmospheric designs?

A: We took heavy inspirations from folk horror movies like Midsommar or The Wicker Man for the film's atmosphere. We also referenced movies about family relationships like Hereditary and Lady Bird.  The big thing that influenced how we composed our shots and played with light was looking at black and white films with very stylized shots. that includes The Night of the Hunter, The Lighthouse, and Persona.

Q: Jérémy Ben Ammar composed the film's music. When did he come on board?

A: We mainly knew him from all the previous Gobelins films he made soundtracks for. Loïck pointed out how Jeremy's soundtrack for Rodrigo Sousa's Playground horror trailer was, so we rushed to reach out to him as early as possible into production. By that time, we had accumulated a lot of references to the kind of music and instruments we wanted in our film. Jeremy was quickly on board because he loved our references. In the end, he brought a passionate personal touch to our vision that really enhanced the movie. When we saw the film with the first draft of the music, we finally felt like, maybe, we are making something very special. 

^{Credit: The Shyness of Trees (Gobelins Paris)}

Q: Can you take us through the process of qualifying for a Student Academy Award and making the top three?

A: Miyu Distribution is in charge of our festival run. They have been applying to all the festivals on our behalf, and we provided them with necessary materials from time to time. Before applying to the SAA, we had roughly a year of attending festivals whenever we could. It felt like it all happened so fast. All of the sudden, awards accumulated and we were qualified. It was the biggest shock to turn out to be a finalist.  

Q: I also interviewed Tobias Eckerlin, who won Gold at the Student Academy Awards for A Sparrow’s Song. He mentioned that you previously met at the BAFTA Student Awards. What has it been like networking with fellow student filmmakers?

A: The festival circuit was a great opportunity for us to meet other student filmmakers and exchange about our respective approaches to the craft. It’s hard to say if these brief relationships will turn into artistic partnerships, but it’s great to feel like we are not alone on this journey of beginning our filmmaking career, and to be part of a welcoming international animation community. We hope we’ll get to meet all these wonderful people again in the future, maybe in future festivals with new exciting projects.  

Q: Loïck got to speak on the team's behalf at the Student Academy Awards. Is there anything the other six directors would like to say that they didn't get a chance to at the ceremony?   

A: It's true that we were warned that due to our team being large, we would not have time to speak all together. Sofiia had a few words planned, but seeing how nicely Loicks’ speech wrapped up, she felt like her addition would not tie in seamlessly, so she refrained from saying it. But what she planned to say was: 

“It is really a grand moment not only for me but for my whole family, since I am the first one in my lineage to travel so far outside of my home and to receive such a prestigious award. So I would like to use this opportunity to thank my parents for making me who I am today. I will make sure to properly take advantage of this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kickstart my filmmaking career.”

Q: By winning a Student Academy Award, The Shyness of Trees automatically qualifies for Best Animated Short consideration. What advice would you give to other student filmmakers looking to get their work seen on the festival and awards circuits?

A: Don’t think about awards. Focus on reaching deep inside yourself to find something that is true, even if it is uncomfortable, a personal take on a universal experience. Whatever the message is, if it's true to you, then it will find its intended audience. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!