Antoine Schirer
Identité
I’m a french motion designer turned journalist & filmmaker. I try to use nonfiction film, graphics, 3D modelling, visual forensics, coding, to document matters of public interest.
My first taste of filmmaking was through dance, namely the hip hop culture. I started in 2005, making videos of my breaking crew. Then, from my teenage years and all throughout my twenties, I became intimately involved in this culture, and started documenting it for niche online media outlets. Unexpectedly, this passion took me to over thirty five countries from South Korea, to Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria… I was able to tell stories with some of the world’s best dancers, and also showcase some hidden talents in Sudan, El Salvador or Laos.
Parallel to my passion for film and dance, I was studying digital media and visual design. I began working as a freelance designer and developer in 2009, which soon evolved into motion design and video production. I worked for design studios, communication agencies, both in France and abroad.
In 2016, in search for meaning in my work, I had the opportunity to join and help build the new video unit of Le Monde, where I worked two and a half years as a motion designer. Alongside graphics production, I led the revamping of the visual identity, edited news video explainers, and also debuted as a journalist in 2018. The next year, I coproduced with Asia Balluffier a visual investigation exposing police brutalities during the “Yellow vests” movement, using OSINT methods and digital modelling.
Since then, I have been focusing on this journalistic genre, involved both during research and production. I got to collaborate with Mediapart, The New York Times Opinion, Forensic Architecture, and I currently work for the BBC. On the side I sometimes give trainings on motion design and visual journalism, in places like CFJ Paris, ESJ Lille, INA, and RNW Media.