Michel Gondry: The Science of Sleep

28 Mar 2007 Category: Events & Exhibitions, Features, Film / Animation

Michel Gondry: The Science of Sleep

Michel Gondry's latest feature film "The Science of Sleep" is finally going to be shown in Japan from this Golden Week! About the plot: Stephane (Gael García Bernal) has just moved to Paris where his French mother lives. He falls in love with his next door neighbour, Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), but is rejected straight away. Subsequently he tries to get out of reality and starts to have a relationship with Stephanie in his dreams...

Despite the fact that Michel Gondry’s latest movie The Science of Sleep has been already shown at cinemas worldwide and even came out on DVD in the US, it is only going to be shown in Japan from this May. Starring Gael García Bernal who played the young Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries and the French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michel Gondry let his creativity explode more than ever in this new film. So today PingMag asked him about… well not really! Unfortunately we only joined a press conference and didn’t really manage to get that close to him. BUT we show you how we exprienced Michel visiting Tokyo for the French film festival 2007.

Written by Chiemi

Michel Gondry seems to be friendly and a bit shy. He has a notebook and a pen on the table. Why?- was what we asked ourselves… (Photo: Shigeki Matsushita)

MC: In this latest film, you challenged to write the script yourself in addition to directing the film. You say that the main character Stephane is exactly who you are. How did you get the initial idea of the story?

It took me about 7 years to finally get to realize this project. Some of my ideas just kept growing. The starting points were different issues from my dreams. My dreams are very strong, vivid, and I remember a lot of them. It helps me for my work as an inspiration but the only problem is that I am often trapped inside them. For example, I have a bad dream and wake up and realize it was just a dream. Then I go back to sleep and I have the same dream again! And sometimes I don’t even realize that it was just a dream and feel like it happened to me in my real life. My brain doesn’t wake up fully as the logical part of my brain seems to wake up slower.

So I think I started those issues to develop a character who is very self-confident in his dream but very shy in real life. Then there was a love story in addition to that… I met this person I was working with and had a special feeling for her - but we couldn’t become a couple. So these are true stories mixed up in the way of my dreams. The basic idea of this film are my emotions and my life mixing them up and confusing me.

There are a lot of very “Michel Gondry”-like scenes!

Reporter A: So, did you choose Gael García Bernal for the main character because you found some kind of similarity between yourself and him?

The reason why I chose Gael was because he is a good actor, but also because he is funny and charming and he can cry very dramatically… I thought he was right for the theme. However, it was difficult to make a decision to use a handsome boy because people might think: “Oh, that’s how Michel Gondry sees himself..” but I don’t see myself like him at all. Gael is very successful among ladies: when I’m with him in a room, all ladies are staring at him and he has this aura. But for this character he had to behave in a funny way and I had to make him less sexy and less attractive. So it was a bit of challenge for me. But as a result I think it worked very well.

With these helmets you can read other people’s mind… Stephane guesses the number on Stephanie’s cards.

Reporter B: The Science of Sleep is humorous and also romantic. Which scene is your most favourite?

Every time I see Charlotte and Gael together, I really enjoy the scene. I would say, the first time they really connected is when Stephane comes back to Stephanie’s place and she kind of realizes that he only came to see her friend Zoe. She is a bit upset but decides to take care of his injured hand. And then comes a small moment when they are connected and start to imagine this collaborative project: Like “How about the sky? The skyline of this clouds is like this..” and there is an explosion of creativity. For me that scene is very touching because of the characters and their charm in a real sense. When I see them sitting on the couch together, I feel like watching real people - not an actor and an actress.

Stephane bumps into Stephanie in front of her place

Michel talking very seriously about his latest film (Photo: Shigeki Matsushita)

Reporter C: At the beginning of this film, Stephane moves to France because his mother is French. But he can’t communicate with people very well as his mother tongue is Spanish. Did you plan this fact from the start as Stephane can’t manage to get through to Stephanie very well? Or did you make this part for Gael who is originally from Mexico?

I think it’s a combination. I chose Gael because I thought he was perfect for the film, but also because he can create an exotic atmosphere by speaking in English and French. In my own experience, I remember when I started to live in NY, I met this person I really liked. We were supposed to meet to watch some videos together, and she said to me “OK, I have my date with you.” To me a “date” means a romantic rendezvous - but she didn’t mean that. The language gap brings misunderstandings and sometimes it even creates a stronger connection because people excuse it a little bit. So I wanted to play with that in a romantic way.

Stephane’s feeling for Stephanie just goes wrong…

PingMag: In this film, there are many ideas you could easily use for some of your music videos, such as water made out of cellophane running from a tap or floating clouds made out of cotton balls. Why did you use those ideas for this feature film? And do you recall any anecdotes while making these scenes?

