The launch of season 6 of “Un Si Grand Soleil”, marked by the return to school and drug trafficking in high school, is accompanied by a major change of scenery which, thanks to the magic of special effects, could almost go unnoticed . Explanations.
The episodes of Un Si Grand Soleil broadcast this week on France 2, which coincide with the start of season 6 of the soap opera, are accompanied by an important change behind the scenes… which could however well go unnoticed in the eyes of the most viewers.
Since this Thursday August 24, date of the entry into Second of Tom (Matéo Paitel) and Achille (Matthieu Rodriguez), who will find themselves at the heart of the intrigue on the traffic of Buddha blue in Montpellier, the high school in in which the teenagers of Un Si Grand Soleil evolve is no longer the same as that of previous seasons. In any case in terms of decor since, in the series, this change is not explained, and the students and teachers always evolve in the same establishment.
Why did the production of Un Si Grand Soleil have to give up the previous high school?
Previously shot in an outdoor setting, the scenes taking place in high school are now filmed in the studio, in the same way as the sequences located in the hospital, at the police station, or at Maryline’s roommate (who will soon be back in Montpellier much to the delight of Gary and the fans).
A decision which is explained quite simply by the fact that the production lost the possibility of using the previous decor, by decision of its owner, and had to find a solution to continue telling stories in high school, where many characters such as Kira (Coline Ramos-Pinto), Louis (Sylvain Boccara), Thaïs (Lila Guiraud), Eve (Emma Colberti) or Sabine (Gaëla Le Devehat).
“It is a change that stems mainly from logistical reasons”explained Toma de Matteis, the producer of Un Si Grand Soleil. “The owners of this place which served as the setting for our high school are particularly friendly with the production. For several years this place cost us less than it certainly should have cost us. But today, the owners seem to have other projects and have therefore chosen to recover this building. And given that Montpellier is a city in constant growth, finding somewhat derelict buildings that we can pre-empt becomes more and more difficult”.
“So we found ourselves faced with a real questioning, but it had already happened to us on other sets”continues the producer of the France 2 soap opera. “The first hospital was an outdoor hospital. And then finally, for pretty much the same reasons, the owner said to us, ‘I need to get this place back to do something else,’ and we brings this hospital decor into the studio”.
The new high school almost entirely created with special effects
Unlike the hospital or the police station, the “new high school” in the series uses a lot of green backgrounds, because the studios of Un Si Grand Soleil in Vendargues are not infinitely expandable and could not accommodate a complete set. of school establishment.
This technology, already used on the Cresson apartment or the law firm, is one of the prides of the soap opera, which has established itself as a pioneer in terms of special effects in France, thanks to the technology of Tontons truqueurs , the start-up in charge of the special effects of the series, which have developed a technique which allows, in real time, on the monitors, during filming, to extend a set or to make landscapes appear in the windows thanks to the magic of green funds.
“The size of the studios is not expandable, we had to make choices”explains Toma de Matteis, who recently teased us the possibility of Eliott’s big return to the series.
“So we have a new high school which, in many respects, resembles the previous one. Besides, it’s not explained in the story, for the characters it’s the same high school. But there is a green background everywhere. It’s pretty crazy. With the progress we’ve made on special effects, today we can afford much bigger sets, that’s great. We’ll see if viewers realize these changes at the image. And make the difference between what is true and what is added in green background”.
So, did you notice these changes on screen in the episode of Un Si Grand Soleil broadcast last night on the air? If this is not the case, keep an eye out for the next episodes, offered Monday to Friday at 8:40 p.m. on France 2.