Colors

Changing Seasons

When the leaves start to turn red.....

& market baskets are filled with fall bouquets .....

When the tourists (as well as the film crews) have left & the square is empty....

& apples have replaced peaches in the market stalls .....

It is time to do the laundry....

& think about heading home.

Frustration

I am having difficulty posting my blog. The app that I normally use with great success just stopped publishing any of my photographs a little over a week ago. I now have a real back log of posts waiting to be published but I am unable to do so.

I have found another app which is much more primitive but will download the photos. However, it has some sort of unspecified size requirement & cuts most of the photos right down the middle.

I have searched through what I have from my summer photos that might work under these conditions. This is a sort of test just in order to be able to make a post & at least to explain what has been going on.

With this particular app I have no way of checking to see what will be published until it is done. So if this comes out a bit strange you will understand why.

As it is, time is growing short. My séjour in France is almost over. 

The summer is turning into fall & it is time for me to fly away home.

Hopefully where I can solve all of these worrisome blog issues. I look forward to reconnecting with all of you in a few weeks. 

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.