Today we’d like to introduce you to Félix Lajeunesse.
Félix, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in a small town in Quebec, Canada. My father was an artist, inventor and kind human being, and I wanted to follow a similar path in life. I had big dreams to make films, to travel all over the world, and to make a difference – but I had virtually no idea what the journey ahead would look like. I moved to Montreal to study film production, and after graduating from Concordia University, I worked in the Canadian Arctic on several feature films projects with the Inuit creators of the extraordinary feature film Atanarjuat The Fast Runner, and I learned a ton from them.
Back in Montreal, I began a collaboration with Paul Raphaël (the Paul from Felix & Paul Studios) to direct a series of music videos, TV commercials, short films and 3D video installations. This creative collaboration gradually led us to exploring the concept of “presence” in cinema, and how to create deeper immersion for audiences. This journey led us to the world of virtual reality.
In 2013 we created Strangers with Patrick Watson, considered today as the first-ever cinematic VR film, and this project led to the creation of many more VR films – from collaborations with President Obama, President Clinton, LeBron James, Reese Witherspoon, Eminem and Wes Anderson, to a series of collaborations with Cirque du Soleil, the Jurassic World franchise and NASA. For the past 4 years, our studio’s focus has been on the world of human spaceflight, with the creation of Space Explorers: The ISS Experience, a virtual reality series filmed aboard the International Space Station over three years – which became the creative foundation for THE INFINITE, a large-scale fully-immersive exhibit currently presented in Houston.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Looking back, I would say that the main struggle was to “make the leap” about 10 years ago, from the established world of film and television, to the totally uncharted world of virtual reality. We decided to enter that space at a moment in time where there wasn’t an industry or a pre-existing set of rules and practices – firstly because we were creatively compelled to go further in our exploration of presence-based storytelling (or what we called at the time “story-living”), and secondly because we had a strong intuition that at some point in the future, the worlds of media, cinematic storytelling, gaming, communication, social media, education and so on, would evolve towards full immersion and something that replicates the sensorial and emotional power of real-life experiences. Today we are thrilled that these initial thoughts made their way into the creation of THE INFINITE, and that they are echoed by the global excitement around the metaverse.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I craft immersive and interactive experiences that are rooted in connection: viewers feel deeply moved by the places and people they see and hear, and find themselves completely involved in the moment. Throughout my career, I have fused that sense of immediacy with a spirit of exploration to bring the creative possibilities of 3D 360 cinematic VR, and now AR and MR, to life. My longtime collaboration with Felix & Paul Studios co-founder Paul Raphaël grew out of a shared vision for immersion and visceral world-building, which resulted in the first 3D camera technology.
Since launching Felix & Paul Studios in 2013 with Strangers with Patrick Watson, I have directed and co-directed several of the studio’s 21 VR experiences. These include Emmy Award-winning interactive feature The People’s House with then-president Barack Obama, original VR fiction/feature experience Miyubi starring Jeff Goldblum, and the documentary series Space Explorers in collaboration with NASA. Now, my role has expanded to sharing my knowledge and expertise with a bold new generation of experience creators. Recent projects include co-directing Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams’ Traveling While Black, co-producing the NFB/Clyde Henry Productions collaboration Gymnasia, and working with TIME on the latest filming of Space Explorers aboard the International Space Station. Whether leading the studio, directing or producing, I spearhead the creation of compelling immersive and interactive experiences while charting a new world of artistic entertainment.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Creating things makes me happy. Whether it’s telling my kids a long story while driving on the road, or drawing something and discovering the idea as I go, or developing ideas with a team of collaborators for a new immersive experience, I really enjoy the creative process and I realize more and more that it’s actually something I need, just like oxygen and water, and family life.
Pricing:
- Tickets to THE INFINITE start at $36
Contact Info:
- Email: jonathan@public-content.com
- Website: https://theinfiniteexperience.world/links
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinfiniteontour/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Infinite-On-Tour-103462828729349
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinfiniteexp?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0enL8SoORMPtVdyAzS04mQ
Image Credits:
Melissa Tayor
