I am a Computer Science researcher with a rich experience in industry and academia in France and North America.
I graduated from Mines Paris Tech in 1986, where I also got my PhD in 1991. I have conducted research in a variety of domains, from geometric design to 3D animation and computer vision. I was an expert in the international MPEG group from 1997 to 2000. In 2007, I joined Xtranormal Technologies in Montreal, where I became R&D director for virtual cinematography. My team created the patented “magicam” system, which was used to produce two million user-generated animation movies.
I came back to INRIA in 2009 with a new research program devoted to “directing virtual worlds”. I helped to create the IMAGINE team in 2012, where I now lead the “narrative design” part of the project.
Towards this goal, I investigate computational models of visual storytelling and movie-making. This leads to inspiring collaborations with the national film school (ENS Louis Lumière), Célestins Theatre in Lyon, University of Geneva, Bernard Stiegler’s Institut de Recherche et d’Innovation, and with companies UBICAST, Thalès-Angénieux and Binocle 3D.
I have co-chaired international workshops on modeling people and human interaction (Beijing, 2005), 3-D cinematography (New York City, 2006; Banff, 2008; Providence, 2012), intelligent cinematography and editing
(Quebec, 2014) and computational models of narratives (Atlanta,2015).