All the Special Effects Used in 'Bref'
Last year French network Canal+ began production on a wee little web series called "Bref" (French for "in short"), which follows the life of a normal (if slightly weird) dude as he tackles, then quickly summarises, painfully ordinary things: one-night stands, falling in love, dealing with that one guy whose every proposal comes with conditions, his parents' divorce, riding the metro, getting a job, and letting your friend-with-benefits down easy when it's finally time to cut the cord.
In a single season, the series -- known for its quick cuts, ADD-friendly pace, deadpan humour and absurd fantasy sequences -- became a viral hit among French 20- and 30-somethings. And while the spirit, the actors and writers had plenty to do with it, production studio WIP also deserves love for making a menagerie of complex, fast-moving special effects so subtle and seamless that the series seems well-produced without looking conceptually tricky. (It's since spurned a pile of online copycats.)
The creators of "Bref" opted to pursue other projects after a much-heralded 82 episodes. The show ended earlier this month, and we miss it already. But this montage of all the special effects used in the show makes a nice good-bye, as well as a treatment of how complex it actually was to produce.
Keep this in mind next time a client comes bounding in with a win-win money-saving idea: CREATE A WEB SERIES USING CAMERA PHONE AND PEOPLE FROM THE OFFICE! You tell him no and show him what it takes to make something great. If that doesn't work, slap him and run away.
