Léon Moh-Cah's quick movie interweaves the each day lives of the neighbors
French filmmaker Léon Moh-Cah (an anagram of her real name Chloé Hamon) recently completed her MA in animation from the Royal College of Art. Her graduation film is now fully published online, Ni vu ni connu (This stays between us), a well-observed story of everyday life that carefully puts several stories together and uses the butterfly effect as a narrative tool.
"Ni vu ni connu is about a building that could face you wherever you are, and the lives of its residents, the relationships between neighbors and their not-so-hidden secrets," says Moh-Cah. “The idea came from my fascination with seeing windows as small parts of life. Each window is an exposure to a private life, we are limited by its frame and can imagine the rest. "
All images by Ni vu ni connu (This remains between us) by Léon Moh-Cah
Part of Moh-Cah's creative process is sketching everyday life and exaggerating what she sees in comics, which has influenced a large part of her film. "I make little comics out of little, random things that make me laugh, and Ni vu ni connu is full of them," she says. "I started this journey by writing by drawing 17 timelines (one for each character) on paper to make sure everything happened in the right place and at the right moment."
Storytelling is pieced together using the butterfly effect, where one thing can have a big impact on the next. Therefore, it was important to Moh-Cah that all of the stories made sense before she started putting them together. At the same time, the animator created the background by putting together small etchings (one per window). "The story informed the background and vice versa," she says. “I started animation two weeks before the lockdown, so most of the animation for my characters stuck in this building was done while I was stuck at home myself. I felt closer to my characters and could identify with them more easily. "
Moh-Cah was done in a palette of red, cream and black and animated her drawings on TV Paint with a little after effect. However, the emphasis is on the handcrafted background. “I engraved it in milk cartons and printed it with a pasta machine! Because of this, I was limited to one window at a time, ”she explains.
This thoughtful approach fits Moh-Cah's overall style, which she describes as fairly minimalist, avoiding too many lines, details, and colors. “Not only does it save a lot of animation time, but I also like images that are easy to understand,” she says. “In terms of content, (my work) is very much inspired by reality and I like to distort it to make it more fun. Graphically, Asia (especially China and Japan) has a strong influence, and (French cartoonist) Sempé makes me dream and laugh, which is the kind of message I would like to communicate. "
For the filmmaker, animation is simply a "nice way to express a feeling" because the possibilities are endless. “Even within animation technology, thousands of techniques can be created, used, and combined. I find it extremely rich because you are not restricted at all, ”says Moh-Cah. “I also find the animation community to be incredibly creative and friendly, which stimulates both ideas and help when the only limitation you have is your own technical ability. People are always trying to help or give advice. It surprises me every time, and I haven't seen it in any other area. "
After finishing her graduation film, the next step for Moh-Cah is to develop another film while also gaining experience in a studio for short films and feature films. "Apart from the Covid situation, the best project for me would be the one in which I'm on the road as an animator or filmmaker!"
With Ni vu ni connu, Moh-Cah wants people to think about the many different lives that exist in the homes, apartments, and communities we belong to, and that there is true beauty in everyday life. "I hope people can understand the charm I find in things that initially feel insignificant, like routine, a specific sound, emergency stairs, air conditioning outside, and even a disgruntled concierge," she says.
leonmohcah.com