Magic Realism of Jean-Sébastien Monzani

Magic Realism – this is how our today’s guest Jean-Sébastien Monzani describes his photographic style. Matthew Strecher defined this genre as “what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe”. A perfect name for the fantastic Monzani world which captivated me immediately when I first saw it about four years ago. Unconventional photo stories, often accompanied by narration, fantastic characters, places and elements, beautiful music composed by the photographer himself – all this makes the works of this artist unique and fascinating. Jean-Sébastien’s photo series, as well as his recent passion for short movies, are always profound and philosophic, they carry some special atmosphere which can also be found in the books of Haruki Murakami. By means of his photography, Jean-Sébastien Mozani addresses problems common for the society, one of which is the lack of communication and mutual understanding between people. And it’s up to you, our dearest Reader, to decide whether he succeeded in conveying his message.

We are infinitely thankful to Jean-Sébastien for being so open and friendly and doing this great interview for us.

Tell us a little how you got started in the photography? Was it kind of a decisive moment when you understood you want to create art as a photographer?

When I bought a SLR camera in 1998, I had no real subject or artistic ideas. I just felt too limited by regular compact cameras that I could borrow and thought it would be a nice idea to have my SLR. But it took two years before I did my first portraits and really enjoyed to share ideas and interact with a person while creating an image. Things continued progressively, and the more portraits I shot with my friends, the more passionate I became about it.

I think the decisive moment was when I started to prepare my photo-sessions more precisely and elaborate stories with them (roughly in 2002).

Short movies seem to be your latest passion, am I right? Do you plan to make a full-length film? If so, what genre would it relate to?

Short movies are a great new refreshing way to merge all the techniques I’ve learned along the years, beside photography: writing stories, acting and directing people (I’ve done a lot of theatre), composing music and of course creating images. They all merge into a single project, that’s why I’m so excited about these.

However, creating a full-length movie is a completely different story. My shooting conditions are extremely primitive: I just shoot with available light most of the time, without any team, makeup artist or anything like that. Movies on the other hand require various talents and lots of people.

What in the movie creation process appeals to you? What is the difference between photo and video in terms of delivering a message to an audience?

Beside what I’ve already discussed, merging different skills also makes a better and richer impression on the audience. Add some music and the images automatically get depth and density. That’s the main difference.

This also comes to a cost: a photo-story can only focus on key points of the story, while a movie must sometimes show things just to help the viewer understand what’s going on. And of course, it’s much easier to fine-tune a single image than a whole movie sequence.

Series make the lion’s share of your artwork. Many of them are accompanied by textual storylines. I think this in many respects determines the uniqueness of your works. Please tell us how you came up with this idea?

I don’t quite know, but I can tell you that Peter Lindbergh’s way to shoot fashion like a short movie definitely influenced me. However, there is not text or obvious storylines in his work. I guess I’ve been influenced by theatre and movies.

What’s the “order” of your creativity process – do you invent the story first and then just cast a play, or maybe a chance subject, face or scene generates a story in your mind?

I usually write the story and make a storyboard first, then film or photograph it regularly. Sometimes, photo-sessions are more improvised and the story if added afterwards but I prefer to prepare things ahead. Preparation helps me maximize the value of shooting time.

In the whole arsenal of your photography equipment, what’s really indispensable besides the camera and lens? What is the item at the top of your wish list (if have any) or you are completely satisfied with your current set??

I could definitively not work without a reflector: with available light, it’s a must-have cheap tool.

I currently would need more solutions for movie-making but they are all quite expensive. A slider rail for moving the camera for instance is on my wish list at the moment.

If you had to keep only one lens, which one would you choose?

The 85mm f1.8 (I work on full-frame camera).

If you could travel in time, where would you go for a shoot?

I don’t know. Maybe in New York in the sixties. Actually, I’m not much interested by reality, that’s why it’s difficult to answer your question.

What are your main sources of inspiration both online and offline?

Working with a model is a wonderful source of inspiration, especially when we try to create a story together. They love to act and pretend they are someone else. Most of them are not-pro and just started modelling when I asked them to pose. I like this simplicity and complicity: people say it shows on the pics and I think I can believe them.

I am very inspired by movies, books, paintings… maybe less by photographs, at least, recently. I often try to challenge myself to create something new and different from my previous works: it is very, very, very important to me.

I’m influenced by many things that I see everyday, often by on-line portfolios of artists and blogs. I also watch a lot of movies, and often go to the theatre. This gives the mix of illustration and narrative series that you usually see in my work.

I am also influenced by illustrators such as Shaun Tan, R.Dautremer or Winsor McCay.

I like to browse ffffound.com, notcot.org and graphic-exchange.com too.

Do you have influences from real photographers? Who are they?

Speaking of photographers, I’m a big fan of Gregory Crewdson amazing installations for instance, as well as Tim Walker work. I could go on and on and cite the Xteriors series from Desiree Dolron, fashion work of Peter Lindbergh, or the small landscapes of Didier Massard as opposed to the large images of Andreas Gursky… Or the macro work of Sophie Thouvenin.

I’ve got a huge respect for these photographers. I’m not sure you can say they all have an influence on me but there are definitively creative and wonderful artists.

What’s your most memorable project and why?

All projects were interesting and challenging, there isn’t really one that I would like to pick up. Of course, as time goes by, I notice problems or errors on previous images. I guess that’s the eternal quest for perfection.

What ambition have you not yet achieved?

To make a living out of my art. I’m a successful graphic designer but all of my photo and video-work are personal projects. Although I’ve got to say I don’t do anything to be noticed or start to make a living out of pure personal art.

Best professional advice you’ve ever got. What would you advise to the beginners?

I can’t remember of an advice I’ve got.

Here are my advices, though:
– To have a clear goal in your mind and precisely know what you want before starting to shoot.
– To know how to use your camera with all manual settings (obviously).
– To drop your cheap kit zoom lens and buy a 50mm f1.8 lens (cheap and amazing image quality and control over depth of field).
– To have fun during your photo sessions.
– To challenge yourself to make something different and more difficult each time.

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about Jean-Sébastien’s art:

Personal website: Jean-Sébastien Monzani
Portfolio: Jean-Sebastien Monzani – Lausanne, Geneve Suisse

All photos copyright © Jean-Sebastien Monzani / jsmonzani.com
Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.