Brice Dublé

Brice Dublé: from business to entertainment, a career guided by passion

After beginning his studies in business, Brice Dublé chose to follow his true interest: drawing. This choice led him to ESMA Toulouse, where he trained in 3D animation. Today he works as an animator at Illumination Mac Guff.

From childhood to the ESMA trigger

Brice has been drawing ever since he was a child. He has even found sketches dating back to nursery school. Cartoons, especially Disney ones, were also part of his daily life, but he saw it all as a hobby and not as a possible direction for his future. He regularly invented characters such as Corcal and Deth’s Zorillas, which he put on stage in his school notebooks.

However, when it came to choosing his career path, he opted for a more traditional route: a Baccalauréat STG (Science and Technology in Management), followed by a BTS NRC (Negotiation and Customer Relations). But during this course, a friend made a decisive remark: “Brice, you draw really well, you should work for Pixar or another studio”. It was like an electric shock. His business studies didn’t appeal to him, so he decided to find out about art schools and discovered that ESMA existed in his home town, Toulouse.

He entered the school starting with the Entertainment Prep. The experience was a revelation: for the first time, he found pleasure in doing his homework, especially sketchbooks, which he still considers to be the most stimulating exercises of his school career.

The choice of 3D and years of training

It was during the Prépa Entertainment course that he decided to turn to 3D animation. What had been a childhood dream suddenly seemed like a real career path. “It was a bit like a musician making a living from his passion: I didn’t even feel like I was working,” he explains.

The 3D course proved demanding, especially for someone who was not particularly at ease with computers. But with the help of his fellow students – notably Nicolas Jacomet, who lent him a computer – and the guidance of his teachers, he eventually mastered the tools. After two years, the technique became almost automatic, leaving more room for creativity and artistic expression. The projects proposed by the teachers are an ideal opportunity to develop a personal style and to work together on original concepts.

Graduation film: Made in France

With his team-mates Maxime Guerry, Robin Cioffi, Stanislas Gruenais, Lamia Akhabbar and Alexia Portal, Brice is working on their final year short film. It all started with a simple idea suggested by Robin: what happens to socks that mysteriously disappear? As they talked, they drew a parallel with a surprising discovery: the same bacteria can be found on feet and in cheese. In twenty minutes, sitting at a table during the break, they imagined a world where mice turn socks into cheese. The result was Made in France.

The project is experienced as a real immersion in professional conditions. The group takes charge of the entire process: script, storyboard, character design, animation and final rendering. For Brice, it was both a stimulating and demanding experience. At the same time, he was continuing to work to finance his studies, which meant that he had to manage his time rigorously and efficiently. The result exceeded their expectations: the film was selected and won awards at several international festivals.

A profession that brings characters to life

To explain his role, Brice likes to use the image of a puppet. The animator takes a frozen character and brings him to life frame by frame, respecting the soundtrack and the script. The illusion of movement is based on precise rules of weight, timing and expression.

Creativity exists, but within a defined framework: the animator must convey emotions and intentions while respecting the directives of the supervisors and directors. For Brice, this discipline is a subtle balance between technical rigour and artistic expression.

Brice works mainly on feature films for the cinema, and the moment when he can see his characters come to life on the big screen remains a source of great satisfaction for him.

As far as changes in the profession are concerned, he notes that the fundamentals remain unchanged: the “twelve basic principles of animation”, laid down by Disney’s animators, still guide the profession. On the other hand, the arrival of tools specific to each speciality makes production more fluid and saves precious time.