Anatomy of a Fall editor Laurent Sénéchal has been working as an editor because the early 2000s and is well-known for his collaborations with Oscar® nominees Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, collaborating with Justine 4 occasions (three narrative options, one documentary) and Harari 5 occasions (two narrative options together with Onoda: 10,000 Nights within the Jungle, opening Un Certain Regard in Cannes 2021, and three shorts) over the course of his profession. For this newest movie, Laurent had the pleasure of working with each Triet and Harari, with Justine as director and Arthur as co-writer.
Plot Summary for Anatomy of a Fall
Anatomy of a Fall tells the story of a celebrated author who’s placed on trial when her husband falls to his loss of life from their secluded chalet. What begins as a homicide investigation quickly turns into a gripping journey into the depths of a damaging marriage. The movie premiered on the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, the place it received the Palme d’Or. Anatomy of a Fall additionally acquired Oscar® nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay, and received two Golden Globes for Best Non-English Language Motion Picture and Best Screenplay.
In our dialogue with Anatomy of a Fall editor Laurent Sénéchal, we speak about:
- Joining Justine
- Influencing the viewers for unseen characters
- Turning a thriller into Kramer vs. Kramer
- Putting a standpoint on the flashbacks
- VFX for vomit
Listen when you learn…
Editing Anatomy of a Fall
MF: This is your fifth mission, I consider, with Justine Triet going again to 2010. Tell me the way you first met, as a result of no matter introduced you two collectively has labored out properly for each of you.
Laurent Sénéchal: It’s not the fifth one, but it surely’s the fourth one. And amongst these, we solely did her three newest function movies. Justine’s first function movie was edited by another person after which she got here again to me after one documentary we did all collectively.
Laurent Sénéchal, @LAFilmCritics winner for Best Editing for ANATOMY OF A FALL
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— Los Angeles Film Critics Association (@LAFilmCritics) January 18, 2024
I met Arthur Harari at college and edited all of his quick movies. I edited all of Arthur’s motion pictures and they’re a pair. So, at some point Justine informed me, “I need you” and I got here to assist the girl after the person. But they’re completely different. It’s good to work with them as a result of it’s like even when they’re working collectively and they’re a pair, they’re so completely different and their motion pictures are so completely different. That is nice for me.
MF: This film begins out seeming to be about one factor after which it finally ends up being about one other. When you learn the script, was there something about it that you just made particular notes about otherwise you thought is likely to be a problem when you had been within the edit?
Laurent Sénéchal: I’m an editor with an enormous implication once I’m studying the script variations. Because we all know one another, Justine and Arthur gave me many variations to learn. For this one, it was not like I used to be suggesting numerous intelligent issues like, “You should do this or that.” It was somewhat about, “Wow, it’s great. But when it’s going to be images, are you sure that it’s going to work?”
For occasion, within the courtroom argument, I informed them, “You have to think about which point of view we are going to need. It’s going to end up feeling long if we only have the sound in the courtroom. But you are doing a flashback here. Are you sure whose point of view it is?” It was questions like that. And they informed me, “Yeah, we’re going to do that. We’ll see.” I understood that was a good suggestion, after all, as a result of it was so vivid. Even if it’s a flashback, it’s catchy. It labored. But there have been so many issues I famous as warnings once I learn the script.
MF: Were these flashbacks within the earliest iterations of the script? Or was that one thing that got here to be over time as they had been growing the script?
Laurent Sénéchal: They discovered somewhat early within the course of that they wanted to have a giant scene with pictures as a result of staying within the courtroom was turning into lengthy. It was additionally a option to put the character of the useless father into the film and to construct some empathy with him.
At the top of the film, we uncover that the boy was shocked by what occurred to his father, and he picked out recollections of his father. You can’t have this emotional finish of a film with out having the daddy present like that. Also, it was necessary for the couple to have a dialogue to steadiness issues between the person and the lady.
