LIZETE UPITE

The Production in Ciclic / April 11 - October 12 / 2018

---

April / 2018

The Production has started!

I just arrived in Vendome, France. It is a fantastic and very romantic little village!  But most importantly - this is the place where is located an amazing animation residence - Ciclic!

This is going to be my home for the next six months. Together with my second animator Louise Cailliez we are going to do the whole animation for Riga's Lilac.

This is my second time I am in this Residence.
The first time was in October 2016, when I came here for a month to work on "Riga's Lilac" graphic research. About this experience you can read here.

I have settled in and impatiently am waiting for Louise to arrive. 

She starts the work on the film starting mid May. 

At the moment I am preparing the shots for her to animate.

---

May / 2018

My second animator - Louise has arrived! ^^

June / 2018

My producer Richard Van Den Boom (Papy 3D) visiting Ciclic and Riga's Lilac

June / 2018

Animation full speed

2nd August / 2018

Well - that's a first. Morning coffee with some local news.

You can read the full article HERE

September 12 / 2018

We enter the last month in Ciclic!

We are working very hard - we still have some scenes to animate.

Today we shot a little making of.

Meanwhile in Latvia, Kristīna Šmite has started to fill in the animation with color.

And Sound Designer Ģirts Bišs has been recording citynoises in Riga.

making of Riga's Lilac / animation from Lizete Upite on Vimeo.

Life of production

Riga's Lilac in Ciclic's exposition

You can fallow me and the project on instagram. 

OCTOBER 2 / 2018

Sarah Van Den Boom visits Ciclic to work with me on French subtitles.

Although "Riga's Lilac" is a French production with a Latvian co-production, the language of the film is Latvian. That means that a lot of work and attention must be put in translation.

I had the fantastic chance to work with an amazing French animation director Sarah Van Den Boom. She has a lot of experience dealing with dialogues and their translations. 

We worked hard and I am happy to say - that Riga's Lilac has its French subtitles.

ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT

I can't believe, that almost six months has passed since we arrived in Ciclic.

It has been a wonderful time. At times difficult, of course - but worth every its second.  

But we haven't stoped working!

Louise is animating the last scene while I am cleaning some of the animation and continuing to add color to the image. 

OCTOBER 12 - LAST DAY AT CICLIC

We finished animation!!!

It is the last day for Riga's Lilac in Ciclic.

It has been exactly 6 months since we are here and I can not express how lucky I have been, having this great opportunity to work here, to have an amazing animator Louise Cailliez with me, to be so well accepted in Vendome (This is a place you must visit). I will miss it so very much. 

Now we have to drink champagne. 

Louise continues to work on her next animation project and I am catching train to Valence, where I will meet Izu Troin to discuss, how we will work on compositing and Loic Burkhardt - to plan the work on Sound design. 

SUNDAY - OCTOBER 14 - PREPARING FOR COMPOSITING

Filmmakers never sleep  today i am working with Izù Troin to try out some effects we will use in compositing for Riga’s Lilac

OCTOBER 21 - MEETING WITH TEAM MEMBERS in Valence, France

Loic Burkhardt - Sound design

Izu Troin - compositing

NOVEMBER 30 - FINISHING ANIMATING

I am so happy! After 6 month of animation in Ciclic together wit Louise Cailliez and now a full month in Riga with help of two assistants Kristīne Zvirbule and Jānis Upītis - it is finally finished!! 

Next two days I am spending checking out all the scenes, correcting little errors, if any and sending all files to Izu Troin, who is starting to work on compositing on 3rd of December.

DECEMBER 3 - compositing with IZU TROIN

First finished scenes are ariving!

It is not easy thou - Izu is working from France while I am in Riga.

But as this is our 4th film project together, we know each other very well and that helps a lot! :)

Izu is adding to the image camera movements, adding some light effects and focus.

DECEMBER 6 - always working

Me with my husband Mārtiņš Upītis  are at a great film festival Animateka in Ljubljana, Slovenia, representing my last film Night Walks. 

During the evenings we go to the events and screenings but during the mornings we are in hotel's lobby keep on working! 

More shots ready to put on timeline!

Next week EDITING! ^^

DECEMBER 14 - 17 - four wonderful days of EDITING

It was not an easy decision to do the editing by myself but feels that it worked very well. 

I usualy love to work with an editor for my films. I like that they have a fresh view to the material and that we can have great discussions. But this time I couldn't find the one. I was very  conserned about the situation, but then after a conversation with one of the greatest Latvian Animation directors Roze Stiebra I understood, that maybe I should be courageous enough to do my own editing.

I have been doing editing since my first steps in cinema and I love to do it, but it is always way scarier to do it for your own film. The BIG question is - can I for those 4 days put away my stressed out director's mind and just be a great editor.

And I managed! I really took time to calm down, took a day off.. and started my work slowly without stress and judgment - I only kept focus on the rythm and story.  

I am very glad about the result. These little victory moments are so special. 

Every production is filled with deep lows and high ups. Editing was on of those UP moments, even weeks before I couldn't sleep thinking - how will I find my editor.

Merry Christmas and happy 2019 !!

JANUARY 11 12 // 2019 - BUITAGE in Cinéphase, France

I am in Paris to record foley sounds!

Every sound designer works differently. 

Loick Burkardt loves to be together with director, so I am participating in foley recordings and I am going to be next him when he will be working on sound design.

It is a super fun experience! You can read more about our work here: Sound Design

MARCH 1 - APRIL 2  // 2019 - Sound design with Loick Burkardt