Caravane’s Creative Power Stems from Working as a Duo
Above: still from Caravane's 'Club Palace' project
What happens when science and art collide? That’s the question directors and art directors Jean-Constant Guigue and Francis Dakin-Côté posed to themselves when they became Caravane, a creative duo represented by the production company, L'Éloi. Both Jean-Constant and Francis first tried to pursue what they thought was the ‘right’ career path away from creativity but the pull proved too strong. The duo met on set, bonding over their backgrounds and DIY attitude; after two years of collaboration, Caravane was officially born.
Caravane’s work never fails to delight. It’s colourful and imaginative, taking inspiration equally from organic and inorganic sources; from tech and from art, using a mix of technical skills and pure ingenuity to make work come to life. The duo states that “the perfect project for us is one where we can create something that has never been seen before.”
Take ‘Flowers’, a video they created for SNFC, a French national state-owned railway company - there’s not a train in sight but there is an abundance of real flowers, blooming, to the sound of fireworks. For Wisconsin Cheese, Caravane made the cheeses look like painterly still lives, then they made them dance. And for Club Palace, Caravane worked on a miniature scale to tell a story using space, not characters - a challenge they embraced head-on.
Today, LBB spoke to the duo about developing and evolving their cinematic style, approaching briefs and productions with collaboration, and why clashing during ideation is essential to great work.
Above: Caravane's work reel
LBB> LBB would love to know a little bit about you before you became ‘Caravane’. Jean-Constant - When did you realise you had a creative side? Francis, the same question to you.
JC> I discovered my creative side while I was studying business in France. I initially pursued this path because it seemed like the ‘right’ thing to do, but I quickly realised that my true passion lay in drawing, painting, and creating murals. Looking back, I've always been immersed in a creative world since my childhood, thanks to my mother who is an architect. She would take me to her construction sites, and these experiences unconsciously nurtured my love for art and architecture from a young age.
Francis> Initially, I didn't see myself as a particularly creative person because I was more focused on the technical aspects of things. However, I gradually came to realise that I had always been creative in my own way—it just wasn't as apparent to me at first. As a more rational and logical person, I tended to downplay my creative side, despite the fact that all my interests in life revolved around art and creativity. It wasn't until my 20's that I fully embraced my creative side like I had my more technical side.
LBB> And how did you become Caravane - what’s the story and how did you settle on the name?
Caravane> The story of how we became Caravane is quite simple. JC left the south of France for an internship in Montreal, initially intending to stay for only a few months. However, he decided to extend his stay. It was during this period that we met on a set, where Francis was working on set design. We then collaborated together under the guidance of our mentors, Julien Vallée and Karim Zariffa, on art direction and set design projects. We did this for about two years before we realised that it was time to create our own studio, and officially become a directing duo, and pave a way for ourselves.
As for the name Caravane, it’s kind of amusing. The official version is that a caravan represents a group of people travelling together, supporting one another to make the journey easier—a community of free-spirited nomads. This description resonated with how we perceived our studio and our general approach to our work.
Above: 'Les Petits Trésors'
The unofficial version stems from the fact that, prior to Caravane, both of us, along with our crew, had very little experience in film or set design. Coming from the art and design world, we didn't possess the knowledge or traditional techniques of art departments. Looking back, our methods were somewhat unorthodox, and although we managed to create stunning illusions on camera, if you shifted your perspective slightly, you would have seen copious amounts of duct tape, screws, and peculiar contraptions precariously holding everything together.
Local film crews were astounded by our unconventional ways, yet they appreciated our positive attitude, passion for our work, and the enjoyable atmosphere we cultivated on set. Film crews singled out our resourcefulness, lack of a workshop, and absence of ‘proper’ tools or techniques.
Choosing the name Caravane felt right because it signifies a place, a vehicle, a community with a free-spirited, positive atmosphere, and a sense of family. It also aligned with our beginnings and the fact that we were making it up as we went along.
Above: 'Flowers', SNCF
LBB> Why do you like working as a duo?
Caravane> We work better as a duo because our minds are wired quite differently from each other. Caravane came into existence because we realised that our complementary natures and skills opened up endless possibilities. This synergy is the driving force behind our motivation and has enabled us to create inspiring and captivating imagery. We know that if we were working individually, we wouldn't be able to achieve the same level of creativity and innovation that we do as a duo.
Another reason we enjoy working together is that being a director can sometimes be a solitary experience, especially when working from home or travelling abroad. We also share our office, studio, and workshop space with other creatives, which provides constant inspiration and a fun environment to create in.
LBB> Tell us about your visual style? What kind of things do you find yourselves drawn to?
Caravane> Both of us are drawn to the same types of projects, although we come at them for different reasons. Francis, being more rational and analytical, is inspired by technology, technical skills, and science. On the other hand, JC finds inspiration in contemporary art, dance, architecture, costumes, and photography. The fusion of science and art is where the magic happens and where our duo thrives the most.
Visually, this often translates into rich, imaginative, and colourful aesthetics. The perfect project for us is one where we can create something that has never been seen before, leaving people in awe.
Above: 'Club Palace'
LBB> What projects are you particularly proud of and why?
Caravane> If we had to choose only three, we would say our lab project 'Club Palace', SNCF's 'Flowers', and work for Wisconsin Cheese.
'Club Palace' holds a special place in our hearts because it was the first personal project we undertook on such a grand scale. Released five years ago, it exceeded our expectations by going viral. With the freedom that the creative hub of the L’Éloi Lab afforded us, we were able to explore numerous ideas that had been floating around in our heads but couldn't be realised within a commercial context. We collaborated with Camille Boyer (art director at the time) and Nik Mirus (director of photography) to bring the story to life. Involving other creatives in the brainstorming stage was a first for us, and it definitely contributed to creating something truly special that we wouldn't have conceived otherwise.
