Reel art: Lucian Freud captured on film

Apparently, it was the prospect of working with animals that convinced the famously reclusive Freud to appear in the film. 'Animals for Lucian are a really big deal,' said film-maker Meara Photograph: Jochen Braun Photograph: Jochen Braun/guardian.co.uk Meara enlisted several of of Freud's subjects to perform in filmed 'silent portraits' – among them Celia Paul ... Photograph: Jochen Braun Photograph: Jochen Braun/guardian.co.uk ... and late Australian performance artist Leigh Bowery Photograph: Jochen Braun Photograph: Jochen Braun/guardian.co.uk Nicola Bateman, Bowery's wife and collaborator, also sat for the film. She had posed for Freud every day for a year after her husband's death in 1994 Photograph: Jochen Braun Photograph: Jochen Braun/guardian.co.uk Some of Freud's muses return to his studio for their 'silent portrait', others simply recreate a memory of time they spent with the artist Photograph: Jochen Braun Photograph: Jochen Braun/guardian.co.uk Meara says of this scene: 'For [Freud], it was an exciting opportunity to meet a zebra. He wasn't remotely interested in being filmed' Photograph: PR Photograph: guardian.co.uk A sitter is filmed in a reconstruction of the painter's room, alone but for the patient zebra Photograph: Jochen Braun Photograph: Jochen Braun/guardian.co.uk Meara on Freud: 'They say he's incredibly charismatic. You are the centre of his world while he paints you, but then he moves on to someone else.' Lucian Freud: L'Atelier is at the Pompidou Centre in Paris until 19 July 2010 Photograph: Jochen Braun Photograph: Jochen Braun/guardian.co.uk