Director of VFX productions at Les Tontons Truqueurs, Pierre Marie Boyé works in a sector that is changing, where digital special effects, virtual production and artificial intelligence are gradually reshaping production methods. In this interview, he talks about the projects that have shaped his company, the current tensions in the market, France’s place in the international image industry and the qualities he expects of young professionals who want to make their mark in the industry.
A business at the crossroads of VFX and virtual production
At Les Tontons Truqueurs, Pierre Marie Boyé is in charge of VFX productions, with a clear aim: to remain rooted in the practical realities of production while keeping a constant eye on technical developments. The company, which specialises in digital special effects and virtual production, works on a wide variety of projects, from documentaries to feature films and series, using an increasingly wide range of tools and devices.
Real-time green screen, Houdini simulations, LED screens, vehicle sequences, virtual environments: the scope of our work has broadened, but the backbone remains the same.
” We have a wide range of projects and technologies, but we’re still very much focused on virtual production,” he sums up.
Un si grand soleil, a structuring project
In his recent career, one project stands out as particularly structuring: Un si grand soleil. More than just a visible reference, the series was a large-scale laboratory for the teams. Pierre Marie Boyé describes it as a “very complete” project, in terms of volume, organisation and learning. The pace imposed by a daily production meant that the studio had to industrialise its methods to an exceptionally high standard.
” We produce 260 episodes a year. In reality, that’s almost like releasing a feature film a week, with the challenge of faking almost half the episode.
It was this intensity that made the experience decisive. It pushed the teams to structure their workflows, refine their processes and develop new manufacturing methods. The volume is impressive: more than 10,000 plans produced in real time green screen, plus several thousand others produced using different technologies. For Pierre Marie Boyé, the interest lies not only in industrial performance. This type of production also makes it possible to build up know-how that can be reused elsewhere. Once the methods have been tried and tested at such a sustained pace, they can be deployed on other projects with greater comfort, finesse and hindsight.
Strong but sometimes ambivalent recognition
However, there is a downside to this visibility. The success of a daily series can lock them into an image of a ‘TV’ service provider, which is difficult to change when it comes to moving towards formats perceived as more prestigious. Pierre Marie Boyé says it straight: this positioning has sometimes stuck with the company. We had to demonstrate that a team capable of delivering quickly and well in such a constrained context could obviously keep its promises on a feature film or a premium series.
” We were sometimes told: ‘You’re doing a good job, but it’s for TV’. But in television, we don’t have the time. So when you have a bit more time, you can also do very well.
A still fragile market, between partial recovery and uncertainty
His view of the current state of the sector remains lucid. He describes a market that is still fragile, marked by a kind of sluggishness in production start-ups. Projects are circulating, discussions are resuming, but the overall picture remains unclear.
” We can feel that things are a bit gloomy. We’re hearing about projects again, so we’re hanging on to that. I have the impression that things are picking up a bit, but we don’t really know where we’re going.
This lack of visibility can be explained by both cyclical factors and more profound changes. Covid, the Hollywood strikes and the general slowdown in production have obviously left their mark. But for Pierre Marie Boyé, we also need to look further afield. The question is no longer simply to know when the market will return to its previous state, but rather to identify the types of content that will really structure demand in the years to come.
Uses are changing, platforms are imposing other approaches, and new formats are emerging.
” Demand for media and content is exploding. People want to see new things, perhaps not the same things as before. We have to ask ourselves where the demand will be tomorrow, and who will need to produce images.
New formats to watch out for, without giving in to fads
This reflection does not erase his attachment to cinema. He puts it very simply: his dream remains feature films. But that doesn’t mean he can’t keep a close eye on new formats, even when they upset the benchmarks of the profession. Vertical dramas, for example, are one of the signals to watch, even if he remains cautious about their long-term impact.
Behind this phenomenon, what interests him most is the way in which usage is reshaping production needs. For a studio whose know-how is based on the production of images in volume, each change in distribution formats deserves to be observed seriously, without jumping to the conclusion that there has been a lasting changeover.
The qualities expected in young professionals
When he talks about the qualities expected in young graduates, Pierre Marie Boyé goes back to something very simple, almost fundamental: a genuine interest in what you do. He
insists less on ‘passion’ in the somewhat abstract sense of the term than on concrete involvement in the work. For him, a good professional doesn’t just carry out a task. They understand what they are doing. They look for the meaning of a request, the logic of a plan, the coherence of an image.
“ I prefer someone who is interested in what they are doing rather than someone who is very strong technically, but who works mechanically and doesn’t care “.
