Meeting… Guillaume Périmony !
He recently shared his Krakow trip with us, and just put the finishing touches on the Paris montage for Megamix… In a rather short time, Guillaume has turned into the most active filmer in Paris, despite a full time job. Why, how? Here are a few answers…
Portrait: Anne Piqué
Interview: Benjamin Deberdt
Tu n’es pas originaire de Paris, je crois ?
Je viens de la campagne picarde, à 50 Km d’Amiens, et une vingtaine de kilomètres de la côte. Cinq cents habitants, quelques fermes, un terrain de football, et un peu de flat devant l'église du village. J’ai surtout commencé à skater quand je suis arrivé à Amiens pour mes études, et où je suis resté plus ou moins huit ans.
You are not from Paris, are you?
I come from the Picardie countryside, 50 Km off Amiens, and 20 off the coast. Five hundred inhabitants, a few farms, a soccer field, and a bit of flat ground in front of the village church. I really picked up skating when I arrived in Amiens to study, and where I spent the next eight years.
You started filming there?
Homer BD from FTBX [local long time zine, Ed’s Note] was trying to start a local video project, through social media. I told him I wanted part of it, to film a little, and really quick, I ended up being on my own to run the project, thanks to all the scatterbrained ambitions of HomerBD. I had just moved to Amiens, knew barely anyone, and I started filming all the locals and centralize the footage from the region’s different crews. You can’t get a better education. I learned way more than at university, which I ended up quitting for that project! You can say HomerBD did hook me up!
When did you end up moving to Paris?
I have been working here for seven years. Including four, where I still lived in Amiens, and was commuting everyday to my work in a Parisian suburb, morning and evening. Fie hours of train a day, because it was impossible to find a place without a guarantor, and with the type of salary I had. I would also commute on weekends because I was already filming in Paris, so I’d put my train card to a full use. That was rather harsh when I would arrive on a weekend, and it started raining. I ended up getting a hand from a friend, and I have been living here for a year now, in the Goutte d’Or area.
How did the Paris Gris montages came about?
Soma and Polo wanted to develop the video side of their site, so Polo thought he would have more than Hobo Erectus, and add four more filmers. As I have been working on a full length for three years, for which I keep my best footage, it was a great way for me to use whatever I was not going to use it for that. The use of stock shots in those is a bit from the fact that I felt guilty to just put throwaway clips together. It was a way to tie it all up together, make it more fun, and try things out. In the end, this has turned into my most known work, when it only is leftovers really, quite frustrating!
You have a pretty recognizable editing style, is that something that’s important for you? Some specific influences?
I like homogenous things, with a good common thread for a series, or a long-term project. The movie extracts for Paris Gris, the walking girls for the I <3 for instance. As for influences, the East Coast videos: Dan Wolfe, Josh Stewart, Chris Mulhern, Fat Bill and mostly, mostly the Traffic videos! Oh, and Jolie Routine!
Pros and cons of filming in Paris?
Spots look great! This is another reason I don’t like filming in the suburbs so much. And the girls… The main problem being the weather, obviously, and also the lack of good sheltered spots.
How did the Megamix project land on your table?
I’m guessing the other Parisian filmers who got offered said no, and they were stuck with me. Or maybe I was the last one with a VX.
How did you approach it? A specific idea from the start?
When the 90’s kitsch idea got developed, I knew what I wanted to do. For me, the 90’s are that VHS tape with a strange name written on it you find in your parents cupboard, under a pile of clothing! It was really complicated, in Paris, to put an idea on the table and get everybody onboard with it. Because most people are never in town, or not motivated, so it’s a nightmare to get all the crews together. So, I filmed as usual, and did my thing when editing.
Do you know what the others have been doing? You were exchanging a bit?
The least I know, the better. When a project has been developed as a whole, it is way better to take it all in one go. Star Wars being the exception…
The part you want to see the most?
Pacôme’s!
To stay in the mood while waiting for the Megamix online premiere Tuesday (on Live!), let’s re-watch the very first installment of Paris Gris:
