French and Quebec trays | Same language, different reality

Budget, hierarchy, pace… We may speak the same language there, but French film sets are very different from Quebec ones. We asked the question with three actors from here who can be seen this winter on a series in France: Aliocha Schneider, Yves Jacques and Rose Marie Perrault.

Marc-Andre Lemieux
Journalism

Alucca Schneider: a tighter hierarchy

Alyuka Schneider star has appeared in France for the past two years. The rise attributed to the main roles he landed in Vampires (Netflix) and Germinal (France 2).

The 28-year-old actor, who is also pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter, wasn’t too confused when he first set foot in Emmanuel Macron’s kingdom.

“The only thing is that there is a clearer hierarchy [en France]. In Quebec, the actors and the technical team, we are all on the same level. Everyone can have their say: the sound engineer, the cameraman … Whereas in France, since there are more stars for whom we bring a little chocolate with hazelnut, it is different. »

To support his point, Aleucha Schneider tells us about a short – but very funny – video on YouTube in which Benoit Boelforde describes this hierarchy, which sometimes makes the work heavier. “In the Belgian cinema, they stay in the same rotten hotel, it’s pathetic budgets, but the advantage is that we have real freedom, because it’s literal,” the comedian says in the excerpt.

“The Belgian plateaus should be closer to the plateaus of Quebec,” adds Aleucha Schneider by phone with Journalism.

Live from Athens

Before continuing our conversation, Alyosha Schneider insisted: He hasn’t felt this famous hierarchy at all since he started shooting. Greek saladthe sequel – as a TV series – to the cult movie spanish hostel. In this Amazon Prime Video France production, under construction for three weeks in Greece, the actor embodies Tom, the son of a married couple at the heart of the films Cédric Klapisch, Xavier (Romain Duris) and Wendy (Kelly Reilly). Megan Northam plays her sister Mia.

The series revolves around two young brothers who inherit an apartment in Athens.

Due to the success of the three feature films (spanish hostel in 2002, russian dolls in 2005 and Chinese puzzle in 2013), Greek salad It has enormous resources. In total, 100 days of filming were planned, which was not experienced by Aleucha Schneider in Quebec.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen such a big team,” says the guy we followed firesAnd the young wolves And the Yamaska.

In terms of the production budget, Alyosha Schneider is still spoiled in France.

“In France, there are more projects, so there are definitely more ways to dream, to build a career through choice, the actor continues. In Quebec, there are fewer projects to work on. So we are forced to take whatever passes.”

‘Amazing’ experience

Aluka Schneider got her role in Greek salad At the end of the audition process that took place in 2021, two years after he filmed a Cartier ad with Cedric Klapish.

Even today, the actor struggles to believe his luck. “I was a movie fan. So it’s really unreal. In the early days of filming, I felt like I was dreaming. It’s unbelievable!”

The actor knows how high expectations are Greek salad. He also avoids thinking about it. “It’s so weird. It’s well written. It’s a role that I love. I feel like we’re doing a good job. People should love.”

TV shows here Germinal From Saturday at 9 pm, the six episodes will be broadcast on ICI Tou.tv Extra.

Yves Jacques: A question of budget

When Yves Jacques found a pied-à-terre in France in 1994, he thought he had discovered a new way to photograph. The actor soon realized that the group was still a group, whether it was Quebec, French or American. “What changes is the director. It is he who imposes his style, his brand and his way of working.”

However, Yves Jacques notes that there are significant differences between filming experiences in Quebec and France. Some of it comes from union laws that govern platform operation, such as the technician schedule, which the rest of the team depends on.

Another form: dinner. “A midday meal in France is a real meal, with appetizers, main course, dessert, cheese, appetizers, wine, coffee, décor… It is a thing! Yves Jacques cheers. In Quebec, it is not.”

“I’ve known French groups arrive around 10 am, and only then go to CCM [coiffure, costume, maquillage] And that we ate until we started to shift! ‘ continues the actor.

The high budgets of French production also allow the teams to have more time to improve their art, as confirms Yves Jacques, referring to his participation in the Monaco blessingthis 2014 French feature film starring Nicole Kidman.