He takes a very concrete example: deleting an element in a shot. The challenge is not simply to remove the requested object, but to understand why it is being removed, what this implies visually, and what the shot should ultimately tell. In his view, this perspective makes all the difference between an execution and a real manufacturing gesture. Even on a programme with less symbolic value than a blockbuster, you have to be able to work with seriousness, precision and commitment.
Curiosity as a differentiating factor
In addition to this primary interest, profiles that really stand out have a complementary quality: curiosity. Curiosity about tools, about the state of the art, about new methods, about ways of doing things differently and sometimes more simply.
These are the kind of people who, in his view, drive teams forward. Those who are not content to simply follow instructions, but who seek to improve a workflow, test a new tool or propose a relevant alternative.
” When you have people who are interested in what they’re doing, you’ve almost already won. And when they’re also curious, that’s the jackpot.
It’s also in this spirit that he speaks positively of certain young graduates from creative schools, in particular profiles capable of combining a culture of images, technical skills and a keen eye for developments in AI. In his view, these profiles are still rare. And that’s precisely what makes them so valuable.
Artificial intelligence: a powerful tool, but one that needs to be supervised
When it comes to artificial intelligence, Pierre Marie Boyé refuses to adopt simplistic positions. He seeks neither to demonise the tool nor to indulge in naive enthusiasm. His approach is measured. He recognises the power of these technologies, their speed of development, and their already tangible usefulness in certain manufacturing workflows. But he doesn’t shy away from the ethical questions they raise, particularly about the training conditions for certain models.
” This technology is both formidable and worrying. The ethical issues are there, and we can’t ignore them.
However, in a company that has historically focused on technology, the question was not whether to take an interest in it, but how to do it properly. Les Tontons Truqueurs therefore adopted internal rules, limits and usage charters. Certain uses are excluded. Others, on the other hand, are included when they speed up time-consuming
time-consuming processes without altering the result. He cites in particular the possibility of producing certain establishing shots, while refusing, for example, to produce speaking actors.
What AI does not replace: image culture
What interests him above all is the way in which these tools can be integrated into a controlled value chain. In his view, generating an image is not enough. You then have to make it consistent with the rest of the film, find a texture, a digital noise, a credible visual continuity. This is where fundamental image-related skills remain essential.
“ Just because the tool exists doesn’t mean that everyone can do it. You will always need this knowledge of images and this basic know-how.
With this in mind, he defends a clear idea: the image professions are not going to disappear, but they will increasingly coexist with other profiles, particularly developers. In the studios, he observes, recruitment dynamics are already starting to change. The teams that are growing today are often more involved in AI and development than modelling or compositing. This doesn’t mean that these latter professions will no longer have a place, but that the internal balance is changing.
Towards more hybrid profiles
Pierre Marie Boyé sees a gradual evolution in the professions. Boundaries will not disappear overnight, but certain more hybrid profiles could play an increasingly important role. Professionals capable of combining generation, compositing, visual culture and technical understanding will undoubtedly be particularly sought after.
This hybridisation does not mean the disappearance of specialisations. Rather, it reflects the growing importance of profiles capable of navigating between several production languages, with a real mastery of the final result.
France remains a solid international benchmark
This analysis extends to France’s position on the international stage. Despite the tensions in the market, Pierre Marie Boyé believes that the country remains very well placed, particularly in animation, where French expertise retains a leading reputation. He cites the technical and artistic quality of the studios, but also the major role played by the schools in this reputation.
In his view, France continues to occupy a strong position in image production, with a recognised ability to train solid professionals in both animation and VFX. Even in a turbulent international context, this base remains a real point of support.
Showing what we can do: advice for students
When it comes to talking to students, his advice follows the same basic line as the rest of the interview: be lucid, involved and concrete. The sector is demanding, sometimes repetitive and often tiring. So it’s not enough to love the idea of cinema or visual effects. You need to
you have to want to do the real work, with all that that implies in terms of endurance, effort and progress.
He also stresses a point which, in his opinion, is often lacking in young profiles: the ability to show what they already know how to do. In an image-based profession, images have to speak for themselves. It no longer makes sense to claim to specialise in Unreal, Blender or another tool without presenting anything concrete. Schools provide access to hardware, software and production environments. We need to get to grips with them, produce, test, build and demonstrate.
” If you want to do Unreal with me, show me an Unreal scene. You have to prove that you can do it.
Behind this requirement, there is also a form of reminder of the professional reality. When a young candidate applies, it’s not a question of asking for a place on principle, but of demonstrating that they can meet a need. Can they do the job? Can they prove it? Is he really interested? For Pierre Marie Boyé, these are the simplest questions, but also the most decisive.