6 November (Thursday) – Fog covered slopes of Montmartre
8.00 am : Today, the shooting location is the streets of Montmartre. The filming crew are already on standby. In early November in Paris, the sun rises at about 7.45 am. It is still a little dark, and on top of that our breath can be seen as we exhale in the chill of midwinter.
8.30 am : Eguchi-san and Hirosue-san finish their makeup and arrive at the location. We’re scheduled to start filming immediately. But the Sacre-Coeur Church built on the slopes of Montmartre is completely shrouded in fog and we decide to wait for a while. We eat the catered breakfast of croissants and baguettes that the local French crew have prepared for us as we drink coffee to keep warm … We end up waiting for an hour.
During that time, Hirosue-san sketches the Sacre-Coeur Church with the art materials that she has brought. She stars as Sachi, an artist in this drama. It seems that drawing pictures is also one of her personal interests
10.00 am : Because the fog has cleared a little, we finally start filming! It is the scene where Ryoji and Sachi are climbing up the stairs towards the Sacre-Coeur Church. At this time of the day, there are more tourists. The local crew calls out to them to move along. From Japanese to French and English, instructions fly about like a message game. This is how it is filming overseas.
10.45 am : The next scene is one where Sachi emerges from a photo studio to where Ryoji is waiting by the steps at the side of the shop, and he looks and laughs at the photos that were developed. (You’ll have to wait until the drama airs to know why he’s laughing!)
The location of the photo studio is Galerie Chappe, a gallery halfway up the slopes of Montmartre. The photo studio’s signage and display isn’t mounted, and an accident almost happens here. Filming progressed quickly because of the weather and because we’re earlier than the appointed filming time, the gallery owner isn’t around?! And so this time we again spend another hour waiting for the owner …
Because the owner doesn’t turn up, we have no choice but to carry out the filming from an angle where the closed entrance cannot be seen, when the door of the shop suddenly opens and the owner appears. Eh? He was in?! According to the owner, “I knew you were coming but I wanted to greet you after I’ve had a proper bath.” We receive a baptism of the French people’s lack of concern for time in fine style.
Then, just before the scene in front of the photo studio is finished – the scene where Ryoji looks and laughs at the photos – at the moment when the director is about to say or not say “cut!”, a “crash!” noise is made. The photo studio’s signage, which should have been carefully mounted, falls. Everyone in the crew laughs in spite of themselves. Eguchi-san, who is at a place where he cannot see what happened, wears an expression that says “good gracious”? When the director says, “Umm … ok! Cut!” Eguchi-san asks, “What? What’s wrong?” After the crew explains things, he raises a laugh, “I was wondering if there’s something unnatural about my acting when I laugh.” In that instant, the chill that we’re contending with during the filming, melts away.
Afternoon : We’re filming above of the slopes of Montmartre. This place commands a breathtaking view of the streets of Paris. Furthermore, many people also visit the Sacre-Coeur Church. It’s a place that is normally full of tourists. But it maybe because of the frigid cold today, that there are fewer people than usual, making it an ideal day to film. Everyone in the crew gets fired up because it is an important scene – a highlight of the drama. Ryoji and Sachi have an inkling that they will meet again in Japan, as they look out over the streets of Paris, bathed by Montmartre’s sunset.
This time, because the director says he wants to capture the entire scene from all angles, the positions of the camera and lighting are changed little by little and the same scene is filmed over and over again. As evening approaches, a drizzle also starts to fall. At the top of the slope where the chill must be more keenly felt, Eguchi-san delivers his long lines flawlessly, Hirosue-san as Sachi, though underclothed for this setting, is full of emotions. The backdrop of the beautiful Parisian streets, resonating with the spirits of the two performers in a really wonderful scene.
All translations copyright © jdramas.wordpress.com. Images from official website.
Filed under: Triangle, Upcoming 2009 Dramas, Winter 2009 | Leave a Comment
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