MF: A giant a part of this movie is a courtroom drama. But I can’t consider any courtroom dramas that this movie jogged my memory of. Did Justine speak to you about sure movies or filmmakers that she was drawing from and growing Anatomy of a Fall?
Laurent Sénéchal: She shared many influences. I feel she was speaking about Kramer vs. Kramer, a film we love, as a result of it was concerning the household, the boy, and the couple within the courtroom. We didn’t have any particular thriller film references. We knew that by not displaying what occurred, we had been starting it like a thriller film. Then, each time that you just see this girl, you suppose perhaps she is responsible. This was the very first thing we did, but it surely’s like an unique crime that we did.
Later within the film, we wished to not play that recreation a lot. We knew that it was like a car for us to create a film extra like what John Cassavetes may have carried out. We wished the ideologies to be behind this household, this boy and his mom, even when doubts are nonetheless there. Of course, it was exhausting to construct, however we wished to have the viewers behind her. We didn’t wish to be intelligent about it, you understand? We wished to carry the viewers so far as potential in complexity. To try this, we used the style of thriller arithmetic. That was the start line. It was a method for us to see the place we wished to go.
We didn’t wish to copy courtrooms and justice mechanisms that you just see in TV exhibits. We wished to be softer about that. Also, we wished it to really feel like items of actuality. That’s why within the modifying we had been choosing all these gamers’ first takes. We did that on objective.
MF: I’ve to say, there’s not numerous comedy on this movie, however I did chortle when Sandra refers to the place she lives as a shithole with the backdrop of the snow-capped French Alps behind her. Please inform me you bought to edit on location within the French Alps. If you didn’t, the place did you edit?
Laurent Sénéchal: No, no, no. I had this expertise with Justine beforehand on her final two motion pictures. She can’t see an meeting. Simply, she can’t. Not in any respect. It’s going to be a multitude if she doesn’t select issues. She must be there firstly of the method. It’s a protracted option to end the film, but it surely’s one of the simplest ways along with her as a result of she can’t not be there. Justine can’t see one thing that she’s going to enhance. She needs to be there. She’s a little bit of a management freak.
Why is she like that? It’s as a result of that’s the essential method for her to concentrate to the actors’ performances. Acting is the primary factor for her. She needs to make sure that she’s selecting the most effective moments, the most effective takes, but it surely’s an enormous option to work. Only after we select the nice materials will we attempt to prepare and lower it.
MF: Do you talk in any respect throughout manufacturing? What do you speak about in case you do?
Laurent Sénéchal: I’m wanting on the dailies and we’re speaking perhaps as soon as per week. But I’m not near her as a result of I do know that she’s one other particular person when she comes into the modifying room. She’s questioning if she ought to press the reset button on the whole lot. She needs to create one thing else with all of the footage.
Of course, she has some concepts like, “This scene was great. Look at what we did.” But after we are beginning a scene, we begin with the performing and the golden moments. It’s artisanal and we don’t know the place we’re going to be on the finish of the day. She doesn’t need concepts to compress actuality and emotions and performing. Justine begins with the performing. Then, when she has what she thinks is sweet, we begin to have concepts. She needs her motion pictures to be extra vivid than intelligent.
MF: Let’s check your reminiscence a little bit bit. Do you recall what number of days of principal pictures had been there?
Laurent Sénéchal: Nine, perhaps ten weeks? I don’t know. I don’t keep in mind.
MF: Ten weeks sounds about proper. How lengthy had been you in put up for?
Laurent Sénéchal: It was thirty-eight weeks.
Justine begins with the performing… She needs her motion pictures to be extra vivid than intelligent.
MF: Anatomy of a Fall doesn’t strike me because the sort of film that wants numerous visible impact. But generally with snow and climate, there will be greater than you suppose. How many results photographs had been there and the place was a lot of the VFX work going?
