EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Laurent Caille - Artistic Director behind a Film Title: "A STONE IN THE HEART", soon to Be Released

The film is finally heading towards its digital release, and we had the opportunity to exclusively chat with the Artistic Director – Laurent Caille.

Previously, we have interacted by way of interviews with - Michael Ingrassia, Serge Leterrier, David Decraene, and Gael Zaks, about their personal inspirations, chaos in film-making, and creating characters you can empathize with. Refer to published articles in Honk Magazine, Foxinterviewer Magazine, and OnTheSceneny Magazine on the title: “A STONE IN THE HEART”.

These vibrant individuals - Michael Ingrassia (Creator of the film), Serge Leterrier (Screenplayer of the film) is based on an original idea by Michael Ingrassia. Jose Pinheiro (Coordinator and technical advisor), and Laurent Caille (Artistic director) who are all Franco-Belgian and European fiction actors - based on the life of Michael Ingrassia.

The origins of this film are a series of discussions they had with the director of the project. Michael Ingrassia’s transition from in front of the camera in a number of hugely popular and highly respected Philosophical tales about the chaotic journey of a little guy from Liège, his sufferings, his struggles, a parade of genres, representing the whole of the society of our time.

The new film production which is titled: “A Stone in the Heart” (in English), “Une Pierre Dans le Coeur” (in French) will soon be released. The film “A Stone in the Heart” is targeted at adults and young adult audiences.

Recently, we got the chance to interview Laurent Caille who is one of the film’s creative Artistic Director to discuss his inspirations and motivations behind making the movie. The film’s poster shown is a collective commitment by all casting crews to deliver the final product within March – April 2022 veraciously released.

Here are the highlights of our interview with Laurent Caille…

1. State the main features of this film – the title and origins of the film, and owners. Expected release date; Intended audience; The Story behind the film and who are composers of the film.

One reading, only one time, of the script, based on a real autobiographical story, allowed me to keep my initial feelings, my neutrality, my virginity as to this dream that suddenly had become mine, and to be invited to enter the arcana of this world so secret, so strange and yet so familiar, in the heart, in the mind, in the soul of Michael Ingrassia (Creator of the Film), who shared with me the immense depth of this modern tale and yet from another time, which is none other than him and his personal experience.

2. Biography of each Actors/Directors: (Describe each actor’s age, city, qualifications, achievement and interests).

Laurent Caille is Artistic Director, 53 years old in his body, (20 or 85 in his mind depending on his imagination or his experience!!).

Native from Paris, working in Cinema, TV and Entertainment since 35 years, did live during several years in more than 25 countries around the world, included United States in the 90's.

Actually based in Marseille in South of France, the French Hollywood since a while, but working in France and abroad.

Qualifications? Hundreds are possible?... Multi-Specialist ?

Basically Head Hairdresser & Master Wigmaker, Make-up Artist & SFX, Historian, Writer, Lecturer, Art Director, Designer, Professional Trainer, Owner of his company and a store online, but Journalist for TV shows and magazines, Master diving instructor, first aid instructor, video movies director, photographer, traveler, actor, coach, so on... Maybe a kind of modern mercenary, no, better adventurer in life... between Indiana Jones, Mickey Mouse and Albert Einstein...

Interests? If not enough, just passionate...

3. How can you introduce the major characters in the film? What does this tell our audience about what to expect in the film story?

I'd like to answer as Art Director but as a poet too, about the film...

"Alive, dead; Happy, unhappy; Suffering and ecstasy in their most total incomprehension, through an initiatory journey where we no longer know how to distinguish the true from the false, the truth, the lie, the qualities and the faults, just like the benefits and the errors, even embodied or disembodied, who knows?, it is a permanent questioning through this quest towards a renewal, potential, impossible or true, the osmosis from birth to death announced, virtual, real, unreal even aborted, in a world so material where good and evil merge, to create only one, to better discover the truth, the truth of life, the truth of love , courage, despair and self-sacrifice and try to come to understand if happiness exists ...

