The decision by National Film Board (NFB) Commissioner Suzanne Guèvremont to close the interactive studios in Montreal and Vancouver results in the loss of 14 full-time positions and marks the end of many current projects.
The NFB’s interactive studios were created in 2009 under the leadership of Commissioner Tom Perlmutter. In Montreal, it was Monique Simard who inaugurated the studio in its early days, supported by Hugues Sweeney, who served as executive producer until 2019. The NFB has produced more than 200 works and collaborated with more than 500 artists over the years. of the last 15 years.
The NFB indicated in a press release that the 3.5 million allocated to the two studios will be reinvested in the producer’s other activities, i.e. 1.5 million in the production of documentaries and animated films and 2 million in “innovative initiatives intended to improve [ses] production and distribution methods and to increase audience engagement.
“Across the country, immersive and interactive works are now part of the program of many talented creative companies,” writes curator Suzanne Guèvremont in a press release. In 2009, we were pioneers in this area; today, it is clear that we would need to at least double the studios’ current budget to fully pursue this mandate. Thus, we choose to reinvest in production and innovation to explore new initiatives. »
Louis-Richard Tremblay will co-lead these “new initiatives” with Rob McLaughlin, who was the executive producer of the Vancouver studio. In interview with The Press, he confirmed that all current projects in the interactive studios are under study. “Some of them will move forward in the new structure, others will not, unfortunately. »
How does he justify the closure of interactive studios at a time when interactive projects, installations and other immersive experiences are booming? “We are aware of the excitement of this type of project,” he replies, “and we will try to integrate this know-how into our traditional production to make it even more innovative, but our objective is to concentrate our energies on our main activities. »
On social networks, several artisans lamented the closure of interactive studios in general and in several cases the abandonment of their project in particular.
“That’s not a disappointment, it’s bigger than that,” wrote Jean-François Clermont on his Facebook page. Anger ? Incomprehension? Sadness for the humans who work there who are losing their jobs? Concern for all these creators who no longer have this formidable voice, for this environment which tries to push back the boundaries and which diverts the current uses (and desired by large corporations) of technologies to tell stories for us , ours ? We are collectively in line for some really difficult years (and even decades). »