Biography
Early years
Born in 1962, Chartrand was adopted and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1986 and earned a certificate in Arts Education at UQAM in 1988. After graduating she began making a living by creating poster graphics and giving workshops in exhibitions across Canada and Europe. Before becoming involved in animation, Chartrand worked as a painter and illustrator. In 1986, Chartrand became working as a layout and colour artist. She joined the National Film Board officially as a colour artist, assisting Pierre M. Trudeau during the shooting of ''Enfantillages'' (1990). She then collaborated on ''Jours de plaine'' (1990), co-directed by Réal Bérard and André Leduc.Professional career
Additionally, Chartrand is in high demand as a lecturer for conferences, master classes, and art workshops worldwide. She guides artists and shares the techniques and craft involved in creating paint-on-glass animation.Film career
In 1992, Chartrand directed her first animated film for the NFB ''T.V. Tango''. A short designed to encourage children to be critical of televised advertising messages and help them understand what they're seeing. In 1994, Chartrand was given advanced courses in paint-on-glass animation by Alexander Petrov. A painstaking process which involves years of painting thousands of paintings and filming them frame by frame to create a fluid motion. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, '' Black Soul'' (French: Âme noire) is an animated short directed and written by Martine Chartrand. It is the story of a young boy who explores his cultural heritage through the stories of his grandmother. An emotionally rich and vibrant piece which employs painted glass frames shot with a 35mm camera. Its soundtrack features traditional African rhythms, gospel music by Ranee Lee and a composition by jazz pianist Oliver Jones. Among its achievements, Black Soul won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the 51st Berlin International Film Festival. For 8 years, Chartrand worked steadily on her next film ''MacPherson''. Inspired by a song by famed French-Canadian singer-songwriter Félix Leclerc, ''MacPherson'' is a poetic film which combines Quebec folk music with vivid painted imagery. Chartrand is the subject of the documentary '' Finding Macpherson'' (2014), directed byArtistic style
Paint-on-glass animation style involves the manipulation of wet media to create animated films. The artist's paints are moved around the glass which is placed directly under a camera. When filmed frame-by-frame, the images blend and give the illusion of merging and melting into each successive frame. The end result is a fluid sense of movement which creates a painterly effect.Filmography
Short films
Awards
*Special Jury Commendation International Animation Festival, September 30 to October 4, 1992, Ottawa - Canada *Award for Best Direction Black International Cinema I.U.S.B., May 23, 1993, Berlin - Germany *Golden Bear - Short Film International Film Festival, February 7 to 18 2001, Berlin - Germany *Best Animated Short Award International Film Festival, February 27 to March 3, 2002, Santa Barbara - USA *First Prize (Short Film) Montreal World Film Festival, August 23 to September 3, 2012, Montréal - CanadaReferences
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