Marseilles Film Industry
With nine hundred companies and twelve thousand employees, the multimedia competence center realizes a 1.2 billion euro turnover, thanks to a helpful environment for its development in the PACA region and more particularly in the Bouches du Rhône.
The story of Marseille’s film industry begins in 1916, with the creation of a mute film production society, by the local personality and owner of a projection room called Phocea-Film (the name comes from the other name of Marseille: “La cité Phocéenne”). A few years later, this society settles down at the Croix Rouge, an area situated in Marseille’s suburbs. This studio has worked with famous authors or actors, and has produced short films, documentaries or films like Le Capitaine Rascasse by Henri Desfontaines in 1926. But, the activities’ slowing down has caused the closure of the studio in 1933.
In 1937, Marcel Pagnol, a local and famous author of plays, decides to create his own studios called “Les studios de Marcel Pagnol”. A lot of films have been shot in these studios like Marius by Marcel Pagnol, Le destin fabuleux de Désirée Clary by Sacha Guitry. Over the years, there are less shootings and, in Febuary 1962, the studios collapse.
In 1970, Marseille becomes the natural set for many film producers as Jean Rochefort, Robert Guédiguian, and Luc Besson.
In 2004, the city of Marseille, with the partnership of the European Union, the French State, the PACA region, the Conseil Général des Bouches-du-Rhône and Euroméditerranée has implemented the project of rehabilitation of an old industrial area/place with the National Public Tobacco Company, to devote it entirely to the audiovisual, multimedia and digital industries in the working district of the Belle de mai, near the TGV station, the airport and the motorways. This 120 000 square meter site is composed of a 1,000 m2 15-meter-high stage, a 800 m² stage (11 m high) and 350 m² stage 6.5 m high); a 17,000 m² floor area of fully-equipped office space and technical facilities. And it is divided in three buildings: the Heritage Centre, Media Park and La Friche. About 14 000 artists work in this site.
The Heritage Center, equipped with new technology, is in charge, (with the Inter-Regional Centre for Heritage Preservation and Restoration (CICRP)) of the preservation of our heritage and the restoration of masterpieces. The mission of this center and of all the people who work for it is to help us understand where we come from to understand better where we are going. In the center, The INA (National Audiovisual Institute) conserves and exploits the regional public TV and radio programs with the aim of spreading the regional audiovisual history. It contains the archives of the City.
Media Park, managed by the two groups “TSF” and “Image” and the organization “Les Films du Soleil” is now the place for leaders in the image, sound and multimedia industries. It is composed of 23 000 square meter for the companies, factual spaces, film sets and of the “Incubateur multimedia”. For two years, this has been the place where the famous local series produced by France 3 and TelFrance Plus Belle la Vie has been shot. LCM, a local TV broadcaster, has chosen Media Park to house thier stages, journalists and technicians. The professional associations and the different structures present in The Media Park as the “Incubateur Multimedia”, have allowed many societies as TSF to find a place for their installation and growth.
This site has the important role of innovation accelerator. In two years, these activities have generated more than 600 new jobs.
La Friche is a 45,000 square meter site which has received since 1990, contemporary artists of all types, about 1,000 every year. Nealy 60 different companies (as theatre troupes) are located there. It is dedicated to the contemporary creation and live performance. Its aim is to put the artists back into the heart of the city. To reach this goal, the center has developed 180 international partners and organizes about 500 events concerning contemporary cultural and artistic activities: dance, cabaret, circus, theatre, modern musicals, visual and digital arts, artistic workshops and exhibitions…These events attract more than 100,000 spectators and visitors a year. The site also houses “La Cartonnerie”, an entertainment center, a rehearsal studio for the training of the artists, an office space and a restaurant/book store. These activities represent the employment of more than 400 professionals.
In the studios of La Belle de Mai, the French digital animation film Pollux ou le Manège enchanté has been created in 2005 and the fourth film of the saga Taxi has been filmed in these studios.
The film industry in Marseille concerns mostly the studio of La Belle de Mai but, the natural set of the City is also used by many film directors as Robert Guédiguian which films are tinged with his local and regional environment: the city of Marseille and more particularly the area of L’Estaque where his film Les neiges du Kilimanjaro has been shot, but also the characters who are very colorful with their strong accent and their typically Marseilles’ way of life.
As a conclusion, we can say that the Film industry in Marseille is prosperous as 15 per cent of French shootings and 39 per cent of foreign shootings take place in the PACA region and mostly in the City.
Sources:
°The official site of “Pôle Media Belle-de-Mai” (www.belledemai.com/index-fr.htm);
Film production in Marseilles since Auguste and Louis Lumière.
Marseilles loves movies and cinema. It is the most filmed city in France after Paris. The city of Marseilles has always attracted the curiosity of producers and inspired scriptwriters. It's maybe thanks to the sea, to the warmth light and sunshine, to the originality of its architecture and the simplicity of its inhabitants or even thanks to its rich and varied historical heritage. In any case, nowadays, Marseilles has a big place in French cinema!
Marseilles now holds a place of honour in French cinema, from the small to the big screen, and has the means consistent with its reputation.
Established in July 2009, the Belle de Mai multi-media centre, the '' Mission du cinema et de l'audiovisuel '' was created to improve the film industry. This centre is the first one of its kind in France; it facilitates and supports film teams. The Belle-de-Mai Media Center has earned a prominent place in the French and international media landscape in just a few years thanks to its concentration of businesses and activities linked with image and sound. "Les Studios de Marseille" were chosen by the television channel France 3 to shoot "Plus Belle La Vie", one of the longest running and most popular series ever made in France.
The beginning of the cinema in Marseilles
Cinema in Marseille began with two brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumière, who came from La Ciotat. They filmed their first scenes in Marseilles in 1885, on the ''Canebière'' street, near the Joliette Docks, and on the ''Belsunce'' place. These men were the creators of one of the first cinemas in France. It was located in ''Noailles street'', and was opened on February 29th, 1886.
Cinema expanded fast from the beginning of the 20th century, and Marseilles's people wanted to take possession of this art form which, at the time, was very wide-spread in the United States. Marcel Pagnol decided to adapt his plays and novels to the big screen and in 1933 he created his film production company : ''Les Studios Pagnol'', where many movies of important producers like Sacha Guitry and Jean Renoir would be filmed.
Marcel Pagnol wanted to create ''un Hollywood à la Française'' in Marseilles.
In 1916, a silent movie production company was created in Marseilles.
Marseilles and Guédiguian
Robert Guédiguian is one of the best known scriptwriter for his films on Marseilles all around the world.
He has never stopped asking for his origins and the society where he comes from, first of all "his" city, Marseilles. All his movies have the city streets, houses, buildings, districts, between sky, ground and sea as a backdrop.
Discovered with ''Marius et Jeannette'', Guédiguian and his troop like to show us life, sad or happy, of the inhabitants of l'Estaque.
His films attract many tourists to l'Estaque because they want to see where the movies take place, and, we an really recognise the little streets, the factories and the houses of the district.
Laure-Anne B.
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