PNo one called the Hossegor firefighters on that inky night, the last day of May. One of those where we could see the Northern Lights in France, a spectacle usually reserved for Nordic countries. No one called them, and yet the firefighters were there, at the edge of the lake, a hose unrolled and ready for use: high flames reflected in the water licked the first floor of a villa, but fortunately, It was all just cinema.
This is a new filming in progress in the department, and new sets to be put together, this time for the series “Erica”, a free adaptation of the successful novels by the Swedish Camilla Läckberg, which will be soon to be broadcast on TF1. The evening’s recording location is a pretty rented villa, whose owners have been relocated for the week.
The technicians are busy. It’s a whole small village preparing for a long night of shooting. Among them, quite a few Landes professionals, experienced in filming at home for several months. “With ”Erica”, we are looking at at least three years, since there will be several seasons,” enthuses Maïana Bidegain, project manager for the Filming Reception Office (BAT 40). This year is a great year, we will have at least three feature films, or even five if two currently confidential projects come to fruition in September. »
Shot and reverse shot: for this scene, the lake is not in the frame, but the cameras are positioned on the sand.
Isabelle Louvier / SO
Bathtub of Blood
Philippe Roux, production director, was already present last year on the set of “Replacement”, with Joey Starr: “In Camilla Läckberg’s first book, “The Ice Princess”, it is Erica, our heroine, who loses her dad, and who returns to her native village in Sweden, a small seaside resort called Fjällbacka. In this adaptation, the native village is located in the Landes. We have help from the Region, the Department and Camilla fell in love with the area,” he confides.
He then deciphers this choice: “There had already been adaptations of her novels for the screen, around fifteen years ago, but here, she came looking for something else. In this first novel, she meets an old friend of hers, who arranges to meet her in this house, and when she arrives, she will find her dead, in a bathtub of blood. » And in fact, the prop masters brought upstairs a larger than life drum of hemoglobin…
On the program for this pleasant evening, a crime, therefore, but not only: “We will have to simulate the fire of this house, with scenes filmed inside, but also outside, at night. »
François, the first assistant director, observes the installation of the “flame ramp”, while inside, a play of light and smoke machines already give the illusion of a fire starting. On the beach, and while the last joggers are invited to leave the field, a large part of the team settles down at the foot of a reflector lightly lighting the facade of the house.
Isabelle Louvier / SO
The actors Julie de Bona and Grégory Fitoussi are getting their bearings in the Landes sand.
Once everything is in place and the two actors have memorized the place where they must collapse in the sand, fleeing the house engulfed in flames, silence finally falls on the set.
Under the charm of Landes life
The takes follow one another, the actors search for the right tone, try different proposals under the eyes of the team. They have until 5 a.m. to shoot, and fortunately in this season, the surroundings of the lake are relatively calm: “When you work at night, there is real artistic added value in shooting here, in the middle of nature,” explains Philippe Roux.
“France is the second largest sales territory for my novels”
The novelist Camilla Läckberg, who spent a few hours on the set, seemed very satisfied with the sets, to the point of wanting to buy a house in the area. “This is my first international adaptation, outside of Sweden, and France is the second biggest sales territory for my novels,” she emphasizes.
Isabelle Louvier / SO
Camilla Läckberg, present on the set, and whose thrillers have enjoyed great international success.
She seems to have fallen under the spell of Landes life. “I think one of the reasons the books have been so successful is that there have always been very dark crimes, mixed with a quiet, small, seaside town vibe. And even if it’s not exactly the same, we worked on the scripts to make a faithful adaptation. We worked a lot on the family relationships which are very present in the book, we wanted to keep that. There is also humor, lighter aspects. »
Martin Rea, the producer, has a lot to do with this work. “I didn’t know the Landes and the South-West, I went there, in Sweden, to Fjällbacka. It is also a seaside resort with a tourist season, much like here. We also wanted to give a more solar touch, it will be different but it will feel the same. It’s a French version of the Nordic thriller! »
Isabelle Louvier / SO
The fire in this villa was simulated using “flame ramps” installed in front of the veranda, modified by a team of decorators for the occasion.
Camilla Läckberg talked a lot with the actors, to get as close as possible to the characters: “I stayed three days, with the whole team, we had spent a lot of time beforehand, reading the script. When we adapt one of your novels, we also have to accept that everything is not exactly as we wrote it. What’s important is recognizing your characters, but what works in a book isn’t always going to work on screen. Julie de Bona, the main actress, read the books. She talked a lot with Camilla. » The broadcast date of this six-episode mini-series on TF1 has not yet been announced.
Isabelle Louvier / SO
A larger than life fire, using several machines and lighting.
