A lady in a pink blouse walks past Michel Feller, producer of the series “Le Replacabilité”, and stands in front of two closed swing doors. “Why is this door closed? », she is surprised. “It’s working,” calmly remarks the former producer of the “Ten Percent” series. The successful TF1 series, with JoeyStarr, Sébastien Chassagne and Clémentine Célarié, is partly filmed in a disused wing of the Morvan hospital. “Nicolas Valeyre, JoeyStarr’s character, will receive a call. His father was unwell, he is in Brest, in the hospital,” explains the producer, who joined the team in the second season.
Love at first sight for the hospital
Usually, for the setting of a scene, a film crew can visit eight locations, says Michel Feller, but this time it was love at first sight. “When we saw this hospital hall, we immediately said yes, we didn’t visit anything else,” reports Stéphanie Murat, the director. It is 7:30 p.m. this Tuesday, and projectors placed outside pierce the rows of small tiles to provide a beautiful chiaroscuro. Despite the filming, a few patients pass by in wheelchairs or on crutches, visibly not more disturbed than that.
There are great things to do cinematographically in this city
“Let’s go, engine, a camera,” shouts the set manager, while a camera operator replies: “on camera”. And fire, the scene begins. Antoine Maclou, played by Sébastien Chassagne, fitting in his bright yellow tourist raincoat, runs towards a man with his back turned, leaning on a post in the main hall. “Nicholas, Nicholas! » The man turns – JoeyStarr – and the duo hug. ” Another one ? », “Yes come on”, Didier Morville protests, two or three bird names whistle in the air, nothing too bad, then the team gets back to work.
Brest, the beautiful scarred woman, bursts onto the screen?
Michel Feller welcomes the choice of Brest for the filming of season 3. “When the light comes out here, it's fantastic,” he raves, as if the day had just invited itself into the hall from the hospital. “There are great things to do cinematographically in this city,” judges the director and ex-actress. The perspectives, the cable car, these streets which go up, the Recouvrance bridge…” It is mainly the exterior scenes which are filmed in Brest. Otherwise, the rest of the sequences will be filmed in Paris.
One of the first days of filming, the director noticed the beauty of the jagged cliffs and the deep blue sky and couldn't believe it. She says that François Berléand, visibly more knowledgeable, shows her other photos of the region that he likes to explore. And when the set is deserted, the team has its little habits. “98% of them have already gone to Vauban to drink,” smiles Stéphanie Murat, who is in the other two percent. But the filming is not over; she has until September 20 to discover the cabaret, to say goodbye to the city.
