Hervé Dupont is managing director and producer at Fortiche Productions.
In this role, he oversees the organisation of the studio, both artistically and structurally. This dual role gives him a cross-sectional view of the workings of a company that has been shaking up the codes of the animation industry for some years now.
At Fortiche, the creative process doesn’t stop at pre-production. “We start with a strong concept, which we enrich at every stage.
From storyboard to animatics, and then throughout production, each team is invited to suggest, experiment and refine. “With each layer, we add an intention. It’s a process of accumulation that builds the final quality.
This iterative approach gives the studio’s productions their unique texture, both visually and narratively.
A style born of frustration
Fortiche’s instantly recognisable style was born out of the realisation that the rich, vibrant visuals of the artbooks were almost never seen on screen. “At the time, the dominant 3D films from Pixar and DreamWorks offered very smooth renderings. The founders of Fortiche wanted to rediscover the graphic vibrancy, the energy of the line that we saw in the preparatory documents”.
This desire to ‘bring matter’ back to the image has given rise to a deliberate hybridisation between 2D and 3D, between pictorial and modelling, between technical and expressive. The result is a singular visual style, both modern and organic, in which each shot asserts an aesthetic ambition.
Arcane: an extraordinary project
The worldwide success of Arcane has propelled Fortiche into another dimension.
But behind the impact lies an extraordinary project, both collective and personal.
“We did something that nobody had ever tried before.
An animated series in an ambitious format, with requirements worthy of a feature film”.
The challenge was technical and artistic, but also structural: in just a few years, the studio grew from 70 to 450 people.
And, above all, it involves bringing together very different production cultures: a small studio used to working on music videos and advertising, a video game giant (Riot Games), teams from feature films, others from TV series… and no tried and tested method for reconciling all this.
“We had to invent our own way of doing things. A common grammar, an organisation, a studio culture under construction. For Dupont, it was also a management challenge: steering the growth of a studio in the throes of change, structuring a rapidly expanding team without losing the original spirit. The challenge was twofold: to maintain the same high artistic standards while building a company capable of withstanding such a change in scale.
Riot Games: a long-term partner
The collaboration with Riot Games is not new to Arcane: it began in 2013. Since then, the relationship has grown stronger. Riot has become a minority shareholder in Fortiche, but beyond the capital ties, a deep creative partnership has been forged.
“We’ve learned to trust each other. We shared a success. Today, we can envisage projects together with more freedom.
There’s no question of remaking Arcane identically, but rather of extending the dynamic: that of the unlikely project that becomes a milestone in the landscape. Fortiche is now embracing its singularity and moving forward with Riot on new productions, capitalising on the shared culture forged in the complexity of the first success.
Two projects, two ambitions
Two of the projects in development embody the studio’s new ambitions.
On the one hand, Penelope Spartà. An adventure film for the cinema, developed entirely in-house.
“It’s the seminal project we dreamed of making when we started out: a big film for the big screen, driven by powerful characters and a graphic and narrative adventure.
The project is currently seeking partners and funding.
In contrast, Miss Saturn, a mini-series of 10 10-minute episodes co-produced with ARTE.
“A project rooted in the Nice of the 80s, with a teenage heroine, a new wave atmosphere and a rockier, more alternative tone”.
A 2D format, lighter production, but still a strong artistic direction.
Here too, Fortiche does not produce in-house, but works with other partners.
The line is clear: each project calls for a different method, but the level of demand remains constant.
Navigating a changing sector
When asked about the current economic climate, Hervé Dupont does not shy away: a slowdown in the market, uncertainty in Hollywood, changes in platforms, the arrival of AI… “It’s a time of questioning. It’s a time of questioning. We need to ask ourselves what we’re keeping and what we’re reinventing.
But far from being worried, he sees it as an opportunity. “The more AI there is, the more human beings will be needed. I’m convinced of that”. For him, creativity should not only be expressed in the work itself, but also in the way it is produced, financed and distributed. The studio is already exploring other channels, other formats, other ways of circulating stories.
Advice for young professionals
For young people dreaming of entering the sector, the message is clear: ideas are not enough. What’s needed are good professionals. “Someone once said: “Our cupboards are full of good ideas. What we need are good colleagues to put them into practice”. I think that’s very true.
He stresses the importance of human qualities: curiosity, rigour, the ability to adapt to a vision that is not his own. “What we expect from a young professional is not a graphic revolution, but the ability to fit in, work in a team and understand what’s at stake in a project.
The diploma certifies technical skills. But the real training begins with contact with the world of work.