L'orfèvre et l'artisan
"The image is like a musical score that the sound editor must study, practice, cut, and interpret. They modulate, arrange, and orchestrate various soundscapes to achieve the desired emotional effect." This is how sound editor and designer Claude Beaugrand described his craft in a poignant essay published in 24 images magazine in 1992. Both a craftsman and an artist, he would immerse himself in the directors' works he collaborated on, seeking, as he said, the "heart of the film."
Our tribute to Claude Beaugrand, who passed away on October 8, 2023, celebrates his talent and versatility, emphasizing his unique non-naturalistic approach to sound design, from La plante humaine by Pierre Hébert to Maurice Richard by Charles Binamé. The tribute also highlights two of his rarely seen short films, Clichés et ramasse-miettes and Peines perdues, both brilliant reflections on image and sound.
In the presence of Jeannine Gagné & Sylvain L’Espérance
Cinema was originally silent. But was it truly silent? Then sound came along and changed the way we see, understand and create images. A true lesson in philosophical and aesthetic cinema freely conducted by the director, Clichés et ramasse-miettes invites us to rediscover our relationship with sound and our conception of the vraisemblance of sound, through fragments taken from works by Henri-Cartier Bresson, Jean-Luc Godard, philosopher Georges Didi-Huberman and others. An essential film to appreciate Claude Beaugrand's artistic vision.
“Also, in cinema, as images move at 24 frames per second, pay attention to the next one.” This sentence, placed at the beginning of Peines perdues, clearly indicates that cinema is a mechanical fabrication, and that movement is an illusion. Through fragments and the integration of film extracts, visual artworks and archival material, Claude Beaugrand addresses moments in history, its excesses and injustices, composing, to give meaning and emotional force to his images, a sound fabric that is a narrative in itself.
This short documentary chronicles the everyday life of the city's residents. We hear testimonials from citizens set against black-and-white images of life downtown.
Claude Beaugrand
Claude Beaugrand is a Quebecois sound engineer and designer whose career took a significant turn in 1969 when he met filmmaker Arthur Lamothe while interning on the documentary Le mépris n'aura qu'un temps (1973). This collaboration enabled him to transition into the role of sound engineer, contributing to numerous films with Lamothe. In the mid-1970s, he expanded his expertise by working with Pierre Perrault on the four films of the Abitibi cycle and handling sound for Michel Brault and André Gladu's series Le son des Français d'Amérique (1974–80). These pivotal projects established him as one of the most esteemed sound engineers in Quebec's documentary scene, known for his ability to work effectively under challenging conditions. During the 1980s, Beaugrand increasingly focused on sound design. His sonic explorations found fertile ground in experimental films such as La plante humaine by Pierre Hébert and Le trésor archange by Fernand Bélanger, while his sound design also made a significant impact on fiction films like Trois pommes à côté du sommeil by Jacques Leduc and Les matins infidèles by Jean Beaudry and François Bouvier. In the 1990s, he began working on higher-budget films yet remained dedicated to filmmakers with a more artisanal approach. He developed a strong partnership with Charles Binamé, starting with Eldorado (1995), and continued with major Quebecois productions like Séraphin : un homme et son péché (2002) and Maurice Richard (2005).
Photo: Bernard Gosselin
Jeannine Gagné
After a decade with the collective Les Films de l’Autre, filmmaker and producer Jeannine Gagné founded Amazone Film, a company dedicated to producing auteur films. She also serves as a guest professor at L’inis and works as a production and screenwriting consultant. In addition to participating on various juries, Gagné’s work has been recognized through a retrospective at the Cinémathèque québécoise and a tribute at the Festival Regard in Saguenay. The RVCQ also celebrated her company’s 10th anniversary in 2009. Throughout her career, she has directed experimental films, documentaries, and fictional works.
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L'univers sonore de Claude Beaugrand vu par Olivier Calvert
À titre de monteur sonore, Olivier Calvert a travaillé aux côtés du regretté Claude Beaugrand pour les films Maurice Richard, Soie, Yellowknife et Embrasse-moi comme tu m’aimes, pour ne nommer que ceux-là. Nous l’avons invité à plonger dans ses souvenirs de sa collaboration avec Claude Beaugrand, qui s’est éteint le 8 octobre 2023.
