Interview with Simon Boisvert for STI Blog
Brett Gallagher July 5 2011 09:59:22 AM
Having worked in the translation business for more than 4 years now, one of the most rewarding aspects of my job is to meet new and interesting people, and when not dealing with the day-to-day communications of project manager to translator, I've enjoyed the opportunity to get to know some of our more "colorful" independent contractors.
One of those translators is Simon Boisvert, who has translated from/into Canadian French for STI since 1996, and collaborated with STI's founder, Morry Schreiber, on the French Business Dictionary, published by Schreiber Publishing in 2005. Besides his work as a translator, though, Simon also happens to be a well-known independent filmmaker in his native Quebec, having directed, written and even portrayed some roles in such Canadian films as Barmaids, Échangistes and his latest, 40 is the New 20 (which also happens to be his first English-language film).
Recently, we had the chance to catch up with Simon and ask a few questions about his very unique career path, some of his past and current film projects, and his views on Quebec films and the film industry in general:
Although you may be more well-known in Canada as an independent film maker, you also happen to be a French translator. How did you happen to end up with these two seemingly different careers?
Filmmaking is something I've been interested in since I was a kid, but I did not pursue it as a potential career. So I became a freelance translator because I liked the idea of working on my own, and that field was booming in the 90s. But about ten years ago, I met some people who were doing short films, and it revived my interest. So ever since then, I have been doing translation for a living, and filmmaking as a hobby.
Do you see any parallels between the two?
The only parallel is that in both cases, it is a very meticulous job.
Recently, we published a review of Francois Truffaut's classic film, Les 400 coups, on our blog. Have you seen the film, and if so, what are your thoughts about it, as well as the influence of Truffaut and the "French New Wave" movement on films in general?
I'm not familiar enough with the French New Wave and Truffaut's works to have an opinion on that.
Your most recent film project, 40 is the New 20 (starring Pat Mastroianni, from the popular Degrassi series), is about a man who reconnects with an old flame, but his relationship with her becomes more and more obsessive and "stalker-ish" after she rejects his advances. How did this concept come about?
A few years ago, I was reading the syndicated advice column "Annie's Mailbox" in the newspaper, and very often, people were mentioning how they "came across" their spouse's e-mails. Of course, I realized very quickly that they were actually snooping! So I had the idea to combine old-fashioned stalking with modern technology, like GPS, cell phones, voicemail, Classmates.com, dating Web sites, spy software, etc.
Do you have any new film projects on the horizon that you would like to share with us?
I am currently writing a script about a 45-year- old female air traffic controller who loses control of her life after being held partially responsible for a mid-air collision between two passenger planes she was supposed to guide to safety. She uses gambling as an escape, meets the wrong people, and the rest, well, you'll have to see the film! I hope to shoot it in early 2012.
How do you view the current state of the film industry in Quebec, as well as Canada in general?
In Quebec and the rest of Canada, film making is subsidized by the government. There are very few projects that are privately financed, and then again, those projects are made with shoestring budgets of less than a million dollars. Even the subsidized films are low-budget fares compared with American films. But it is a productive industry which releases a wide variety of films. Quebec cinema is way more popular than English-Canadian cinema, since the latter has to compete with Hollywood, whereas Quebec films are in French. The market is small (8 million people), but it finds its target audience.What about globally?
Although the Internet (including illegal downloads) has taken over our lives in terms of entertainment, people will always like to go to the movie theater and be told a good story. What's really been affected by the Net is DVD sales and rentals (video stores are dying). The problem now is that too many films are released, and the product finds itself diluted compared to when I was a kid in the 70s. Not to mention the fact that Hollywood is running out of ideas. The last few years have all been about sequels, remakes, and cinematic versions of old TV shows. Thank God for the occasional indie gems like The Kids Are Alright or The Wrestler. But there are more and more great foreign films out there, although the lack of marketing budget makes it a niche market. If you don't live in a big city, good luck finding those films!
And, a question that we certainly must ask, have you seen any good movies lately?
The Social Network was very compelling. And Incendies, a French-Canad ian film mostly shot in the Middle East, will most certainly get an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language Film. Actually, Sony Pictures will be distributing it in the States. I would also like to mention that I went to the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and I got to meet the Fonz (Henry Winkler). Those who are old enough will remember him as one of the most popular TV characters of all time. What a nice moment!
STI wishes to thank Simon for his time in answering our questions, and thank him for his many years of excellent work as a translator! For those interested in seeing Simon's latest film, 40 is the New 20, it is available on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/40-New-20-Pat-Mastroianni/dp/B002NKD48U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 &qid =1288361546&sr=8-1) and at Netflix!
Written by David Evseeff
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STI has been a leading provider in the patent & IP translation industry for more than 30 years, helping numerous government and private sector clients to meet their translation, localization, and interpretation needs. STI integrates the best in human and technological resources to help our clients break down language barriers and face the demands of increasingly rapid globalization. With an effective, personalized, and proven system of project management, there is no project too big or too small.
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