To talk about my music videos first - again in many cases they are influenced by my dreams. I feel like I have to translate the visuals I saw into a video. As the budget for the music videos are never huge, I had to find a way to develop special techniques. The Science of Sleep is my very first fully personal film and I wanted to express myself with these techniques, especially when entering Stephane’s head.

Check out the background!

Anyway, about 8 months before we started shooting with actors, I shot some scenes [pictured above] at a country house with about 10 staff, which took us about two months. The city [in the background] is entirely made out of toilet paper rolls. One of my staff told me that we could have just bought big tubes and cut them up into this shape. But I said “No, no, no! Toilet paper tubes have a very special shape and there is always a little bit of paper left on surface of the tubes because of the glue they use. I want that!” So 2 years before this shooting I asked all our friends and families to collect their toilet rolls for it and in the end everyone had big bags of toilet paper rolls.

MC: You have the spirit of a true workman…

(everyone laughs)

To talk a little more about toilets, the Japanese toilet seats are fascinating. (smiles)

…so, the press conference finished with Michel’s nice comment about Japanese toilet seats and finally he showed us the note book he had on the table the entire time:

The note book Michel scribbled in with a blue pen while his translator was speaking. (Photo: Shigeki Matsushita)

He was drawing us asking him questions…!! PingMag is near his right forefinger… (Photo: Shigeki Matsushita)

Anyway, Michel, we didn’t have a chance to talk to you properly this time, but we are really hoping to interview you in the near future! Thank you so much!

Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep will be shown at Shibuya Cinemarize and other cinemas from this Golden Week!

63 Comments

  1. hm… i thought that in russia we saw it later than in other countries… :)

    Posted by: Julia Lyao on March 28th, 2007 at 9:32 pm

  2. [...] PingMag offers a new interview with Michel Gondry on the eve of The Science of Sleep’s opening in Japan. [...]

    Posted by: Film / Video » Shorts 2.8 on March 29th, 2007 at 4:23 am

  3. Yes, it´s the shy-type-of-guy whom it is to ask.
    So, next time, when I´ll be in a dramatic discussion with only the talking-loud-ones speaking, probably the only one thinking and dreaming is the shy one. Therefore, the best thing to do will be to ask him for a wise answer.
    !
    :)

    Posted by: Bruno on March 29th, 2007 at 12:24 pm

  4. [...] PingMagでGondryの恋愛催眠のなんとか、が紹介されてたら超見たくなったんですけど！Yoshiはフランス映画祭で見に行こうと意気込んでたらチケット売り切れだったらしい。 アチョー [...]

    Posted by: komomola! » Blog Archive » PingMag - Michel Gondry: The Science of Sleep on March 29th, 2007 at 2:22 pm

  5. PingMag有趣的，有意义的，收益我们。

    Posted by: 莎骇 on March 29th, 2007 at 3:04 pm

  6. art is bpointy

    Posted by: harry on March 30th, 2007 at 8:00 am

  7. Well, it hasn’t opened yet in Singapore either…

    /grumble

    Posted by: strangeknight on March 30th, 2007 at 6:49 pm

  8. [...] However, you will be in our magazine as a film director. The last director we had was Michel Gondry… [...]

    Posted by: PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about “Design and Making Things” » Archive » Stewart Copeland: Everyone Stares on April 5th, 2007 at 7:00 pm

  9. in the us it opened well a while ago. honestly the movie inspired me to think alot.
    i really loved it.

    Posted by: clarissa on May 2nd, 2007 at 5:08 am

  10. thank you for this article…i’ve yet to see the movie (though i’ve been trying incessantly,if not obsessively) but the concept erally interest me. so yeah, thanks!

    Posted by: yellowtea on December 23rd, 2007 at 10:18 am

  11. thanks alot…

    Posted by: oyun hileleri on February 3rd, 2008 at 2:39 am

  12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azmqkqCMTb4

    Posted by: Tony on December 27th, 2010 at 5:55 am

  13. thank you for this article…i’ve yet to see the movie (though i’ve been trying incessantly,if not obsessively) but the concept erally interest me. so yeah, thanks!

    Posted by: calmiva on March 17th, 2011 at 3:02 am

  14. It is really a nice post, it is always great reading such posts, this post is good in regards of both knowledge as well as information. Very fascinating read, thanks for sharing this post here.
    dgsdgsdgh

    Posted by: men watches online on May 23rd, 2011 at 10:33 am

  15. I like this site.Keep it up.

    Posted by: Make money strategies on June 5th, 2011 at 2:48 pm

  16. Thanks for the information about this topic.

    Posted by: innovative healthcare on June 15th, 2011 at 3:00 am

  17. I like the website and hope to find more positive information later on keep up the good work

    Posted by: clean acne on June 15th, 2011 at 10:41 pm

  18. Great blog with interesting content. I have bookemarked and will return often. Have a Great Day!

    Posted by: tips on getting a 6 pack on June 16th, 2011 at 3:16 am

  19. I like your way of thinking. Personal development and its many forms are really close to my heart. I also believe in getting different points of view on this subject to really broaden my thinking.

