L’Ex-femme de ma vie

Paru le La Lettre AFC n°140 Autres formats

[English] [français]

First of all the pleasure. A real enjoyment in working, seeing the shots and scenes being built before me.
And yet a film is an apparently straightforward thing : actors directed to perform a story. It sound so simple... but when it actually takes place, something happens... something akin to pleasure that is felt by the whole team.

A smooth, well-practised scenario... that has long been appreciated at the theatre. The actors, Karine and Thierry - ever-generous - are always prepared to offer their own versions of emotions and moments of laughter, both surprising and precise (not forgetting Nadia and Didier). Josiane was responsible for the writing, acting and directing... and she never tired of working on another detail, a walk, an intonation, a movement, a sound, a position, there... closer to the expression... and by that time, the only thing left to do is film, it’s so easy !

The decision to film the main indoor set (Thierry’s apartment) in a studio was a decisive production decision with regard to the quality of the directing and the illustration of the film, creating considerable freedom with regard to the filming. Scenes looking outdoors (done under Translight) did not impose limits that were over-restrictive ; on the contrary, they added an interesting touch of realism. In this respect, it is quite clear that if the budget had allowed it, it would have been easier to have life-size development trials earlier on to be able to operate stricter corrections of undesired dominants. The choices made by Olivier Radot (designer) concerning fabrics and colours bear witness once again to the interaction between the quality of the décor and that of the photography.

As for lighting, the general rule was that it should be precise but soft, realistic but bright, directed but free, never fixed. An ambitious brief consisting of imposing as well as accepting changes. This principle was ornamented with flashbacks (over-exposed and over-filtered) and mental images connected with the romantic description of Thierry. The Fuji 500 was chosen for the softness it shows on faces.

The image team was made up of Patrick de Ranter, camera operator, Cyrill Renaud, focus puller, Laurent Robert, gaffer, Jean-Pierre Deschamps, grip and Patrick Delamotte, grader, in Eclair Laboratories.
The camera was from Panavision-Alga-Paris and lighting was by Transpalux.

(Translated from French by Moira Tulloch)

Équipe

Camera operator : Patrick de Ranter
Focus puller : Cyrill Renaud,
Gaffer : Laurent Robert
Key grip : Jean-Pierre Deschamps

Technique

Film stock : Fuji 500
Camera equipment : Panavision-Alga-Paris
Lighting equipment : Transpalux
Laboratories : Eclair
Grader : Patrick Delamotte