[3] Trillat began his career in television as an intern at the Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française in 1965.

[4][5] He subsequently joined SCOPCOLOR (production cooperative) and UNICITE (film producer of PCF) as well as the General Confederation of Labour.

[4][5] He returned to public broadcasting in 1981, as journalist, manager, foreign correspondant or deputy director of the newscast on Antenne 2, later known as France 2, until 2006.

[4] He also directed Les Enfants de la dalle, a documentary about children who grew up in Corbeil-Essonnes, in 1998.

[4] In 2001, Trillat directed Les Prolos, a documentary about the French working class in the 21st century, and 300 jours de colère, another documentary about the factory workers of the Mossley Group in Hellemmes-Lille, northern France, who bargain collectively for severance packages.

[6] In 2003, he directed SOS hôpital, 24 heures dans la vie d'un hosto, a documentary about the poor state of French public hospitals.