BIG SCREEN SPELNDORS

A documentary series by Jean Froment, Fanny Tondre, Vincent Trisolini and Alice Doyard

DOCUMENTARY / 5x43' / ARTE G.E.I.E / 2017

Synopsis

Tracing the footsteps of big screen heroes from New Zealand (« The Lord of the Rings »), to China and its bamboo forests (« Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ») via the Scottish plains of Harry Potter, plunge into extraordinary stories and landscapes. Through each episode, this documentary series takes us to discover a country, a culture, a natural site that was once used as a movie set. A breathtaking escape between myth and reality.

SYNOPSIS / episode 1: On the trail of Harry Potter

J.K Rowling’s fantasy world was dreamt up in the misty, rainy Scottish Highlands. In this bewitching landscape, bathed in dramatic light, mysterious manors stand crumbling next to dark forests and craggy mountains, their peaks lost in fog. An area full of mystery, myths and legends—the source of all the magic in the world’s most famous young wizard’s imagined universe.

SYNOPSIS / episode 2: On the trail of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Then known as the “Celestial Empire”, 18th century China is the backdrop for an epic tale of honour, love and betrayal, where the hunt for a stolen sword takes a pair of Kung Fu masters — virtuoso martial artists — from the Anhui seas of bamboo, past the dizzying heights of the Huangshan mountains, to the edge of the Taklamakan desert. A mythical quest and a quintessential story of honour, justice, love, and courage, on the trail of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

SYNOPSIS / episode 3: On the trail of Amélie

Follow Amélie Poulain from the Abbesses district to the Sacré-Coeur, from the Saint-Martin Canal to Gare de l’Est, on a whimsical, nostalgic and — at times — magical tour of Paris. Amélie’s home city resembles Amélie herself: full of mystery and wonder. Discover a post-card version of Paris, with characters straight out of a Technicolor fairy-tale.

SYNOPSIS / épisode 4: On the trail of Bridget Jones

London is home to great love stories. A city of theatre and musicals, this is the mighty capital of the British Empire, where the Royal Family live out their fairy-tale lives; a cosmopolitan metropolis; the birthplace of pop music; the perfect setting for a romantic comedy. In the footsteps of Bridget Jones, poster child for that most British of proverbs, “Keep calm and carry on” (even in the most embarrassing situations), a handful of Londoners set out to find love, and show us their city.

SYNOPSIS / episode 5: On the trail of the Lord of the Rings

A long, long time ago, back in the mists of the Earth’s imagined past, the Dark Lord forged the One Ring. To destroy it, the Fellowship of the Ring undertook a long and perilous journey in a variety of breathtaking landscapes. From the green hills of Waikato to the underground caves on the flanks of Mount Owen, across the impassable Mount Sunday, through the wet, mysterious Fiorlands, to the ashy, dust-filled lands of the Tongariro volcanic zone, they finally landed on volcanic White Island. An epic and dizzying trek across New Zealand, home to Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth.

Credits

Directing : Jean Froment, Fanny Tondre, Vincent Trisolini, Alice Doyard
Photography : Fanny Tondre, Jean Froment, Laurent Chalet, Cyril Renaud, Julien-Albert Bureau
Editing : Coline Beuvelet, Jean Froment, Emmanuelle Giry, Vincent Trisolini
Sound Recording : Julien Ripert, Jérôme Perrault, Frédérique Heinrich, Damien Perrollaz, Théophane Bernard Bunel
Voice-over : Véronique Augereau, Emmanuel Bonami
Original Score : Charlie Nguyen Kim
Colour Grading : Guillermo Fernandez, Marc Jousset
Mix : Nicolas Valdez
Graphic Design : Guillaume Colas
Production : What’s Up Films
Partners :
In coproduction with ARTE G.E.I.E
Distributed by ZED