Dreamlike, ethereal, esoteric but so concrete, made of flesh, tears, and sweat, this wonderful film "A Stone in the Heart" takes you beyond the sensations that you would think you could never feel or hope for..."

4. How would you like to be introduced to the world?

As a dreamer that wish each dream become reality...

5. When did everyone became interested in working together as team to produce the film, and what influenced everybody’s decision to pursue this career?

Personal answer one more time:

Everything took shape instantly, colors, meanders, sounds, smells, mysticism, immense pain, intense happiness, a whole life, a death also, a rebirth too, in the depths of incredible details that made me become this daydream for me. allow with my own resentment, to extract the substantive marrow, in order to be able to re-transmit, like a living decoder, the sensations, the images, the emotions, the pangs and the joys, to all the members of this wonderful team who surround us and each get involved with us in this phantasmagorical but very real world that we carry in this magnificent film.

6. Are there any relationships between various characters, be they friends, lovers, co-workers, or family members that are important to the film production? If so, describe the relationships that you believe contribute to the story and how those relationships advance the action of the film story.

There is a great casting, such great professionals at all the level of this production, from the Head of each department, the main Leaders and Directors of course, to all the crew members.

Plenty of us already did work together in the past, even recently, we are plenty to be real friends in Life, and it's happening like a magic emulation, like if this dreamily movie becoming reality in the real life, such alive of course...

And by experience, this is such important to feel a strong and close team for creating a great movie.

7. What do you hope to accomplish as an actor and director with your organization?

Sincerely? I told you I'm a dreamer...

So, once upon a time, some decades ago, an unknown American director has done an incredible crazy movie that nobody was believing in. And this film won the Award at the Cannes Movies Festival in 1979... That film was called "Apocalypse Now" and the Director was Francis Ford Coppola....

So I really wish that "A STONE IN THE HEART" could win some Awards at the Cannes Festival 2023.

8. Who is your target audience?

For me, The Audience will be defined by itself...

Do Tim Burton's movies are for children? No, it can be really scary! But most of children like them, and adults too of course....

Each spectator will feel this movie on his own way, maybe like a dream, maybe by feeling love inside, maybe by being afraid, maybe on a way to believe in Life...

9. Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps have you put in place to realize your target date of release?

Next step should be to be nominated in the category of the best Foreign Movie at the Oscars in L.A. Then Venice Festival, Berlin, so on...

Still a dreamer? Yes. But dreams can become reality....

10. What are your key messages in the proposed movie?

Believe in dreams, believe in life, everything is possible...

11. What's your project budget?

As a dreamer or realistically?

With my function in the movie, I wish to federate the maximum of partners with us.

I'm lucky enough to know plenty people in the cinema industry, in France of course, but in the United States too.

By being close to IATSE members in the US, (Hi everyone, especially to local #706 in LA) I'll try to find some coproducer, and by trying at the same time actually to contact directly Alexandre Desplat through some common friends (2 Oscars for the Best Film Music + plenty Awards), that I worked within the 90's in France on a famous TV show, for doing the Music on

"A STONE IN THE HEART", maybe we'll reach a budget of 1 Billion US Dollars... Let's dream... (Thank you Gaël Zacks for the idea).

12. Is your movie production part of a strategy or campaign?

"A STONE IN THE HEART, THE RETURN"

Then "BACK IN A STONE IN THE HEART"

Sounds nice, no? We'll see after...

13. When completed, how will you measure results and ROI?

By dreaming, right? Lol...

14. What emotion are you trying to evoke in the film?

Antoine de Saint Exupéry in "The Little Prince" did write: "We can only see clearly with the Heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes."

15. Tell us how successful and effective do you communicate your directions to the cast and crew of the proposed movie production. Are there any problems?

Once again, as this dream suddenly had become mine, and to have been invited to enter the arcane of this world so secret, so strange and yet so familiar, in the heart, in the mind, in the soul of Michael Ingrassia (Creator of the Film).

I want to say to the whole actors and crew members :

You can all count on me, on my presence by your side to share with you the task that is devolved to me, to transmit to you, to advise you, to support you and to help you all together make this dream a reality in a work that I hope will become unforgettable.

