Martin Villeneuve always realizes extraordinary projects. Coming from graphic design and music video, he came to public attention through his graphic novel March and April which he transferred to the cinema. As artistic director of advertising campaigns for Cirque du Soleil and TED speaker, he embarked on his second feature film The 12 Labors of Imelda last fall, in which he also takes on the title role. He’s now embarking on a colossal project, breathing life into a mythical comic book featuring an FBI agent with impressive orange hair, unobstructed and questionable paths I dubbed Red Ketchup.
Photo provided by Teletoon
Why is it time to bring Red Ketchup to life?
The Red Ketchup phenomenon has been around for 40 years, and comic book sales are still going strong today. Not all intellectual property rights have this effect. We’re talking about our time. The Cold War, as we can see, is not quite over yet. It’s a social satire, we’re talking about the American far right, the rise of fascism, feminism. There is less opportunity to address this under the guise of humor. Réal Godbout and Pierre Fournier were visionaries, avant-gardists. They paved the way for those who make comics today. Red Ketchup stands on the border of two worlds: Hergé and the Franco-Belgian comics of the 70’s and the underground side (Robert) Crumb that has gone mainstream. It’s James Bond seen by Tarantino or Rodriguez. He’s an antihero.
How did the transition from comics to cartoons come about?
It’s a huge paperwork. That’s three albums in 20 episodes. It’s like writing three four feature films. There are iconic key moments. Back then, Réal and Pierre were writing four-page soap operas, not knowing where the story would take them. But the show is a story that goes on, like 24 or Stranger Things. It is a free adaptation, the spirit of which we preserve. I was able to enjoy myself with the confidence of the authors.
The project considered making a film with real actors a few years ago. Is it easier or more complex to make cartoons?
Oddly enough, animation is similar to live action. In the first step, the dialogues of the English-speaking actors were recorded (the series will be broadcast on Adult Swim). They delivered a performance without a net. Then the animation was done by hand. These are animated storyboards that we research and design sets, colors, lighting and special effects on. There are specialists for every department and every step. Animated puppets need to have the right voice, the right gestures, the right intentions. We have an architect who works for the Vatican, the Kremlin, Red Square. But the machine runs fine. The 20 episodes will be filmed simultaneously but at different stages. Quebec dubbing remained with the Rythmo band.
How did you choose the actors?
We voted on blind performances. We wanted to be surprised. We chose talent first, not names. For Sally (sister of Red Ketchup) I had France Castel in mind from the start. My instinct was confirmed at the casting. Benoît Brière was the casting director’s idea. He really stood out.
Animation for adults is successful (South Park, american father, BoJack Horseman, family Guy, king of the hill…). Why don’t we see more of this in Quebec?
There is a lot of money behind it. We tried to fund Red Ketchup’s know-how in Quebec, but the funders weren’t there. It was unlocked in Toronto. It’s four years of writing and two years of production. We go off the beaten track. Red Ketchup has something international about it. He’s an FBI agent. It’s Mission Impossible or Indiana Jones. It’s dark humor. The series has the potential to be seen elsewhere. Will parodying Americans help or hurt us? We’ll see. But we occupy a place that no one has occupied.
◆ red ketchup, Thursdays at 10 p.m. on Télétoon la nuit