Hot off the back of a Best Animated Short Oscar nomination for Logorama, shots.net caught up with H5 co-founder Ludovic Houplain to pick his brains on signing to Stink for worldwide representation (except France) and all things aesthetic. And as an extra special treat we've got a sneak peek at some of the preliminary design work for the Logorama follow-up.

Can you tell us a bit about the formation and evolution of H5?

H5 started back in 1994 as a collaboration between Antoine Bardou-Jacquet and myself. We both studied at the ESAG (Graphic Art School) for five years before deciding to launch something together. At the outset it was just the two of us but over time H5 has grown into a creative collective of 12 people working across a range of media spanning computer graphics to design, illustration to direction. We were lucky to start with graphic design during the beginning of the "French Touch" movement, working on the design of many labels, including the Air One, Super Discount and Alex Gopher.

In 2002 Antoine and I decided to part ways. We'd just finished a promo for Playgroup, Number One, and the timing felt right for H5 to evolve and Antoine to break off and do his own thing. H5 continued with representation in London and Paris and since then we've created around 20 different projects including commercials for VW, Cartier, Gatorade and, of course, Logorama.


So how did the deal with Stink come about?

In discussion with Stephane Kooshmanian at Addict (who rep us in France) we decided to look for an atypical and multidisciplinary production company abroad. Today's market, whether it is musical, commercial or artistic, is in the middle of a big change. It is not clearly defined like 10 years ago and the frontiers are constantly shifting and moving. The driving concept behind H5 is to tackle every project with an openness to working in different media. We don't want to stick only to direction but to installations, using other compatible frameworks like the contemporary art movement.

The way we work is close to that of an architectural studio, with heads of projects on each one of them. Everybody is motivated and ready to put the project's success above his or her own ego. Within H5, the artistic will always win out over the marketing. I try to protect this idea. I keep coming back to it because I think that's what makes a difference. I feel like Stink sees things this way too. There's a real artistic curiosity at the company and I think I can learn and be enriched in that environment.


So what are you working on at the moment?

Well this year we're going to continue producing our new short film (see gallery). Part of the design is under construction and it will have nothing to do with Logorama. The action takes place near the Arctic Circle in Russia. We would like to make it entirely in Russian and hope to finish it this year. We want to try not to spend as long doing it as we did for Logorama.

In the meantime, we're going to take part in the Deign Biennale in Saint Etienne in November for a month. The project examines issues around mobility in metropolitan spaces using graphic design as its primary format.

Last but not least, we are working on a monograph mixing video, installation and music for the new Gaité Museum in the center of Paris which is due to open at the end of 2010.


On top of all that you've got a retrospective coming up at the Pompidou Centre too right?

That's correct. We'll be showing a selection of work running from our first promo, The Child for Alex Gopher, right up to Logorama. It's interesting to see the similarities between the two projects and the exhibition space actually, especially in terms of architecture. One film shows a vertical city, New York, made only with words while the other is set in a horizontal city, Los Angeles, made only with logos and they're screening inside a museum that looks like it was made out of Lego.

This screening will tale place 26 February, during the Festival Hors Piste, and we'll be showing alongside artists such as Xavier Veilhan and Eric Dalbin. We're really excited because it will be the first public showing of Logorama in a Parisian cultural space.


What has been inspiring you creatively recently?

I like this question because I don't know how I'd define the answer really. Anything can inspire me - a short story in a newspaper, a homework assignment my son's been set, a fugitive image on the TV. I like to keep notes in a sketchbook and when I flip through the ideas connect with one another or with older thoughts and mix together in unexpected ways.

Other than that? A very good restaurant. People like Ganglier or Alien, the Le Meurice chef who keep on renewing cooking with the same ingredients used over centuries. I've always been fascinated and in admiration of gastronomy as it really is one of the pleasures of life and for that, I am happy to be born in France.

After all this talking I feel like I've come to the conclusion that many disciplines can become art, either by experimenting, by excelling, by having a different view on society while staying open to all audiences and not moralizing. You just have to find the right balance.


Check out a showcase of H5's work here, and watch one of their early music videos below.