Lajos Egri’s classic “The Art of Dramatic Writing” is a must-read for playwrights and screenwriters.  The book’s first tip is to start with a serious premise—the big idea that you want to get across.  The value of Egri’s advice is illustrated in “The Interview” (in French “L’Entretien”), a one-minute comedy directed by French filmmakers Benjamin LaPierre and Alexandre Gaudou. Its serious premise—that prejudice doesn’t pay—provides coherence without lessening the movie’s humor. The directors—who play the male roles— talk about the making of their movie (below).

Behind the Scenes  with Benjamin LaPierre & Alexandre Gaudou

MMM: How did you come up with the idea for “The Interview”?

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: The idea of our film was born from our desire to enter the Mobile Film Festival 2018 in Paris. The theme of the competition was STAND UP 4 HUMAN RIGHTS. We wanted to play with the prejudices that exist around the roles of men and women in society.

MMM: Which of you was in charge during the shoot?

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: We both directed the film.  Even our actress Alissia sometimes offered us ideas during filming. We are very attentive to the actors because they often have very good ideas.

MMM: Could you talk about writing the piece?

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: We worked from a rather light script. We did a lot of improvisation for the placement of the cameras and the monologue of the main character, which was totally improvised by Alex.

MMM: How did you cast the part of the female manager?

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: Alissia works with us regularly and has participated in many of our projects. She is first a friend before being our favorite actress. We know that we can count on her to offer a convincing interpretation. We explain the result we want and then she composes her own character.

MMM: The two of you not only worked behind the camera but also played the male leads. Could you talk about directing yourselves?

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: Directing ourselves is very difficult because it is necessary to think simultaneously about the technical matters of shooting, the artistic issues of composition, the actions required by the script, while remaining focused on our interpretation.

MMM: On top of all that, I believe you also handled the set design.

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: It is a real location. We had access to filming there thanks to Alex, who works in that office.

MMM: Were there any challenges during the production?

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: We paid attention to the lighting and the sound recording, which can be the problems related to the mobile shooting. So we installed some LED lights and plugged an external microphone into our smartphone.

MMM: On your YouTube page, you provide a big list of items you used in the shoot. Could you talk about the gear?

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: We often use a lot of material, but it is always small, cheap and easy to use. We want to show that video production is accessible to all.  The essential accessories to have are a tripod, lights, and an external microphone. If you want to make a video with a little more sophistication, we advise using a stabilizer like the Osmo Mobile 2, which remains at a reasonable price for what it can do.

MMM: Anything else you’d like to add?

BENJAMIN & ALEXANDRE: “The Interview” got a place in the finals at the Amnesty International contest  and is very popular with our audience, so we are very proud of it.

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“The Interview” was chosen by the editors of MobileMovieMaking.com as a Mobile Movie of the Week.

In 2018, their visual effects comedy “Copier Coller ” was included in this Magazine’s 13 Best Mobile Movies of the Year.