Exhibition & Coincidence

Last week I read about a nearby exhibit of paintings by a young American artist named 
Jared Coffin.

What?!?

While that name will mean nothing to most of you, anyone who has lived on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, as I once did, will recognize it right away. Two bothers Tristram & Jared Coffin were some of the original settelers of the island. But even  thoes who are not history buffs, know the name form the islands lanmark inn 

The Jared Coffin House.

Well since encountering Americans from any state is rare in these parts, I set out to find this young man & his art work.

On meeting, all I had to say was "Nantucket" & we had lots to talk about. Jared is actually from New Hampshire but is definitely related to the historic family & his infamous name sake. Jared has been living & painting in none other than St. Antonin for the past two years.

What a coincidence!

What I was not prepared for though was how beautiful his paintings are. His show consisted of works that he has completed since living here in France & they are lovely. His masterful use of oil glazes adds a wondrous depth & luminosity, while his use of color is simply sublime.

He had a combination of both familiar French scenes & subtle abstract  offerings. Unfortunately these photographs in no way do justice to the beauty of his work. These are paintings that are best seen in person.

At first glance one might see an enchanting scene but on closer examination delicate detail draws you into the painting & a magical world beyond.

If you happen to be in the area & missed the show don't dispair, Jared & his lovely partner are opening a gallery in St. Antonin in the near future. So keep your eyes open, this artist really deserves to be noticed. And for all of those of you not in southwest Franec at the moment check out Jared's website here. 

It is always a pleasure to introduce a new & talented young artist & especially one that shares so many coincidental similarities. 

One More Report on The Hundred Foot Journey

If you were following my blog at all this summer you will remember that I was pretty much obsessed with a feature film that was being filmed in the French market town of

 St. Antonin.

The film, The Hundred Foot Journey, is produced by 

Steven Spielberg & Oprah Winfrey & stars

 Helen Mirren.

 Although the filming was winding down in St. Antonin by early October it had moved on to other pretty towns in the area. Before I left France I was able to visit a few of these spots & see just a little more of the production process.

The first location was a beautiful little village with a lovely old mill (above), which would be the site of a picnic scene. The actress Charlotte Le Bon waits with her bicycle for the scene to begin. Oddly enough most French people seemed rather disinterested in the fact that Helen Mirren was there but they were very excited to see this well known French Canadian TV star.

For the entire time of filming in St. Antonin, I was wondering where the actual restaurants, which are the main focus of the film, would be. But it was not until I took a trip to the tiny town of Carlus, just outside of Albi that I had my answer.

The premiss of the film is the conflict between two restaurants, an elegant French three star restaurant  & a loud & garish Indian new comer only a hundred feet away.  The old farmhouse will be the site of the Indian restaurant while the grand sedate French restaurant will be a complete false front. There is one tiny window at the top out of which Helen Mirren, who plays the haughty French chief, will no doubt be looking disdainfully at her unwelcome neighbors.

Because so many of the scenes will be set at night, a large crane is used to hoist heavy lighting. As you can see above this part of the film is being shot in a quiet, remote part of the countryside.

I did not get to see Oprah. It seems she arrived just after I left. I did get to see Helen Mirren several times. One Sunday morning she sat in the café at a table right next to mine. However, my attempts at taking a discreet photo unobserved were a complete failure. So I have borrowed one from Oprah's own Instagram page taken as you can see in front of the farmhouse pictured above.

The Hundred Foot Journey will open in August 2014. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. It was an exciting experience to be able to follow so closely the production of a film like this. I am hoping that I will be back in France when it opens & that I will be able to see it with all of those that experienced it in a similar way. Because what better place to see this film but in my favorite cinema in the whole world right in St. Antonin Nobel Val.

Mauvais Temps

My blog is running about a week behind the actual filming of the movie version of The Hundred Foot Journey in St. Antonin. Last week was to be the taping of the big market scene but the weather was just not cooperating.



After what had been a beautiful first day of shooting the week before, suddenly the temperature dropped & the heavens opened.


All of the props were in place & ready to go for the planned Monday morning shoot, but heavy rain called a stop to production. Everything had to be quickly covered and protected.


The rest of the week remained chilly, grey & overcast with on & off drizzling rain. However, a big production like this is on a tight schedule & cannot let the weather get in the way.


Sunny or not the show must go on. The dollies, cameras, & other film equipment were rolled out & the filming got underway.


With the proper lighting & the magic of cinema a grey day can become a picture of colorful warmth & sunshine.



While the camera crew stayed warm in heavy jackets the actors shivered in their light weight costumes.


Many of the figurants or extras bundled up in coats & blankets while waiting on the sidelines for their entrance.



Unfortunately the sun never did come out. They kept taping though & by the end of the week the market scene was a wrap. The camera assistant carried the last canisters of film to be shipped for processing.



The funny thing is that this weekend the sun came out & we were back to summer like temperatures. All next week is to continue to be the same. And what were the set crew busy doing on Saturday?


Why setting up hoses & sprinklers on the tops of all the buildings in the square. For what you might ask? Well to simulate rain of course. Ah the magic of cinema!

And Action

Luckily bystanders were fortunate to be able to watch the whole filming process from a short distance away. There are no photos allowed durning shooting of course but here are a few that I took between takes.


The extras or figurants as they are called in French are dressed, ready & waiting.


I loved this group of locals (below) waiting for their cue. The man in the green hat to the right is the assistant director.


Om Puri, a well known Indian actor plays the part of the father & head of the Hajj clan.


Here the three older Hajj siblings discuss their parts. I am afraid I do not know the actors names other than Manish Dayal, who plays the principle Hassan Hajj & who is on the left.


Here are the two young actors who will be the youngest Hajj siblings.



Watching a feature film being shot can sometimes seem like a lot of milling around.



The same scene is shot over & over again. Below Manish Dayal & Lasse Hallstrom wait for the next take.


The scene begins as the Hajj bother & sister exit the blue car to go to the café. So back into the car they go to do it one more time.


Below Lasse Hallstrom in a pensive moment.


All of this repetition can be very monotonous & tiring. I was really impressed how well all the locals who were chosen as extras stood up to the task. You can see the men in the cafe look quite convincing & ready to roll.


It is not only the extras that might find it tiring. Seasoned actors as well can find it tedious. Below Manish Dayal has a big yawn as he waits for yet one more take after a long day of shooting.

Filming

Day 1

The equipment is moved in.


It is amazing how much there is .....


........& how quickly & precisely it all is maneuvered in & placed.


Crowds gather to watch.


Cameras are hoisted.


The director, Lasse Hallstrom, sits in his chair watching the projection on his screen.


The cameraman that I met with his lovely wife & daughters earlier this summer is poised & ready too.


Camera! Lights!


Action!

Getting Ready

A little unassuming bistro has become the pretty Café Rouge.


With minutely detailed plans & the tools of the trade the last minute touches in set decoration are underway.


In no time at all a restaurant has become a book store.


And another storefront is transformed into a Droguerie shop, a sort of French hardware store.


Last minuet arranging is underway in a quaint new yarn shop.


Leaves are added to an old arbor to add charm & soften the look of the café, now called Café de la Place rather than Café de l'Halle.


New "old" chairs complete the picture at the once dusty little café.



The Chocolterie is stocked & ready to go.



It seems that St. Antonin is a film set waiting for its big moment to happen.