I sincerely thank Michael Ingrassia and Serge Leterrier for the immense trust you have placed in me in this delicate and magical role of General Artistic Director, Technical Supervisor of Costumes, Hairstyles, Make-up and SFX, Sets, Actors Coaching and Communication Officer for the Film.

Thank you to all team members for your support and help in making

"A STONE IN THE HEART". Sincerely yours!

16. Can you discuss your favorite movie or TV show and what you like about it from a director’s perspective? Is this your first movie production as a team?

Since I was a child, I've been such inspired by the comics book "Tintin" for the characters drawn by Hergé, that was Belgium, then by the Disney comics with all the characters too with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck that was showing the society of human on another angle. Later the Monthy Python's Flying Circus, and then their movies gave me a such great inspiration.

And as a big fan of the Original Star Trek TV series, my imagination was just boiling in my brain, until I've been lucky to work for a famous TV show in France, on Canal+ Channel, from the end of the 80's, and creating my own characters every day, hundreds and thousands of wigs and special effect to invent sometimes, that's a such Amazing souvenir that everybody here still remember.

Then came the time to work for movies at the end of the 90's, as Head of my department.

17. What experience do you have with video editing and production software tools? Who among your team has experience in video editing?

A film is an entire team, each one his specialties. So the importance of some great professionals is crucial. But for knowing better the whole techniques, I did study in the early 90's in some of the best professionals training centers, professional photography (ENS Louis Lumière) and Video director, cameraman, sound, light, final cut (INA).

That was such important to knowledge for every jobs on a set.

After all, we are learning every day, and that's so passionate.

18. Who will speak on behalf of the organization / who will lead?

Who could better talk?

Michael Ingrassia – (Creator of the Film):

"Me by necessity, but also Jose Pinheiro, Serge Leterrier, Stephane Ferrara and Laurent Caille. Gaël Zaks and David Decraene are also occasional spokespersons."

19. Where will the movie be shot?

All the original locations where the real story happened are mainly in Belgium, where we will film of course. This is a very traditional area, that's perfect and so realistic of course.

Then, in South of France where the production company is based, (and me either), in Marseille that is like the French Hollywood (even with letters engrave on the hills), the second main area of filming in France after Paris, where we have plenty international movies (mostly Americans / Woody Allen, Nathalie Portman, Tom Cruise, Netflix, Disney TV, ...), we have some brand new fully equipped studios with all the facilities around, airport, suppliers and plenty actors and crew members... And sunny weather and the Ocean just in front of...

20. How will the final movie be hosted, distributed, and repackaged?

We all really wish an international distribution, so let's hope to have plenty partners and co-producers. What's about a premiere in Chinese Theater in Burbank in LA when "A STONE IN THE HEART" will start to be distributed in USA?

21. Before the launch of the movie, how do you stay organized and prioritize tasks?

From the beginning of the preparation of the movie till the end of filming, it's so busy for everybody so we can even not think about. Let's hope to have sometimes some entire week-ends, in family for some of us, after, each one knows his own tasks, let's trust in the team.

And at the beginning of the film "A STONE IN THE HEART", we have the fourth main Archangels that watch over us. And they will be there during the entire movie. How blessed we are.

22. Do you think that all the good stories have already been made into films?

The Dreamer should say, "Fortunately no, let's keep some dreams inside our Hearts!"

23. Describe the last production everyone had worked on in a directorial capacity. What was the title of the films?

Let's take Cecil B. DeMille in 1956 with Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner and you have "The Ten Commandments". Everybody walked in the same direction...

24. The title of the current proposed film is about what? (Give reasons).

Serge Leterrier, (Screenwriter), explains it perfectly:

"A STONE IN THE HEART” is an obvious title because it is the result of the trials that a man can endure throughout his existence… A Stone that man must leave on his path thanks to the love that man shares with others. A road that we all must take to lighten all the stones that we have in our hearts."

Best Regards,

Laurent Caille

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