    Posted by: personal development on June 16th, 2011 at 4:41 am

  20. Energie rinnovabili Fai da te

    Posted by: energie rinnovabili on June 17th, 2011 at 10:59 am

  21. Great blog with interesting content. I have bookmarked and will return. Have a Great Day!

    Posted by: the diet | Isabel Los Rios on June 19th, 2011 at 11:45 am

  22. Explosive information and well Organized.

    Posted by: Affiliate Marketing Reviews on June 25th, 2011 at 4:35 am

  23. I thought it was some boring old post,it really compensated for my time.

    Posted by: Pricing Strategy Marketing on July 9th, 2011 at 12:37 am

  24. Your comments about the quake and resultant side show was on target. Thank you.

    Posted by: Affiliate Marketing Reviews on July 16th, 2011 at 12:47 am

  25. süper bir site herkes davetlidir ücretsiz

    Posted by: goruntulu sohbet on July 22nd, 2011 at 2:24 am

  26. A very great idea from a dream. Cool!

    Posted by: Video Production NJ on July 26th, 2011 at 5:04 pm

  27. The topic does fascinate me a lot. I’ve yet to see the movie.

    Posted by: Wedding Videographer Philadelphia on July 26th, 2011 at 5:15 pm

  28. It was a very informative article. I love to see more posts the next time I visit your blog. Thanks.

    Posted by: Fence PA on July 26th, 2011 at 5:22 pm

  29. The movie was real humorous and very romantic. I love it!

    Posted by: Decks South Jersey on July 26th, 2011 at 5:33 pm

  30. Your blog posts are awsome. I like it. Please keep updating your posts.I think it is great for facial treatments for acne.

    Posted by: facial treatments for acne on July 29th, 2011 at 1:41 am

  31. You’ve got great insights, keep up the good work!

    Posted by: Free Facebook Like's on July 31st, 2011 at 1:31 am

  32. kahkaha felsefe edebiyat seo bizim isimiz tum kelimelerde kafaya oturun google arayin profeseonel diye gelin cikaralim

    Posted by: goruntulu sohbet on August 6th, 2011 at 12:56 am

  33. Enjoy this site very much. Chess training is ongoing; individual play, individual coaching, clubs, tournys, computers, so many opportunities for improved play. What do you think?

    Posted by: pc chess games on September 2nd, 2011 at 2:48 am

  34. I love your site, you have a lot of great information. I am subscribing to your feed right now. Keep the good info coming. How long have you had your blog up?

    Posted by: Cute Fashion Boots on September 26th, 2011 at 7:38 am

  35. here you have 125.000 visitors free with Mighty Solos

    Posted by: Get 125.000 visitors Free with Mighty Solos on September 27th, 2011 at 2:44 am

  36. Good Aritcles

    Posted by: All Failure on October 21st, 2011 at 1:51 am

  37. you’ve a fantastic weblog here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my weblog?

    Posted by: virtual office space on November 9th, 2011 at 9:04 am

  38. Thank you for that very interesting.

    Posted by: Black Friday Being Served on November 12th, 2011 at 1:23 pm

  39. Great post Good content. Thanks you.

    Posted by: black friday canon powershot on November 13th, 2011 at 7:24 pm

  40. Very Good content. Its excellent for design world and Japan.

    Posted by: Kindle on November 14th, 2011 at 3:03 pm

  41. Collecting figurines has become more popular lately and many people are turning to the internet to locate them.

    Posted by: Figurines on November 21st, 2011 at 4:43 pm

  42. Thanks for the interesting post. I swear, you learn something new every day.

    Posted by: professional bra fitting on November 23rd, 2011 at 2:53 am

  43. school of thai massage and spa certificaes Association of thai treditional medicine Appoved by the Ministry of Health

    Posted by: School of thai massage on November 25th, 2011 at 2:55 am

  44. Anuncie no Katavendo e usufrua DE TODOS OS BENEFICIOS OFERECIDOS, NO KATAVENDO voce encontra: anuncio, anuncios, anuncie, anunciar, classificado, classificados, classificados gratis, anuncios classificados gratis, imovel, imoveis, autos, automoveis, automovel, veiculos, carros, motos, celulares, video-games, computadores, dominios, cameras digitais, livros, quadinhos, revistas, cds, cd, dvds, DVD, hd, informatica, eletro-eletronicos, eletronicos, audio, video, decoracao, joias, relogios, esportes, lazer, negocios, filmadoras, videos, selos, moedas, ferramentas, antiguidades, raridades, oportunidades, promocoes, empregos, curriculos, servicos, artigos esportivos, empresas, produtos, vestuario, revistas, Sao Paulo, sp, Rio de Janeiro, rj, parana, pr, classificados, katavendo, kata-vendo, catavendo, cata-vendo, an�ncios, gr�tis, gratuitos, gratuitamente, empregos, oportunidades, comprar, vender.