Laurent Sénéchal: VFX was not enormous on this film. The snow was all actual. We used VFX for the canine, for the vomit, and in addition perhaps the snow on the roofs of the chalet. We did numerous issues that aren’t VFX. It’s whenever you use the identical shot a number of occasions since you wish to repair the tempo of the performing and rebuild the photographs or scenes. I do numerous issues like that. There had been many, many issues to do, but it surely was not an enormous quantity of VFX work.
MF: So you’ll do in-frame modifying instruments like Animatte and Fluid Morph to regulate performances and issues like that?
Laurent Sénéchal: Yes. I used numerous instruments like that as a result of we wished to get into the small print. We wished solely a lot time earlier than she turned her head, or we wished this look to go on for that lengthy. So we used all these instruments to get what we wished.
MF: I’d like to speak a little bit bit about guiding the viewers, making them really feel in some way about Sandra and Samuel, whom we don’t meet till later within the movie. The opening of the movie influences how we really feel concerning the characters. We don’t see Samuel. We simply hear that unbelievably annoying music taking part in again and again whereas she’s attempting to have a dialog.
In her interview with the scholar, Sandra says, “I never see anybody. I work from here all day long. Time is not a problem here.” You type of see Sandra’s frustration, and you can also see how Samuel may make you a little bit loopy. Was that one thing that you just talked about with Justine? Did you wish to make the viewers really feel a technique about Samuel and Sandra firstly after which play with these emotions till they get to the top?
Laurent Sénéchal: The essential problem in modifying this was tips on how to create the highway for the viewers, so they may drive to the left and to the best. It was simpler as a result of Sandra Hüller grew to become the character. She was already there within the scene. It was numerous work, however we had the whole lot. It was not difficult. We simply had to concentrate. We couldn’t let her turn into too manipulative or too harmless. It was a option to information ambiguity with out being loud about it.
For Samuel, it was necessary for us to have him exist as a phantom as a lot as we may. Even when he’s alive, he’s a phantom as a result of his physique is the music. He’s invasive along with his music, however he’s additionally like a shadow. We had this concept in modifying to have a title scene with photos of the household. It was a option to have him exist, and now have a picture of him. We have this little scene when Sandra is him on the laptop computer display. We don’t have the sound, however there’s a complicity between them.
Of course, we didn’t need him to appear too weak. But it was necessary to see that he had weaknesses. The recreation was to reverse what stereotypically occurs between the person and the lady.
The finish was necessary. The boy is utilizing his reminiscence to perhaps invent one thing that his father informed him so as to assist his mom. We’re unsure, and it is likely to be like that within the head of a viewer. It’s humorous as a result of that’s what Justine is doing. She’s breaking the principles. Usually, when you’ve gotten pictures on the screens, it’s proof. It’s proof. And for us, it was a option to say, “Pay attention. Life is complex. These images might be in the head of a little boy who is trying to help his mother.”
Pay consideration. Life is complicated.
MF: In phrases of showing characters, let’s speak about Daniel, the boy. His restricted eyesight turns into an element within the story, but it surely’s not clear straight away. Were you acutely aware of protecting that info from the viewers for a little bit bit?
Laurent Sénéchal: It comes in the course of the police investigation. We knew that it was going to turn into clear sooner or later. We tried to not reveal it, as is common within the motion pictures, within the first fifteen minutes. Usually, you understand the whole lot about each character within the first fifteen minutes of a film.
For instance, within the courtroom, the prosecutor asks the scholar, “Did you know that she was bisexual?” I requested Justine, “Are you sure you don’t want to have a shot on some guy? Because we are talking about her sexuality. Or maybe we should show the student.” And Justine mentioned, “No, let’s try not to be like that. Today, it could be unimportant. Let’s stay with the prosecutor.” Justine is a nasty lady generally, and I’ve to guarantee that, even when she’s breaking the principles, we’re going to discover our rule. I’m all the time looking for a steadiness between all these concepts. Some of them are explosive.
MF: Sandra is remoted. She’s usually seen alone, often in close-ups. We don’t usually see her in two-shots when she’s in a scene with any person.
