Blog Antoine Struyf sharing his experience with Optimo Prime Series on “T’as pas changé”

Thank you so much for this invitation. My career path is that of someone passionate about images who learned on the job – even though my studies at INRACI in Brussels gave me a solid foundation. I started very quickly as a second assistant camera on feature films, a job that teaches you humility and precision. Then I became a first assistant camera operator, before taking the plunge in 2010 as a camera operator on “L’Amour c’est mieux à deux”, directed by Dominique Farrugia and Arnaud Lemort. This film was a real turning point: my first experience as a camera operator on a feature film, and the confirmation that translating a story written on paper into images was fascinating me. My work as a camera operator allowed me to collaborate with inspiring directors and cinematographers:
Dominique Farrugia (Bis, Sous le même toit), with whom I worked several times and who taught me how to capture comedic energy without betraying it. Yvan Attal (Le Brio, Un Coup de dés), Paul Verhoeven (Benedetta), and Xavier Gens (Sous la Seine), very different worlds, but all of whom taught me how to adapt to the narrative demands of a film.

 And above all, cinematographers who have influenced my way of working: Virginie Saint Martin (with whom I started), Éric Guichard (who trusted me from my very first days behind the camera), Rémy Chevrin, Stéphane Le Parc, Jeanne Lapoirie, Guillaume Schiffman,
Laurent Dailland, and Nicolas Massart, the latter playing a key role in my transition to director of photography.feature film, and the confirmation that translating a story written on paper into images was fascinating me.

Throughout all those years, even though I loved my job as a camera operator and Steadicam operator, the desire to become a director of photography remained a goal. I sometimes worked as a second unit director of photography on projects where I was shooting, which allowed me to experience the demands of this responsibility.
 Then came “Irréductible”, Jérôme Commandeur’s previous film, where I worked as a camera operator alongside Nicolas Massart on lighting. When Jérôme started preparing “T’as pas changé”, he naturally thought of Nicolas for the cinematography… but Nicolas already had other projects.
Nicolas then encouraged me to apply for the director of photography position. After thinking it over (because it’s quite a leap!), I took the plunge. Jérôme was immediately on board, he knew my work, my approach, and it seemed like a logical next step after “Irréductible”.
 The producers of Eskwad, Richard Grandpierre and Frédéric Doniguian, with whom I had already collaborated, approved the idea.

   And that’s how I ended up directing the photography on my first feature film as director of photography. An exciting and incredibly enriching adventure – especially on a film like “T’as pas changé”, where the balance between comedy and emotion demanded a truly visual approach.

The film “T’as pas changé” visually relies on a contrast between two eras, where every technical choice primarily serves the narrative and the characters.
For the flashbacks to the 90s, the carefree nature and cruelty of adolescence guided our references: teen movies from the late 80s (The Goonies, Stand by Me) or more contemporary ones (Super 8).   
The Alexa 35 in widescreen with Atlas Orion lenses allowed us to achieve this film-like texture, enhanced in post-production: a natural grain, controlled flares, just enough to evoke memories without becoming a postcard. 
The colors are slightly saturated, with warm tones tending towards yellow-orange, and cyan nights, like a Polaroid photo weathered by time. The present, however, is filmed in Large Format with the Mini LF, a choice dictated by the need to work with focal lengths that aren’t too short in our sometimes cramped sets, while still taking advantage of the depth and dynamic range offered by this sensor. The Optimo Prime lenses, neutral and soft, avoid any embellishment: the image remains true to reality, without artifice. The Angénieux zooms, used sparingly, introduce almost imperceptible movements, a slight zoom to emphasize a comedic touch or, conversely, a vulnerability. Nothing mechanical: just enough life for the camera to breathe with the characters.
 Jérôme insisted that the image remain organic, driven by what the characters experience. The image moves from a somewhat raw reality to that of the initial present, towards a more
enveloping warmth, that of reconciliation, as if the light itself were reconciling with time. Nothing spectacular: just a natural evolution, like those who, without realizing it, have changed without really changing.

Choosing Optimo Prime lenses: a natural choice after testing; 
After finding the film’s visual tone, we needed to choose the tools capable of accurately translating it. 
It was following a suggestion from Franck Graumann of Transpacam that I decided to test this series of lenses. I wanted a series that would work well with zooms, which is the case with the Angénieux Optimo Ultra Compact and EZ Zoom lenses. These two ranges share the same rendering philosophy: a soft neutrality and similar behavior in terms of flare and contrast, which allowed us to alternate between prime and zoom lenses without any visual break. 
From the very first tests, the Optimo Prime lenses proved to be the obvious choice for the contemporary part of the film, for both practical and artistic reasons.

   First, their compact size was a major advantage. We were shooting in Large Format with the Mini LF, in sets that were sometimes very cramped. The Optimo Prime lenses, designed to cover the large sensor without being bulky, allowed us to avoid using excessively short focal lengths that would have distorted perspectives. Their compact size offered greater freedom of movement and simplified closeness to the actors during shot-reverse-shot sequences, without adding unnecessary weight to the camera setups.
 But it was above all their image quality that won us over. Unlike other ultra-sharp lenses we tested, which would have given an overly clinical look, the Optimo Prime lenses offer an
organic, almost invisible softness. They respect skin tones without smoothing or hardening them: a fidelity to reality that preserves imperfections without accentuating them.
Subtle flares add life without being distracting. They maintain natural contrast, ideal for a film where the lighting needs to remain authentic.
 The goal was to obtain an image that perfectly matched the tone of the film – a blend of comedy and melancholy. Their neutrality was perfect for the present-day narrative: no overly pronounced signature, but a transparency that allowed the story to unfold. In comparison, the Atlas Orion figures in the flashbacks had a more assertive personality (flares,
distortion) – this contrast between the two eras reinforced the duality of the narrative.

I would particularly like to thank the entire team who supported and assisted me during this wonderful adventure:
Guillaume Payen (gaffer), Gabin Siol (key grip), Mathilde Cathelin (camera operator B), Léonard Rollin (DIT), Thomas Legrand (1st assistant camera A), Carinne Arlot (1st assistant camera B), Louise Hartvick (2nd assistant camera), and Emma Nissen (video assistant).
Thanks also to Transpacam, ARRI, and the Angénieux team.

   And of course, a huge thank you to Jérôme Commandeur, Richard Grand-Pierre, and Frédéric Donigian for their trust.