Art direction, visual design and costume design are essential elements to the success of any children’s television production. The Makinium youth series – the first two seasons of which are available on ICI Tou.tv. – is no exception to the rule.
From the beginning of the fantastic adventure where the smell of the end of the world hovers, Véronic Riopel Denis put on her hat as a visual designer. She put her imagination at the service of this project directed by Martin Cadotte, with whom she also worked for The complicated life of Léa Olivier (Club illico).
Once Makinium’s texts had been received, when no images had yet been shot, she had to be daring and let her ideas speak in order to “go into osmosis” and succeed in embarking the children in this original world. .
Stimulated
Very attracted to the fantastic universe, the one who also contributed to the development of the series Le 422 at Télé-Québec thrives on challenges of this kind. More so, they are the reason why she practices this profession.
Greatly inspired by cinema, an art she also knows well, she is stimulated by the strength of texts and scenarios. This graduate in scenography at the Theater option of Collège Lionel-Groulx, in Sainte-Thérèse, in the early 2000s, “needs words to create”.
These words are the perfect springboard for developing places and characters that have sparkle. If the teams of several youth productions base a good part of their hopes on bright and stimulating colors, Véronic Riopel Denis assures that it is quite possible to obtain a bright shine otherwise.
“[Makinium] is whimsical, but in the doomsday motley side with great payback. The sparkle is more in the characters, in the intensity of the game… Sure you need visual sparkle, but not always, and I think Makinium is a good example of that. »
Approach young people
Obviously, it is essential to have a good self-confidence when building a unique universe of this kind, whether on TV or in the cinema or even in the theatre. But before giving life to your ideas, you can very soon feel the pulse of the young people you are trying to please.
“Sometimes I get groups together; we all have friends who have children of almost all ages and I throw ideas at them, I probe their interests. I will validate a little and after that, I start because the image they receive must be good, inspiring, etc. “.
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