In early 2020, the EMC2 cooperative was preparing the retirement of its managing director, and fully intended to celebrate it in spectacular fashion. The highlight of the celebration would be a film in the style of a TV news bulletin, packed with knowing winks, and accompanied by numerous bonuses.
The film for the EMC2 cooperative
The genesis of the EMC2 film
In March 2020, the agricultural cooperative EMC2 planned to celebrate in grand style the departure of its managing director, René Bartoli.
Supervised directly by Philippe Mangin, EMC2’s president, the production had to meet particularly demanding specifications. The cartoon had to retrace the key stages of René Bartoli’s career, while multiplying the winks at the managing director’s personal passions.
Thus began, between the 3TOON studio and Julien Didry, the cooperative’s Communication Director, a joint reflection on the form and content of the film to be screened on the day of the handover between René Bartoli and the new managing director.
After contacting former colleagues of Mr Bartoli and members of his family, the film’s storyline was defined, and production could begin!
A film combining 2D and 3D animation
Among the managing director’s passions, one is particularly all-consuming: comic books. It would serve as the basis of the plot, which opens with a burglar breaking into the Comic Book Museum. He slips into the building at night, during a retrospective of the “famous” saga “The Adventures of René Bartoli”. For the occasion, a priceless collection of original plates has been gathered — and the crook fully intends to make off with it…
This one-minute opening sequence was produced in 3D (CGI), but with a special treatment recalling the graphic style of the “ligne claire” school of comics — notably “Blake and Mortimer” and “Tintin”, of which René Bartoli is a great fan.
“JPP” and the TV news
After this 3D opening sequence, the film is suddenly interrupted by the title sequence of a special news flash, presented by the 2D avatar of one of France’s most famous TV news anchors, Jean-Pierre Pernaut — “JPP” to the French public…
There follows a sequence of nearly 7 minutes in which the news anchor covers the burglary of the Comic Book Museum and announces to the public that the collection of original plates has been stolen. A radical change of style, and the beginning of the tribute proper to René Bartoli’s exemplary career.
JPP decides to bring in a comic-book specialist to retrace a brief history of the saga “The Adventures of René Bartoli” — the perfect opportunity, of course, to highlight the key moments of the managing director’s career, and his great passions, by reviewing a dozen album covers, each illustrating a particular stage…
A film ending that carries on live, on stage!
The film’s unique twist is that it ends abruptly, with a special correspondent joining JPP live. JPP interrupts his comic-book specialist to continue the “live broadcast” with his correspondent, who has managed to locate the burglar…
In fact, the film’s storyline continues beyond the end of the animation! The special correspondent is none other than Julien Didry, EMC2’s Communication Director, speaking in front of the assembled audience — René Bartoli himself, the cooperative’s President, and several dozen members.
A moment of emotion…
The blend of all these facets of an intense professional life with winks at René Bartoli’s personal passions created a unique moment, crowned by the appearance of the managing director’s own son, who gamely played along with the script, donning the burglar’s cape and mask to hand over his tribute in person. The moment ended with the presentation of a gift made up of the dozen covers of the Bartoli saga, carefully framed — the conclusion of this sincere tribute to a great figure of the cooperative world.
The covers of the Bartoli saga
Thanks to the voice of JPP!
It must be said that the film owes a great deal to the talent of the actor (a.k.a. Superflame) who lent his voice to JPP’s animated avatar, capturing in a unique way the timbre and distinctive intonations of the French public’s favourite news anchor.
