Paris, the world capital of filming?
Already in 2022, the city of Paris had seen the cameras of numerous productions parade through its streets with 102 feature films and 68 series, or more than 7,000 days of filming.
2023 continued its momentum and the City of Lights once again found itself in the spotlight of the film industry with more than 7,400 days of filming, for 98 feature films and 64 series.
A level which remains particularly high considering the context in which the world of cinema currently finds itself.
Indeed, the capital recorded in 2023 a notable drop in the number of American productions filmed on its soil, due in particular to “the rise in power of series” and a strike of screenwriters and actors in Hollywood which lasted almost five months.
The actors demanded, among other things, an increase in their emoluments (revised downwards by the streaming platforms and the studios) and more transparency on the platforms' attendance figures.
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“Two trends have emerged in 2023,” specifies the City of Paris in a press release.
Firstly, the importance and success of filming action films or series, but also “period” productions.
Last summer, for example, the capital simultaneously hosted film crews for a film and a series on the Count of Monte Cristo.
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Secondly, the municipality noted “a jump in unit production” with for example “The Negotiator” by Arnaud Mercadier, a Franco-Belgian mini-series about a father and his daughter taken hostage in a bank produced for the TF1 television channel, or even “Sulak” by Mélanie Laurent for Amazon, a film inspired by real events which follows a 20th century Arsène Lupine.
Among the 98 feature films, we find some notable productions including
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Barbes d’or” by Hassan Guerrar, “Bolero” by Anne Fontaine, “De Gaulle” by Antonin Baudry, “Ma Mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan” by Ken Scott, “Vivants” by Alix Delaporte and two American films, “The Amateur” by James Hawes and the remake of “The Killer” with Omar Sy and Nathalie Emmanue by director John Woo.
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Regarding the 64 series, “the number of days of filming remains stable thanks to an editorial policy of the platforms and the appetite of national actors for this genre”, notes the municipality in its report.
We thus find successful productions such as the filming of season 2 of “Lupin” by Hugo Gélin for Netflix, “ça, c’est Paris” by Marc Fitoussi, “Furies” with Marina Foïs in the lead, or again “Kaiser Karl” on the great broker Karl Lagerfeld.
As for foreign series, we can cite the very popular and anticipated season 3 of “Emily in Paris”, the zombie spin-off “Walking Dead - Raise The Dead” as well as the emblematic Spanish series from Netflix, “Berlin”, prequel to “Casa de Papel”.
“Anticipate the constraints” of the Olympics
In order to allow the continuity of the reception of filming in Paris on the eve of the Olympic Games, the Cinema Mission (which aims to promote creation, distribution and transmission) has developed cartographic tools making it possible to “anticipate the constraints inherent to the conduct of the opening ceremony and sporting events in Paris,” specifies the City of Paris.
A series of restrictions have already been established with areas completely or partially inaccessible during the event.
Regarding the issues of ecological transition and regulation of filming, the City of Paris ensures that it is working towards “the establishment of an ecological transition plan for filming”, the result of discussions with professional associations in the sector ( cinema, audiovisual and advertising), the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images, the Île-de-France region as well as the district town halls.
With the aim of encouraging and supporting creation, the City has also set up a support fund for short films and another for new media projects.