One of the issues that was most hanging to me is the weekend earlier than the climax of the trial, Daniel says, “I don’t want my mom in the house with us.” Vincent, her lawyer good friend, comes to choose her up and drives her away. They’re having a dialog throughout that automobile journey, and the whole time we by no means see Vincent’s face. It’s not till the ultimate scene within the restaurant that we see Vincent and Sandra in an actual two shot. Is that simply my interpretation, or do you are feeling like that was one thing that you just had been attempting to do?
Laurent Sénéchal: It’s fascinating as a result of we didn’t goal to try this, however I can really feel that. I didn’t have any say in that, however I’ve the identical feeling. There is one thing exhausting inside Sandra on the finish, however she’s additionally launched, so it’s peaceable. But there’s a unusual style in her mouth and in her thoughts as a result of she has to return again and it’s exhausting to face the boy.
MF: A giant a part of the movie takes place within the courtroom. How many cameras did you’ve gotten in there? And whereas I’m asking about it, what had been they informed to deal with?
Laurent Sénéchal: Often there have been solely two cameras within the courtroom. Sometimes they had been on the identical axis, taking pictures the identical angle. I feel that’s as a result of it was not an costly film. We needed to be intelligent. I used numerous photographs from all these scenes to construct a few of these issues. The quantity of footage was not mild, however we didn’t have many takes.
Justin was taking pictures loads with the primary character. When an actor has a weak second, she tries tougher to get what she needs. But she doesn’t wish to say lower. She’ll go once more on the scene with out reducing. So the fabric is unusual. I all the time need to adapt and arrange the fabric earlier than modifying. That’s exhausting to do with out reducing an meeting. I needed to arrange actually, actually shortly.
MF: It looks like Justine purposefully didn’t wish to do issues that individuals would anticipate. Films usually will use strategies for compressing time, montage, and issues like that. But I don’t really feel such as you tried to tighten the movie up. You let it breathe and that helped carry the viewers into the atmosphere. How did you strategy the pacing of this movie?
Laurent Sénéchal: We needed to rebuild numerous the scenes by way of the best way the boy was present. We additionally needed to lower numerous dialog and let the local weather of all of this work. Of course, as an editor, I’m additionally all the time looking for a greater starting for a film.
But Justine informed me one thing that we saved in thoughts for the whole course of. She mentioned, “Even if it’s my last movie, I don’t want to be in a rush. I want to breathe. I want some scenes to be long and carnal. I want the audience to stay there. I’m confident that some of them are going to be with us, so let’s do what we want.”
She didn’t wish to be careworn by going quick firstly. What she was careworn about was the performing performances. That was intense for her. For instance, we spent three days selecting solely the nice materials for the scene when the boy is in entrance of the decide. There had been many choices, and we did many variations. That was a method for her to not be in a rush. What was exhausting was having to return to the home. When we had been within the courtroom, even when the scenes had been a bit lengthy, we knew that it was a part of the contract between the viewers and us. We knew that we had been going to have lengthy scenes and that they had been going to be harsh generally.
But as quickly as we went again into the home, we needed to be cautious. It was exhausting to travel between the home and the courtroom. For occasion, when the boy is doing all his experiments with the canine and the vomit, it was not like that within the script. That initially got here earlier. And many scenes bounced between the home and the courtroom. In the top, we selected to remain longer within the courtroom.
MF: You did one thing as soon as that I didn’t see occurring anyplace else In Sandra’s rehearsal scene, you fade to black. Was that meant to suggest a punctuation or a break? How do you outline why you probably did that?
Laurent Sénéchal: We had to determine tips on how to go to the trial. It was not written as it’s within the film. Originally, we lower to the courtroom proper after the rehearsal. For me, it was unimaginable to chop it like that. It felt like we had been dropping what was good earlier than and in addition dropping the start of the courtroom. I wished to be thinner right here. We used the boy when he’s taking part in the piano and it’s the ellipse of 1 yr passing. That footage was supposed to return on the finish, when he hears that his mom is free.
