Looking to build on the exposure offered by recent hits like Netflix’s “Emily in Paris”And “Lupin,” France’s Centre National du Cinema has set out an ambitious reinvestment plan for the country’s production ecosystem. In July, the Gallic National Film Body announced a $11.5 Million scheme. “shock and modernize [France’s] production apparatus,”As part of an overall initiative to attract international shoots, the public subsidies will be divided between 12 digital facilities and eight studios.
Among the selected projects are a handful of post-production studios, the country’s first LED-operated digital soundstage – spearheaded by an alum of Disney’s “The Mandalorian” – and the TSF Backlot – an expansive, open-air studio run by the country’s leading production services facilitator.
“There’s been an explosion of series production, and that’s going to continue for the next few years,” says TSF marketing director Laurent Kleindienst. “So we want to be ready. We’re taking calls from all the platforms at the moment.
“They’re requesting huge surfaces in terms of production facilities everywhere in Europe,“ Kleindienst continues. “And we think that France has the opportunity to raise the bar, both in terms of numbers [of productions] and in terms of quality.”
TSF Venture is still under construction. With a budget between 50 and 80 million euros, this TSF venture marks a significant milestone for the backlot, which was originally launched in 2017 on two miles unused tarmac at a former air base just outside Paris.
At its original site, the backlot helped recreate the streets of Napoleonic-era France for Jean-Francois Richet’s thriller “The Emperor of Paris,” and one particularly auspicious 19th century construction site for Martin Bourboulon’s “Eiffel,”While hosting an Airbus A300 full-size aircraft and a redesigned cockpit to meet production requirements, The most recent – and final – project to shoot at the original site was Guillaume Canet’s upcoming “Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom.”
In recent months, the cockpit has moved to the Coulommiers – Voisins Aerodrome – a reformatted airport, 34 miles from the center of Paris, that the backlot will now call home. The 80-hectare facility, which is expected to be completed by mid-2023, will almost double the size of the former backlot and house 12 soundstages with over 4 acres of studio space.
“We needed more space to have more privacy and greater freedom of perspective,” says Kleindienst. “The idea is really to modernize – to make France [a more attractive partner than before].” While the 12 green friendly and eco-certified studios won’t be fully operational for another 16 months, and the outdoor space will host its first project in Spring 2022, the new TSF backlot has already kicked into gear, lending its A300 frame to local productions.
Meanwhile, the TSF brass hopes to further enhance the backlot’s promise. Born of both pragmatic and ecological considerations – and, perhaps, of a certain degree of swagger – the backlot will also include a 765-yard Parisian streetscape. Reminiscent of those storied urban recreations found on Hollywood backlots, the ersatz Paris will feature 80 facades – mostly mix of early and late 19th century architectural styles, with a modern fronts thrown in for good measure – that will feature a ground floor and three subsequent flights, ultimately measuring just under 40 feet in height.
“We’re building the infrastructure to be ready [for April 2022],” says Kleindienst. “But the nature of the sets themselves will change from project to project. It’s not as big as certain Hollywood sets, of course, but at 700 linear meters (765 yards), it isn’t bad.”