ARTICLE: MERLIN DUTERTRE’S LES FANTÔMES RÊVENT AUSSI

Merlin Dutertre, Les Fantômes Rêvent Aussi, digital video, color, sound, 7’ 34”, 2018, France

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VRAL is currently showcasing Merlin Dutertre’s Lullaby (2019). In order to better appreciate his oeuvre, we will be discussing several of his most recent works. We begin with Lullaby’s predecessor, Les Fantômes Rêvent Aussi (2018). Taken together, the two films are aesthetically and thematically conjoined, forming a unique diptych.

French filmmaker Merlin Dutertre crafts introspective machinima works set in serene, dreamlike forest environments. His found footage film Les Fantômes Rêvent Aussi (2018), which we are presenting today, unfolds in a lush virtual forest meticulously designed using Zoo Tycoon 2, a popular 2004 business simulation game where players manage a zoo. Developed by Blue Fang Games and released in 2004, Zoo Tycoon 2 was highly popular, selling over three million copies worldwide. Its longevity is remarkable: nearly twenty years after release, it still has an active modding community. In the game, players are tasked with creating and managing a successful zoo by building enclosures, keeping animals happy, and maintaining the park grounds. Not exactly what John Berger had envisioned, but anyway.

Interestingly, Zoo Tycoon 2 is not a popular choice for making machinima. Nevertheless, Dutertre deliberately chose this game due to its remarkable creative adaptability in the construction of lifelike environments and its user-friendly tools, which seamlessly facilitated the customization of landscapes and animal behaviors in alignment with his creative vision. Zoo Tycoon 2’s capacity for animating autonomously animals gave his project an authentic documentary-style essence. Notwithstanding its somewhat anachronistic graphics, the game’s accessible and familiar interface ensured Dutertre’s adept filmmaking, allowing him to work with…

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Merlin Dutertre

Les Fantômes Rêvent Aussi, digital video, color, sound, 7’ 34”, 2018, France

Lullaby, digital video, color, sound, color, sound, 11’ 51”, 2019, France

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EVENT: MERLIN DUTERTRE (AUGUST 25 - SEPTEMBER 7 2023, ONLINE)

Lullaby

digital video, color, sound (1920 x 1080), color, sound, 11’ 51”, 2019, France

Created by Merlin Dutertre

Developed with(in) Zoo Tycoon 2, Lullaby is set into a magic forest where people are mysteriously transformed into animals. The metamorphosis proves to be therapeutic as the former human animals are finally at peace.

With cinematic flair, Merlin Dutertre’s oeuvre weaves ethereal narratives and unique visuals, often unfolding within immersive video game worlds. At Paris 8 University, he honed an acute comprehension of the interplay between art and technology, which he channels into crafting transcendent experiences that break norms and blend genres. By seamlessly fusing found footage with virtual domains, Dutertre’s films redefine visual storytelling, harnessing his passion for the digital medium. Marked by an atmosphere of serenity and surrealism, his meticulously framed works invoke tranquility and contemplation. Lullaby and Saule Pleureur exemplify his creative acumen, guiding audiences through territories where the extraordinary and ordinary intertwine, where real and virtual dimensions harmonize. Based in Paris, Dutertre continues molding innovative and evocative films that reveal a distinct artistic vision.