Interview : Paris Aéroport Studios unveils the behind-the-scenes cinema of the ADP Group

Reconciling the filming of a blockbuster or the next hit series with the normal running of a business. international airport It's not an impossible mission... as long as you bring together a cast of specialists. That's the role of Paris Airport Studios made up of the ADP Group. A meeting with Céline Bianchi, who is in charge of the project at the airport. Paris-Charles de GaulleCarole Boilot for Paris-Le Bourget and Cyrille Cuvillier for Paris-Orly.

What is your role at Paris Aéroport Studios?  

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - We are in charge of organising filming at the three Paris airports. We make sure that we can organise filming in the best possible conditions, in full operation, so that in the end everyone is satisfied: the production company and the ADP Group.

Cyrille Cuvillier - We're a bit like the general managers of airports.

Are you also responsible for selecting the films that will be granted shooting permits?

Cyrille Cuvillier - Yes, we read the script to check that there are no scenes that could damage the image of the airport or the relevant government departments. It's rare, but it happens.

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - We accept almost everything. What blocks us are films that denigrate our partners to a fairly high degree. There's also the stuff about the attacks. We are told " don't worry, the actor gets into the terminal and explodes his waistcoat with special effects" . We refuse, both for safety and image reasons. We've also turned down requests to shoot 'daring', X-rated films...

Is your role on the shoot more like that of an advisor, helping to get the best out of certain shots within the airport, or that of a guardian of the temple, making sure that the crews don't stray from the rules?

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - This is closer to the second option. We're there to assist the teams, to make sure they don't spread themselves too thin or take up any more space than planned. As a reminder, we usually shoot in real operating conditions, so there's no risk of disrupting traffic or passenger journeys.

Cyrille Cuvillier - We also play an advisory role, helping them to discover new places while they're scouting, so that they can rethink what they had planned.

Carole Boilot - There is also sometimes a lack of consistency between the script and reality, confusion between customs, security, police, check-in and boarding areas. The teams realise this once they're in the airport.

Cyrille Cuvillier - We do a great deal of preparation before each shoot, particularly with regard to all the authorisations I would say that one of the main qualities required, both at Paris-CDG and Orly, is to have a phenomenal network within the company.

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - You need to know a lot of people. This job couldn't be done by someone from the outside. That would be impossible. You also need to know the area. Paris CDG is a third of Paris: it's a huge area!

How do you deal with travellers during filming? Do they appear on screen?

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - We don't film the passengers. All the people who appear are extras. This is ADP Group policy.

Cyrille Cuvillier - The tight shots are of the extras. At Orly, we shoot in operation with the passengers and put the extras in the foreground. Airport life continues in the background. We've never had any problems. Passengers really like to see filming, which gives them something to look forward to at the airport. And if there are headliners, that's even better. It arouses curiosity and helps pass the time!

How are Paris airports "cinematic"? Why are they chosen by film-makers?

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - The three airports are very different. Paris-Le Bourget is, of course, all about business aviation. So for scenes with private jets, the choice is clear. Paris Orly, it's the terrace, the control tower, the façade... Paris CDG, it's the tubes of CDG 1. There's this architectural aspect, and of course the desire to see that you're in an airport, including sometimes in a city other than Paris. But in 95% of cases we are in Paris. The remaining 5% are in the provinces or even abroad. In these cases, we show locations that are not emblematic of our infrastructure, and we look for the least recognisable departure lounge.

Carole Boilot - For my last two Paris-CDG shoots, the action took place in London and Indonesia, for example.

Cyrille Cuvillier - I'm currently preparing a shoot for this summer where we'll be in Paris, Dijon and Stockholm, and everything will be shot at Paris Orly.

Which areas are the most popular, and which are the least suitable for filming?

Cyrille Cuvillier - There is no filming in baggage sorting. As for the privileged areas, they are the great airport classics: the check-in areas, the boarding lounge and gates, baggage delivery, the drop-off area...

Carole Boilot - In Paris Le BourgetWhat works well are the runways. Of course, getting a runway at Paris CDG or Paris Orly is a little more complicated. Whereas we have a runway that is used mainly during the air showThis means it can be used quite easily for filming outside this period. And at airports it's much easier in terms of access, formalities and deadlines. You have more room to manoeuvre, even if you're in a less 'airport-like' environment than Paris CDG or Paris Orly.

Cyrille Cuvillier - There are also films that have been shot on all three platforms, to have different sets. This happened with the film Black Box, for example.

What are the best days and times for filming?

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - It's rarely at weekends, because the rates are higher, just like at night, even if it's at night. easier at night. In general, it involves one or two days' work, from 8am to 8pm. Most of our work is for feature films, but we also handle a wide variety of types of shooting: commercials and advertising films, as well as an increasing number of series, fashion shoots and so on.

Cyrille Cuvillier - In general, the ideal is to shoot in the middle of the weekfrom Tuesday to Thursday. Some terminals are busier than others in certain time slots. At Orly 4, the afternoon is much quieter than the morning, unlike Orly 3 which is still in full operation, so we avoid it. Orly 4 is a great success with productions. It's very graphic, with period colours that appeal enormously.

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - At Paris CDG, we currently have an enclosed terminal that provides us with a play area, even if we have to get through the construction work. This means we can have all the sets without disrupting operations.

How was shooting during the health crisis?

Céline Bianchi Galeuzzi - We started touring again at the end of 2020 when we all started working again. Business was really light. In May-June 2021, when everything reopened, things exploded. The scriptwriters had been cooped up for so long... they wrote a lot!

Cyrille Cuvillier - Draconian measures had to be taken in order to get back on track. There was a necessary adjustment period, with new procedures that were very difficult to put in place and organise. Distancing oneself on a film set is not easy. At the beginning, the actors were refused permission to remove their masks, so we had to fight hard, but we managed to do it.

Airports are changing with the times digitising the passenger journey. Is this compatible with the directors' expectations in terms of visual rendering?

Cyrille Cuvillier - There is indeed a question of image: the developments linked to digitalization are not yet really integrated into cinema, except perhaps in an anticipation film. For the cinema, it's still important to show exchanges with the hostesses to drop off baggage, for example. There are often scenes in which passengers take out their paper boarding pass... But we can offer them both choices: a modern atmosphere with all the automation of the journey, or a physical ticket exchange with a hostess. There's a certain nostalgia about these scenes, which doesn't fit in with the digitalisation of the airport experience, but we can adapt to all scenarios.