This is where it all begins: How were the devastating episodes of prom night filmed? The director tells us everything

A few months after the Ark’s inter-school competition, which marked the departure of Clement Remien and Michel Saran as a distinguished guest, it all starts here, making a dish again this week, offering a catastrophic conspiracy that has begun. Yesterday on TF1 with the long-awaited prom of the Auguste Armani Institute and it soon turned into a nightmare for the characters of the series.

Before the party takes place, the disco ball, which overlooks the dance floor, falls to the ground. This is followed by an access to the metal structure hanging from the ceiling. Then the joy leaves panic and fear in the ballroom. Until the students and teachers of the institute find themselves stuck, with no prospect of a solution. And that the ceiling does not start, in turn, fall on their heads.

And who says exceptional episodes, obviously, says an unusual device for TF1’s daily soap opera that aims to create more than ever an event with an arch of all dangers.

Directed by Jerome Navarro, who is here to start everything and also work on Tomorrow, we own, the current sections in the ballroom required one week of filming alone. As a bonus, seven days more training for the director and his crew than is usually done in the series.

And if Jerome Navarro is not a beginner when it comes to disasters – the fire at Mas de Demain belongs to us in 2019, it’s been it! – He admits he had a lot of fun with various technical issues that were specific here starting with the ball. “In the classic episode, we know where we are going, but here the montage is in front of us and everyone is involved”. Especially since from the fall of the disco ball to the making of an identically reproduced model of the ballroom, the challenges were many.

While it all starts here the screenwriters could have chosen the instant catastrophe, they preferred to go step-by-step, which greatly contributes to the suspension and unpredictability of these two episodes. It all starts with a disco ball that Salome (Aurel Pons) and Axel (Thomas and Costa) can barely avoid. And this element of scenery, which was so central to the plot, required great preparation.

“When I found the kit, I said to myself, ‘Okay, it’s going to be a ball that will fall, but then you have to justify the fact that everything follows.’ It was a real challenge and it made me happy. We had a lot of fun.”Explains Jerome Navarro, who drew almost all the plans needed to sell the ball. “There have already been explosions and fires in the series, but we have never been in this direction before”.

“We did a few tests with a disco ball. Because by accident, it must somehow break down to give us the impression of a crash and gravity. So we used three different types of ball: the first very large one. Accordingly, it is lighter, and finally the third model, which is smaller..

To create the impression of cracking and shattering the ceiling before it collapsed, the decorators at Here Everything Begins created a ballroom model that allowed them to do the destruction without the use of digital effects.

“I could not go to the courtroom with cranes to shoot close-ups on the ceiling, I could not show the rays that were falling, otherwise I could not. I had filming with the actors for a week. Dial items on the ground that fall especially on the heroes “Jerome reveals the trade secrets of the most impressive sections of the “Bal de promo” story in the Navarro story.

As for the tabs, low angles or shots on the ceiling when you see the beams falling, I filmed it all the following week, depending on what we did earlier. The model was built on 1/2. Half of normal size. The scenery crews excelled me, not afraid. They made a beautiful decor for me, in duplicate, from the whole ceiling “.

“So as soon as we see the ball up close, the ball moves away, or the beam falls, that’s the model. We even dust the model. In addition, after that there were digital special effects that sometimes added small sparks or dust falling in the foreground. “It’s very rare. It’s basically a mock-up.”.

So much preparation and reflection on these various elements was clearly necessary to ensure a smooth running of the film when the time came, once on the set. And to avoid a small risk, actors or various technicians start here.

“If we did not have this training, we would have been blocked”Continues the director who filmed these two episodes with Christophe Barrow and Laurent Bourdieu. “First of all, you do not have to risk things that will fall. Just for the disco ball, we did four rehearsals in the afternoon. First alone with the ball, then with the actors the day before the shooting.”.

“Many times you have to rehearse and synchronize everything. And when everything is synchronized, we can start shooting. Especially since in a series like this where it all starts, we can not move 15 times. The dust that went through the room with the guns, you can not do twice. Because the whole installation is hard, but also because the actors are totally dusty (laughs) .It’s very difficult, but visually interesting, I definitely wanted it when everything goes down, they glow with laptops, I think the screen works“.

In addition to the impressive and eye-catching sections depicting this Thursday episode on May 5, Jerome Navarro and the screenwriters also wanted to entertain with genre codes and viewers to make this prom a truly memorable event. History of the TV series.

“I really wanted to have fun, to have fun with the audience. I wanted to show the ceiling very closely, to have fun with the details. First good, then have fun watching the drama that happens in old movies like Kerry.”.

Brian de Palma’s film is not the only cinematic inspiration that can be noted in episodes of the ball disaster, because as soon as the first images of the story spread on social media, fans noticed the final destination in the footage, where a bolt hanging from a ceiling allows Salome. The hint that everything starts here is fully suggested by the director.

“We have a lot of movies and TV series that we have played with. The final destination is clear, for example, on the Bolt stage. We prepare the audience for what is going to happen and we are happy with that. It is a lot of fun for everyone.”.

And if “Everything is longer” In such a shoot, which also requires a rehearsal of the choreography for the dance scenes, Jerome Navarro ensures that everyone rejoices, from the actors to all the members of the technical group.

“Everyone was with me. The script was very funny. It was pretty simple on paper and once on the set it became huge. But there was energy coming from everywhere. The extras are a lot of fun, as well as the actors. We just have to coordinate it all.”.

The most observant viewers may have noticed that the episode aired on TF1 this evening was shorter than usual as it only lasted 22 minutes. And while budget issues can obviously have anything to do with it, the idea was first and foremost for the director to lose nothing of the tensions that stem from this tragic release.

“When we do similar sequences, it’s very dynamic. We knew everything was going very fast.”Explains Jerome Navarro to our microphone. “I could hardly keep up with the sections. The producer knew it. We were careful and there was no problem with that. And because the episodes are complicated and expensive, it made no sense to continue the sequence of artificial paths. We wanted to keep it.

The result, hyperdynamic and attractive, argues that the director is right and should rejoice here it all begins. And if the dust and rubble leave the place during the reconstruction in the following episodes, the consequences of this tragic ball will certainly be felt for some time in Cavalier and the Institute.

After all, the hand found under the rubble by Louis (Fabian Wolfrom) may be a precondition for a major uprising in the lives of apprentice star chefs.