'Flowers' for SNCF: Following the success of Club Palace, we gained more recognition internationally and won a pitch for the French train company SNCF. The brief was to create fireworks made of flowers as a way to thank users for choosing eco-friendly transportation. Apart from being our first international gig as directors, it was the perfect project for us because it presented numerous technical challenges (you can't even imagine how complex it was to create), combined with stunning visuals. We poured our hearts and souls into making this project a reality, and it resonated deeply with the public. We’re extremely proud of the result.
More recently, in the same vein as SNCF, we crafted a playful choreography that showcased Wisconsin's artisan cheeses. We had the freedom to create different setups that highlighted the cheese in a colourful, fun, and graphic manner. The process of coming up with all these ideas was an absolute joy, and shooting in Chicago with a crew that quickly embraced the Caravane vibe made it an amazing experience. It was immensely satisfying to create such beautiful imagery while having a blast on set.
LBB> How are you seeing your style evolve from when you first started working together to now and going forward?
Caravane> We both grew up as creatives within this large colourful and bold graphical style. We feel like we contributed and explored a lot inside that territory, but we also feel that the more we explore, the more there is to explore. We don’t think the core of our duo will change, JC will remain the sensitive visual storyteller and Francis will stay a technical geek, but our style will always evolve. We wouldn't be happy and fulfilled if we kept doing the exact same thing over and over.
When we first started 10-15 years ago our style was more lo-fi and crafty then it is today. The lighting and image quality was almost an after thought then and the equipment available wasn't always the greatest. That being said, the focus was more about the idea itself and less about how it looked, which creatives can overlook sometimes in favour of superficial images. Nowadays, the images are a lot more polished, cinematic and refined. Many tools are also more accessible to create great images. With each new project we try new ideas and we already see how we evolve every time.
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Once we get the brief we usually allow ourselves one or two full days (depending on how much time we have) to go wild and explore many different directions and ideas.
JC> I research inspiring content as much as possible and collect references that stand out, but are sometimes completely unrelated to the brief. The idea is to enter a state of flowing creativity before tackling the brief.
Francis> I like to go in R&D mode where I gather experiments, tutorials and examples of techniques that could be used for the brief in order to elevate the concept, sometimes even filming short tests at the studio. It helps to take a technical approach, write down everything that is important for the brief in the form of fragments and then put everything together like a puzzle.
We like to start large and vague and slowly narrow down our thoughts. Over the years the formula that worked for us as a duo is to work separately for a few hours without communicating to allow ourselves to fully get immersed in the project and not influence each other in any way. After that, we share our ideas, and there’s usually a big clash! This part is very inspiring because we absorb each other's takes on the subject and it guides the next solo brainstorming session. We repeat this process until we are fully aligned and feel both of our points of view are respected and that we have the best of both worlds.
Above: work for Wisconsin Cheese
LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?
Caravane> We think this is one of the most underrated aspects of the job as directors. Most of the time we need to acquire quite a bit of knowledge about a specific industry in a very short amount of time to be able to communicate as the brand in a way that is sensitive to their specific needs, the industry and the market they evolve in.
Usually we’ll do broad research first to get familiar with the basics and then we'll ask specific questions and test ideas with our clients to make sure that we’re on the right path.
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
Caravane> Being the directors doesn’t mean that we get to decide everything and we don’t think we should even if we could! On so many occasions the brand or the ad agency have come up with amazing ideas or fixes from which we bounced back and made the whole project better.
Again the recipe for success, at least for us, is not to protect the idea but rather be open to whoever has the best idea or fix at any given point. The perfect scenario is when anyone participating in the project comes with an open mind and is willing to trust each other's expertise.
At the end of the day we’re doing the project for a brand, not ourselves, and putting the brand first creates a better human experience for everyone and avoids personal frustrations. If we feel we need to express ourselves or want to try an idea, we’ll do a lab project where we know we can try new ideas and techniques without worrying about someone else wanting to change our vision.
LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?
Caravane> That’s a very interesting question to answer because it’s a topic we’ve been debating forever, and we don’t exactly have the same opinion, haha.
Francis> As you might expect, I’m fascinated by technology and all the doors it can open. When trying new technology the goal is not necessarily to force yourself to make a polished complete project but to understand how it works and when is best to use it.
I recently went down the rabbit hole and played with different AI tools to fully understand how they work and how we could use it, but most importantly how we will be able to leverage that technology in the future. In general, I try to bring new technologies/techniques in the projects we do whenever possible. It’s a healthy habit to force yourself to try new tech, to learn, experiment, in order to be at the forefront of your craft.
LBB> Finally, how do you stay inspired?
Francis> I stay inspired through music, I play guitar and bass in small venues. I also watch a lot of documentaries, I read scientific papers, I stay up to date with news in the tech industry, I go to museums and live shows, I play video games. For me it really comes down to learning from different subjects as much as possible, staying updated with all the latest tech and always being in a creative/inspiring flow by making music and going to art exhibitions.
JC> I stay inspired by travelling around the world as often as possible to discover other cultures and to have experiences that I’m not accustomed to. I need my senses to be shaken to truly captivate me. Furthermore, I am convinced that in order to stay inspired, it is necessary to collaborate with other artists who stand out from what we see and do so on a daily basis, those who take you off the beaten path and lead you to explore new horizons.