“We felt like there was something more fluid. We could smell money, which we don’t necessarily smell when we’re playing with it. District 31, for example. »

This winter, thanks to Netflix, Quebecers can discover Yves Jacques mytha delightful and unique French series from the Arte network directed by Fabrice Joubert (ghosts), featuring Marina Hands (Cesar Award winner for Mrs. ChatterleyShe plays the role of a mother in need of love and attention who invents disease. The 65-year-old actor has his boss camped there, which he describes as a “frustrated poor man” named Mr. Brunette.

At the same time, Yves Jacques also appeared in Paris Paris sur Unis TV, une série avec Benoit Mauffette, Maxim Roy et Louison Danis, qui brosse le portrait d’un homme en pleine crise identitaire qui découvre un mystérieux tunnel qui relie la ville de Paris, en Ontario (au Paris !), , in France.

“It’s still a bold idea, the actor asserts. Dominique Desjardins is the one who signs and directs the scripts. His wife is the one who produces. It’s great, what they were able to do despite the little money they had.”

less solidarity

With less money, we feel a lot of solidarity within the film crew here, as Yves Jacques notes. In Europe, this is not always the case.

“In France, if a big star decides to do what she wants, she does what she wants. If she decides to use her power at the expense of a young debutante or a Quebec guest actor, there is nothing we can do to stop her. Horrible. I hate this. It never happened to me in Quebec , but it has already happened to me in France.”

Yves Jacques will continue to lead his career on both sides of the Atlantic this year. Perhaps he will be filming a feature film next fall in France, between two plays in Quebec.

“I love being with my gang, but I also love exoticism. When I was very young, I was curious to go and see what was at the end of the street. It didn’t change.”

The first two seasons of myth Available on Netflix. find serial Paris Paris at www.tv5unis.ca.

Rose Marie Perrault: The Time Factor

it is in Germinalthe television adaptation of the famous novel by Émile Zola, in which Rose Marie Perrault debuted in France last fall in France 2 – in the same set as Alicia Schneider.

We’re talking about a massive production with a budget of about $3 million per episode, compared to the $546,000 that fairy tales cost per hour on average on Quebec TV, according to data from the Canada Media Trust.

In an interview, the actress tells that she had an unforgettable filming experience in different cities of northern France.

“It made me realize that having money, above all, means having time. We had 11 days of filming per episode. We were shooting maybe two or three scenes a day. Much less than in Quebec. We took the time to do things, to discuss Personalities … ”

Rose Marie Perrol was very fond of the acting direction of David Horrig, whom she describes as a “listener” and “benevolent” director.

“The shooting wasn’t just great because of the budget, sets the actress. There was real connection, real teamwork, kind of like Germinal. »

the first love

at GerminalTo be shown by Radio Canada on Saturday, Rose Marie plays Catherine Miho, a worker who falls in the eye of hero Etienne Lantier (Louis Perez). In an interview, the actress paints the image of a woman of very pragmatic intelligence, a captive of the pre-movement era #metoo, who would rather survive than start a revolution.

She landed the role in August 2020, after a remote audition. She described the experience as “painful” but also “exhilarating”, considering the fact that it was never filmed in France with a French accent. She also maintained the tone throughout filming, even between shots, just for “total immersion.”

The first time Rose Marie Perrault watched episodes was last summer at the Series Mania Festival in Lille, where Germinal Won the audience award.

“It really is a project that makes me very proud,” she says. The combos, the special effects, the items added in post-production… Visually, it’s impressive. I have been caught. It is a huge mural. »

attached

Despite the terms of his winning photography GerminalRose Marie Perrault will not dare to leave Quebec.

“Yes, it was good to have the time. That’s what I deplore in Quebec: there is a lack of money in culture. But Quebec is my first love. Cinema Quebec, I grew up with. I have it very close to my heart. The difference is smaller, but it gives a sense of family, security and giving.” . »

TV shows here Germinal From Saturday at 9 pm, the six episodes will be broadcast on ICI Tou.tv Extra.