Matthieu Chardon was no ordinary child. When most kids were harbouring dreams of becoming footballers or astronauts, Chardon always wanted to be an ad man. And he began networking from an early age.

Watch 'Turned On' by Matthieu Chardon HERE.

“When I was a kid, I created a business card and I wrote that I was the ‘CEO of Marketing’ on it,” Chardon recalls with a smile. “I didn’t know what I meant exactly, but I knew I would do advertising in my life. So for me to have an ad in the cinema is my dream from childhood.”

Speaking at the start of what promises to be a busy year, the Parisian is still enjoying his success in the Hot Press Shoot To Thrill competition, run in association with Carlton Screen Advertising.

His first cinematic experience of his work became a family affair.

“My mother and all my family were really glad, because they know it's been my dream since I was 10 years old,” he says. “I saw it for the first time on the big screen, with my mother, in Galway. That was really nice – but at the end of the ad, which is 30 seconds, my mother said, ‘That’s it?’ She was expecting that we were going to see a full movie directed by me! It was funny.”

Chardon’s clip might be short, but it packs a powerful punch, including an international cast such as Jelena Lihhatsova, Graham Molloy, Sebastian Rash and a cameo by the director himself. From the off, he wanted to tap into the controversial side of Hot Press.

“I wanted to do something in that same spirit," he says. "That’s where the drug thing came from. I wanted something really shocking.”
He became intimately acquainted with Hot Press during his time in college here.

“I knew the magazine well, because the cover is always really beautiful. I buy it to practice my English!”

Chardon initially came to Dublin for his Erasmus year. Originally studying business in Paris, he saw his time here as an opportunity to get more creative.

“I totally knew that once I was in ITB (Institute Of Technology Blanchardstown), I would change my module to photography and video.”

He quickly fell in love with Dublin. “I used to live in South America," he resumes. "I was born near Germany. My father is from the West Indies and my mother is French. My sister’s in Sweden, my brother’s in London, so we have a really European family. But the city I prefer most is Dublin. When I told my friends in Paris that Dublin was so amazing, they cannot imagine it. The city is the most charming for me, but they didn’t believe me!”

Chardon decided to show them. Thus began the video project that made his name. Working with a big camera company that he calls “Ali Baba’s cave”, he borrowed their products and began shooting an ambitious time-lapse video of the city.

“I spent three months on it. I wanted to do something unique, to have day and night shots of these places. Every time I was out shooting alone in Dublin by night – walking to Howth, for example – was amazing. To go to the top of Liberty Hall, it took me three months of negotiation. I sent a mail every 10 days and at the end they said, ‘Fine, just leave us alone!’”

The results not only impressed his friends, but became an online hit.

“I received notes from people who have the same emotion about Dublin. People from New Zealand, from Canada, telling me, ‘I used to live in Dublin and when I saw your video, I cried a little'. For me, to give that emotion to people through video is amazing.

“Five years ago, we had a big health problem in my family. When I do a video, I think about that. You just have to enjoy every moment of your life. Because you never know when it could stop.”

Chardon superbly brought the same love of the city to his Shoot To Thrill entry, which was superbly shot on the streets of Dublin.

Chardon is clearly going places. In addition to his Shoot To Thrill success, he is working for Communicorp Digital in St. Stephen’s Green and has been involved with video for Today FM and Newstalk, most notably for Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s visit to the station.

“I must say, he’s got the Irish spirit," Matthieu enthuses. "He’s never showing off, he’s just here for sharing his experience. Having a good time with the people. When he recorded in space, he used the same camera as me! He’s a true artiste, plus a genuine guy, so I was impressed.”

Chardon’s own ambitions are more down to earth. Advertising agencies looking for something special should look no further... “I want to work in advertising. But my ambition would be to do a really effective commercial for a good cause. It sounds a bit cheesy but I would like to do a fantastic commercial that would help people.”

Before that, he’s Norway-bound. “We're working again with Newstalk,” he concludes. “We’re flying out and chasing the aurora borealis. That’s the second big dream in my life, to photograph the Northern Lights.” In truth, for Matthieu Chardon, the sky’s the limit.

Watch 'Turned On' by Matthieu Chardon HERE

[link]matthieuchardon.net[/link]

Shoot To Thrill, a celebration of the power of cinema advertising, was run by Hot Press, in conjunction with Wide Eye Media (formerly Carlton Screen Advertising). Ads by the winners, Scott Altman and Matthieu Chardon, have been shown on screens all over Ireland. The competition was also supported by Windmill Lane Studios, Ardmore Studios and the Galway Film Fleadh.