    Posted by: An�ncios Gr�tis, An�ncios Classificados - Kata-Vendo on November 29th, 2011 at 12:06 pm

  45. So Great Thank you.

    Posted by: CybermondaySaleUSA on November 29th, 2011 at 9:30 pm

  46. We are a group of volunteers and starting a new project in our community. Your site provided us with valuable information to work on|.You have done a great job!

    Posted by: legalsounds scam on December 3rd, 2011 at 7:30 am

  47. I was Mtalbtvn

    Posted by: reza atayee fard on December 4th, 2011 at 6:50 am

  48. Travel Trips has been succesfully catering to travellers across the globe with its well established and secured Global Hotel Reservation System. Our 24X7 customer care support is there all along to help people with their hotel reservations, cancellations and other related issues. Featured are some interesting testimonials from our valued customers vouching for the credibility of Travel Trips.

    Posted by: Travel Trips on December 6th, 2011 at 3:06 am

  49. สารสกัดจากธรรมชาติต่างๆ ที่นำมาเป็นอาหารเสริมเช่น กลูต้าไธโอน,แอลคาร์นิทีน, น้ำมันรำข้าว, กรดอะมิโนต่างๆ และอื่นๆ นั้นมีประโยชน์ต่อร่างกายของเราอย่างไรบ้าง

    Posted by: อาหารเสริม on December 6th, 2011 at 10:30 pm

  50. I think this is all politics

    Posted by: Abdominal muscle on December 8th, 2011 at 6:40 am

  51. I’m very lucky to have found this website, this is exactly what I have been looking for All I can say is wow, you hit the nail by the head.

    Posted by: The Visayas on December 12th, 2011 at 10:43 am

  52. Hey this is awesome blogs. Keep posted usefull information. Thank you

    Posted by: roll up awnings on January 5th, 2012 at 6:53 pm

  53. Find here the best, the Top Recreation and Home Business: the best services, free and paid programs, best recreation websites, best shopping and marketplace, traffic and marketing free websites.

    Posted by: Recreation and Business on January 12th, 2012 at 6:11 am

  54. Безплатни обяви в Facebook, сайт за обяви вестник за обяви добави обяви, София, Пловдив, Варна.

    Posted by: Безплатни обяви on January 13th, 2012 at 12:59 am

  55. Enter to the safest social networking site! Love GENERATION –> http://www.love-2day.com Free Forum Free Blog Free Ads

    Posted by: Social Network on January 13th, 2012 at 11:22 pm

  56. Hi Very informative page, I will be back to view more. Keep up the good work.Play free flash games at http://www.gametriot.com ,It is a place for one who cannot live without gaming.

    Posted by: escape the christmas room on January 15th, 2012 at 11:50 pm

  57. Online store Stopitnow Ego-T

    Posted by: ηλεκτρονικο τσιγαρο on January 19th, 2012 at 5:02 pm

  58. This piece of information is a gem for me, very helpful, really a great piece of writing, thanks for the effort made, really impressed.

    Posted by: Costume Jewellery on January 24th, 2012 at 3:52 pm

  59. Hochzeitsband NRW | Hochzeitsmusiker | Musiker f�r Hochzeit |

    Posted by: MOTET GbR- Band, DJs & S�nger f�r jeden Anla� & f�r jedes Budget. on January 27th, 2012 at 7:33 am

  60. MOTET GbR- Band, DJs & S�nger f�r jeden Anla� & f�r jedes Budget.

    Posted by: Polnische Band NRW Hochzeit, Polnische Hochzeitsband NRW Polnische Hochzeit on January 27th, 2012 at 7:16 pm

  61. Hi ….. I have information about Whirlpool washers, you should read them and get tips and tricks commersial business with Whirlpool washers.

    Posted by: whirlpool washers on January 27th, 2012 at 7:25 pm

  62. Michel Gondry: The Science of Sleep good post476

    Posted by: air multiplier on April 20th, 2012 at 8:58 pm

  63. more.

    Posted by: Catch your spouse cheating on April 24th, 2012 at 10:21 pm

  • Share and Enjoy:
  • del.icio.us
  • digg
  • Fark
  • NewsVine
  • RawSugar
  • Reddit
  • YahooMyWeb
Previously on PingMag