The concept was to make the boy the primary focus of the second a part of the trial. The sole fade to black is there to provide the viewers an opportunity to breathe earlier than going into this second half. We knew that it was going to be harsh. They had been going to open up each certainly one of Sandra’s weaknesses. We noticed it as a option to be like a musical relaxation. You pause, and you then go once more.
MF: Was Daniel meant to be getting higher at that piece over time? Because it didn’t sound like he bought significantly better.
Laurent Sénéchal: Don’t say that!
MF: Just a musical critique.
Laurent Sénéchal: We had to make use of these piano scenes in another way to have the boy exist extra within the first a part of the movie. He’s necessary to the film. Even within the courtroom, we have now to see him usually. We needed to discover methods to incorporate the boy so we didn’t lose him.
MF: I wish to speak concerning the USB key struggle scene within the courtroom. Samuel has recorded a struggle between his dad and mom and we see it play out for a little bit bit. There is a few violence, however we by no means see it. Did they shoot that half? If so, did you resolve that it was extra highly effective to not see the struggle?
Laurent Sénéchal: It was written like that, however the struggle was longer. But we discovered that it was higher to return to the courtroom, the place phrases are like weapons. The phrases that Sandra is saying and the best way she acts are the climax. Of course, the truth that violence is just not seen is a method to return to the start of the film. You by no means see what occurs. This scene is sort of a contradiction. It was a method, I feel, to be our personal contradiction.
In order to not lose the viewers, we needed to discover one thing catchy. We didn’t wish to lean on rating music. We wished to have massive concepts, even contradictory concepts generally, so the viewers could be shocked. That scene is sort of a film inside a film as a result of it’s a scene in the course of what we’re speaking about. It’s about time, couple, steadiness, and what it means to be a person in a pair. What is freedom? What is remorse?
MF: The flashbacks that Daniel has will not be precisely clear initially. Are we seeing these by his thoughts?
Laurent Sénéchal: Yea. We see them whereas he’s giving his testimony. He’s turn into the director of the film. He’s taking pictures and taking part in his father and the voice just like the voice of the scriptwriter.
MF: He’s modifying it, too.
Laurent Sénéchal: Yeah, after all! But I helped him as a result of we had so many variations of this. He wanted a mentor.
MF: There’s numerous this movie to be happy with. What was your favourite scene from the movie to work on?
Laurent Sénéchal: Wow. It was the argument, and the twenty-minute scene within the trial, the place they’re speaking about literature. The prosecutor is studying Sandra’s earlier novel and they’re saying, “Is Stephen King guilty? Because he writes novels about killers all this time.”
For me, it’s like speaking about motion pictures. We’re speaking about greater than this story, this couple, and this affair. It’s like speaking about at this time. What is at this time? Today, in case you write one thing on social media, you will be on a trial for it ten years later. It was a humorous second in a really lengthy scene. And it’s one of many hardest scenes I’ve ever needed to edit as a result of it’s so lengthy. I needed to be exact and even assured that it was going to work like that. I’m proud to have carried out it.
The scene that strikes me essentially the most is among the easiest. It’s the place the boy is taking part in the piano for the final time earlier than testifying. I additionally just like the final scene when he silently seems to be at his mom when they’re reconnecting. Those two moments are shifting for me. I recognize it when a film stops all of the dialog and turns into easy. It’s complicated, however you perceive the whole lot with only some seems to be. I really like that.
MF: I feel persons are recognizing how fantastic this movie is and the great work that you just did. I want you nothing however the most effective this award season. The solely factor I’m upset about is studying that the canine was VFX. I assumed that canine ought to have gotten an Oscar.
Laurent Sénéchal: No, no, he is a superb actor. He won the Palm Dog Award at Cannes! We didn’t assist the canine, we helped the vomit.
