Frank - Festival de télévision de Monte-Carlo

IntervIew
16
New Lucrezia.
Following such
beauties as Maria
Grazia Buccella,
Martine Carol, Edwige
Feuillère, Ava Gardner,
Lisa Gastoni, Paulette
Goddard, Sirpa Lane,
Belinda Lee, Simonetta
Stefandlli, even
Joan Sutherland...
Germany’s Russianborn
Isolda Dychauk is
the screen’s 37th sister
of Rodrigo’ in «Borgia»
There could hardly be a better cholce in Europe for
President of the TV Series jury than Takis Candilis. As
ceo of Lagardère Entertainment in Paris, he is the #1
drama producer in France, if not all Europe.
He’s had a meteoric rise from film editor, cinematographer,
writer, producer, director, creator and television producer,
booker, buyer, instigator and distributor to heading the varied
production outlets under his umbrella at Lagardère - responsible
for more than 950 hours of programming per year.
He started out in cinema - with a prize-winning short “Le Retour
Du Prive” in 1977 - but was soon thwarted and plain bored by
how long it took to - “maybe!” - get a film off the page and into
cinemas. TV offered greater rapidity. He formed and worked for
various companies, including a memorable 90s spell in cultural
programming - opera and ballet for ZDF, Arté, BBC, NHK. He
returned to drama at Ellipse, then Hamster and TF1 - “Navarro,”
“L’instit,” “Quai N°1.” For a full decade he was head of fiction
and programmes at TFI before joining Lagardère Entertainment
in 2008 - becoming le patron within two years.
He talked to us in his ninth floor office, overlooking the River
Seine in Paris, before coming to Monte Carlo to head the TV
Series jury.
Let’s begin with the obvious: Ever headed a jury before?
No, this is the first time and I’m looking forward to it. I hope I’m
a good choice...
TV drama is your life. It used to be cinema. Why the switch?
That was a long time ago - 1982. It simply took too long - years!
- to make one movie. And I had no time. I always wanted to
make many things at the same time. So, I became a producer
and tried to make not one film but two or three films per year.
Then, I became a bigger producer and managed 20 or 25 per
year. Then, at a TV channel - it became more than 80. Now I’m
head of the 17 companies forming Lagardère Entertainment,
it’s around 135 hours - 14% of our our annual 950 hours of
programming.
If you can relax before a TV like the rest of us, what were
your favourite series recently?
“Rome” was a major shock - to all of us. Then, “The Tudors.”
And I loved “Mad Men,” “CSI,” “Oz.”
Shocked because you felt costume drama wouldn’t work
today?
But also this was, I think, the first time where, despite the historic
setting, everyone was doing what you’d expect them to be doing
today. They spoke like today. It was a contemporary show even
though dressed as in ancient Rome. Totally amazing! Plus this
was the first time we saw such a high level production quality in
a series. Cinema quality.
How close are the French to matching that quality?
That’s a very difficult question. Because I am now producing
“Borgia” and asked Tom Fontana to be the executive producer
and showrunner, it’s
very difficult for me to
discuss French talents.
One thing I know for
sure: such a market
didn’t use to exist in
France, but it does now,
and French writers who
learn fast, will deliver the
goods.
During your cultural
years, you were
one of the first Euro
producers to shoot in
High Definition. How do
you view the apparent
rising demand for 3-D
- the suject for our
Xchanges today and
tomorrow.
When I started with
HD, it was an extremely
complicated technique. We needed more lights, the cameras
were big bulky. But, yes, the results were worth it - fantastic!
Today, the cameras are smaller, much easier to handle, and you
can shoot at night with no light - incredible. Now it’s a huge
business to shoot in 3D. But shooting TV in 3D is not the same
shooting in 3D for the cinema - the screen is not the same scale.
We need to study all the differences.
You’re testing equipment, how best to utilise it?
Oh, yes. We’re use 3D already - in sports, for example. Again
that’s not the way it would be used in fiction. It’s very interesting
to understand how to do it. We have to re-invent the way to
make shots. I have in mind to make a show in 3D. I am sure than
within a few years, 3D will be the TV norm.
How much has TV drama production changed since your
Ellipse and Hamster days in the early 90s?
That was really a most fantastic time. The beginning in France of
making shows the public loved: between 1995 and 2005, French
shows were a huge success with viewers. When we started
that at Ellipse we went through a major learning process. Just
as we’re doing today with 3D. We had to understand how to
write series - there are some rules about writing good shows
for TV. How to produce and direct them... and how to launch
them. We began how to understand how to pace a show and
its characters... We were, learning, in fact, how best to speak to
people through TV drama. Then at TF1, it was the first time we
made longform shows, 90 minutes instead of the usual 52.
Inspired by BBC or USA?
Oh, the American way. For example, “Navarro” was inspired
by “Kojak.” Also at TF1, when we were not moving ahead fast
enough, I began buying formats. So we made a French version