Fabien Ecochard’s video captures the essence of Nice, a coastal town in southern France. We asked him about his visit and the editing of his lovely video, “Nicely.”

What brought you to Nice?

I think we have all our reasons. As for me, I think the city has found the perfect balance between tradition and modernity. You can wander around the Old Town, and only a few streets away the atmosphere of the port area is completely different — lively and fast-moving. The sea is just in front of you, the mountains embrace you from the back … what else could you ask for?

How would you describe Nice?

Nice is a meeting point. Between people (French, Italians, Russians, etc), between natural elements (the sea and the mountains), and between cultures (a strong local identity that converges with international influences). I wanted to be part of it, and use that as the theme of the video.

The video is perfectly paced to align with the song. Did you have the music in mind before you shot the video? Or was it a decision you made while editing?

Before starting the editing process, I spent few hours looking for the perfect soundtrack. It was then that I found the amazing track by Doug Kaufman, which perfectly matched the tone I wanted to create. It’s been said that music is at least 50 percent of the entertainment in film, and I could not agree more with that.

The video seems to start slow, then get faster … was this a conscious decision? If so, what do you think this conveys about Nice itself?

I always give special attention to the music in my projects. I like to work with a non-linear pace — slow tempo, accelerations, breathing, etc. — which enables me to convey various emotions and moods. With “Nicely,” I wanted to focus on the most important and simple moments of daily life in Nice, a kind of conversation between the people and the city. The film starts with contemplative moments and then leaves room for more lively and joyful scenes as it continues.

You wrote, “A tribute to all the people of Nice” in the description. What did you mean by this? What was so special about the people you met in Nice?

I was working on this project for two years and was about to finalize it when the July 2016 terrorist attack occurred. Initially, I did not plan to share my video as a tribute, but this event gave a whole new resonance to my film. I received many warm testimonies from the people of Nice, who were full of positive energy and loved the portrayal of their city. It has been a very intense human experience to see the way my video has impacted people.

See more of Fabien’s work on Vimeo.