Producer Anne Pruvost Facilitates Powerful Film and Commercial Productions
It takes a very rare and multifaceted person to be able to handle all of the arduous tasks that go along with producing films, television series and commercials, and French producer Anne Pruvost is one of the uniquely talented professionals who successfully does it all.
Having begun her career in the industry nearly two decades ago, Pruvost has been a key figure in the development of numerous films, such as the recent productions “Becoming Cary Grant” and the thriller “Hacker’s Game Redux.” She has also produced a number of live TV shows for Canal+ that aired during the Cannes Film Festival, as well as countless award-winning commercials. In 2015, for instance, Pruvost produced a series of five commercials for the international medication brand Mercurochrome, which took home numerous industry awards including the Gold Epica Award, Bronze Lia Award, the Sapphire Silver Award at the Crystal Festival, and was Shortlisted for the prestigious Clio Award.
Reflecting on how she has managed to succeed at the heights of the film, TV and commercial production industry, Anne Pruvost says, “I have always been extremely driven. I think my strongest quality is being able to listen carefully and give an honest point of view on the choices that are being made, which allows me to make quick and important decisions with ease.”
With a record of successful credits to her name, Anne Pruvost has become a sought-after force in the entertainment industry. Not only has she proven herself to be adept at everything from casting to production financing to finding the perfect shooting locations and managing the crews to bring some of our favorite productions to life, but she does it all with a smile. In high-pressure situations, Pruvost seems to maintain a cool head under pressure.
“Working with Anne is always a great experience. Nothing in this business is ever easy, and the shoots we worked on together had their own individual sets of problems but somehow Anne always came prepared to be part of the solution,” explains Tony Adler, who worked as the 1st AD on the film “Venus Cupidity,” as well as several commercials produced by Pruvost, including those for the popular French sportswear brand Décathlon.
“She is able to think on her feet to quickly address problems and doesn’t ever shy away from getting her hands dirty if she needs to. I once joked with her on a set that I happily heard her name being called more than my own. Again and again, I would hear someone ask, ‘Where is Anne?’ Over and over again. On set, everyone looked to her and trusted her to get things done.”
When asked what motivated her to become a producer, Anne replied, “I’ve always been an artistic person and have always been attracted to things that generate emotions. Growing up, I was fascinated by the craft of making, building and designing objects, and went on to study cabinetmaking, tapestry restoring and jewelry. One thing led to another and I began my professional career first in set decoration and set building for movies and TV shows. That’s how I discovered the fascinating world of cinema and I’ve never really looked back.”
At the age of 24, while working for the well-known Publicis Groupe, Pruvost landed her first major job as a producer on a commercial campaign for a mobile phone provider. “It was a challenging first job,” Anne recalls, “With a budget of 1 million Euros, the commercial required me to bring in 500 people as extras in a railway station. There were a lot of moving parts and details that I needed to stay on top of. It was a rush. Publicis, the advertising agency, was so satisfied with the result that they asked me to do produce their next campaign.”
Following the success of her first two Publicis commercials, Anne Pruvost went on to lead major projects for L’Oréal, BnB Paribas, Sanofi, World Economic Forum, Guerlain and more. While Pruvost has had a lot of success producing commercials, she also has a strong passion for producing powerful, emotive films.
“Finding the best talents and doing all I can to elevate their performances are at the core of what drives me when I produce films. I love working within a framework, taking into consideration the budget and time constraints, to find the solutions that will make any given project run as smoothly as possible. I love the energy that a movie set carries, the intensity of standing behind the monitor and waiting for the perfect take, and the satisfaction of seeing the glow in a director’s eyes when it does.”
In recent years, Anne Pruvost has produced several documentary-style films, such as the film “The Legend of Palme D’Or” directed by Alexis Veller (“The Queen of Kalahari”), which was nominated for a Golden Camera Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Recalling this experience, Pruvost explains, “The movie was commanded by Chopard, who has been the maker of the Cannes Palmes d’Or for more than two decades. The idea was to gather interviews from the award winners of the Cannes Festival, in which the filmmakers were to talk about the Palme D’Or and what it means for them.”
Working from Los Angeles at the time, Pruvost was in charge of producing the Quentin Tarantino interview segment for the film, an opportunity she says she couldn’t pass up. She recalls, “I was asked to be the link between the production company of Chopard, based in Switzerland, and Tarantino’s staff. Tarantino was shooting “The Hateful Eight” at the time.”
Though Pruvost admits being a producer on this film in particular was a relative breeze for her and didn’t pose any grandiose challenges, she does say that Tarantino’s presence made the project incredibly unique and fulfilling in its own way.
Pruvost admits, “Being on stage with Quentin Tarantino and getting to interact with him, to get to understand his thinking and his point of view firsthand, was simply an otherworldly experience. His interview was eye opening. First and foremost, he’s an enlightened person who lives for his art, and really couldn’t care less about the rewards.”
While Pruvost found “The Legend of Palme D’Or” an enjoyable project to produce, one of the documentaries that really struck a chord with her as a producer was the 2017 film “Becoming Cary Grant.” Pruvost explains, “This is typically the kind of passion project I love to produce — the subject matter, the very intimist point of view on Cary Grant’s life and the documentary format were all reasons why I jumped at the opportunity to produce it.”
Nominated for the Golden Eye Award at the Cannes Film Festival and Best Documentary Feature Film Award from the Edinburgh International Film Festival, “Becoming Cary Grant” was directed by Mark Kidel (“Ravi Shankar: Between Two Worlds,” “Elvis Costello: Mystery Dance”). The film depicts the troubled childhood and rise of Cary Grant. Retelling the story through Grant’s own words, the documentary dives deep into Grant’s life and explores everything from his relationships with women and his struggle through several marriages, to his quest for happiness throughout his life and how he fought his demons using LSD treatments.
“Obviously the research and process of documenting a project like this is incredibly interesting and satisfying,” Pruvost explains. “Digging up and slowly discovering the life of this exceptional man, and meeting the people who interacted with him, who played a role in his life — it was a very unique and enlightening experience.”
As the film’s consulting and supervising producer in Los Angeles, Anne Pruvost was responsible for laying the groundwork for the film’s shoots in California so that when the European production team arrived the production would run smoothly. Aside from scouting and solidifying the filming locations, Pruvost went to great lengths to contact and meet with Grant’s family, friends and ex-wives in order to prep them for the shoot. On top of that, she was the one who dug up and organized all of the archived footage from the family that was used in the film.
Naturally, producing a biographical film requires the utmost care in ensuring that the subject’s story is told accurately. Pruvost admits that the challenge for her was to “be extremely close to people who knew Cary Grant, listen and foster their testimonies and make sure their voices were not perverted or changed in the final result. In other words, making sure that our editorial work was faithful, and honest to honor the life of the multi-faceted man that he was.” While sifting out the truth is no easy task, it was vital for Pruvost to make sure the story was told honestly, and her dedication to deciphering fact from fiction was integral to the authenticity of the final production.
From raising money to interacting with the crew and making sure the entire production runs seamlessly, Pruvost has proven herself to be an incredibly talented and effective producer. One of the things that perhaps sets her apart from most others in the field is the level attention she pays to the working atmosphere on set and the chemistry between crew members.
“I care a lot about my team and always make sure they feel included and a part of a whole that has a common goal of excellence. I also tend to place the creative needs of my talents first, whether they are those of the director, cinematographer or set decorator, because nothing would ever be created without them,” explains Pruvost. “Being an artist myself, I understand the vulnerability and drive that gets them going. It’s all about being respectful towards everyone else, and passionate about your job, as passion is at the core of any successful creative endeavor.”
