SAAQ | The Realistic Dummy
Directed by Olivier Staub
When I read the script, I immediately knew this was a great story, and bringing it to its full potential was going to depend on one thing: authenticity.
The idea was powerful and disturbing: to raise awareness by making someone witness their own death in an accident.
The point was not to find someone guilty or make an example out of one person. It was to change broader habits and challenge the myth that short-distance trips without a seatbelt are harmless.
So we searched for real people. I interviewed many before finding Christian: a young adult, someone who could be your brother, your son, your friend, surrounded by loving parents. We then created his perfect double, a crash-test dummy made to look exactly like him.
Everything depended on protecting the first reaction. No tricks, no gimmicks, no second take. Just a family witnessing the crash of their loved one’s double. The direction was simple: create the conditions, protect the truth, and let the moment happen.
Throughout post-production, I made sure we never lost the film’s veracity, whether in the edit, the grading, or the music. The track was composed with that same restraint: no grand deployment, just a discreet piano piece, something that could be played at a funeral.
Press / Awards
Credits
CLIENT SAAQ • TITLE The Realistic Dummy • AGENCY Lg2 • DIRECTOR Olivier Staub • DoP Olivier Staub • EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Charles Gaudreau • PRODUCER Sam Petitclerc • PRODUCTION NovaFilm • CREATIVE DIRECTOR Nicolas Boisvert • COPYWRITER Felix Antoine Belleville - Eric Chavgnac • ART DIRECTOR Megan Plamondon • EDITING LP Gagné • COLOR GRADING Éric Denis (Studio Element) • AUDIO Dominci Cabana (Circonflex) • ORIGINAL MUSIC Circonflex