Filming | When the home becomes a theater

Despite the sharp decline in American productions caused by the writers’ and actors’ strike in Hollywood, the filming season in Quebec is in full swing. For many homeowners, it’s the time of year when they let their homes become the stage for dramas and comedies destined for the big and small screen.

How did these residences, prestigious or not, capture the attention of directors? How much does a rental cost? Should we go camping with the family for the time of filming?

“It’s case by case, everything is negotiable,” replies Michèle St-Arnaud, considered the oldest film location director in Montreal. “It depends on the type of property, the production time, the relocation needs of the occupants. In short, everything is relative to the nature of the invasion. »

To speak of invasion is not an exaggeration. “It’s invasive,” confirms Dominique Chagnon, who last summer rented his ancestral home dating from 1760, located on a horse farm in Calixa-Lavallée, in Montérégie, for the filming of the American comedy french girlwhich notably stars Quebec actress Evelyne Brochu, and is scheduled for release in 2023.

“It’s a tidal wave of 96 people arriving at your house with tons of equipment. They store your things, they move everything. Some pay attention to the house, others less”, says the one who, with her husband Bertrand Tremblay, breeds competition horses.

To continue to operate the farm and watch over their animals, the couple lived for four months, from July to October, in their trailer. “It doesn’t matter, we are used to traveling to the United States for competitions,” remarks the 63-year-old woman.

scouting mission

An owner interested in adventure can offer his house to the various cinema and television offices in the province (see box). These organizations often create directories of places to offer to producers. However, it is easier to already know “someone from the community”, agrees Michèle St-Arnaud.

However, most of the time, it is scouting teams who have the mission to find the places required by a scenario.

For french girl, it was at the invitation of a researcher that the couple of horse breeders agreed to rent their estate. “We thought it would be funny and interesting,” said M.^me Chagnon, daughter of a former director of Radio Canada.

From the first day of the rental, the residence and its surroundings were photographed in all their facets before the decorators, props and technicians turned it into a film studio. The photos served as a reference when it came time to return the house to its original state, when the cameras left.

“During filming, the house was unrecognizable. It gave a shock. They had repainted a large part, they had pasted wallpaper. It was quite special, but that’s the game, “recalls M^me Chagnon.

The negotiation game

Gambling is mostly about big money. Everything is negotiable: the cost of the rental, the cost of meals, the wear and tear of the furniture, the loan of accessories… “There is no recipe”, repeats Michèle St-Arnaud.

It all depends on the production budget.

If prices can vary from $800 to $2,000 per day for a Quebec film, they can reach $5,000 per day for an American blockbuster, says Michèle St-Arnaud.

The contract may also include financial compensation for meal and accommodation costs.

Thus, Chantal Aubry chose to go and live with her spouse and their three children in other houses in her neighborhood of Shaughnessy., in Montreal, during the filming of the three seasons of the series New addressbroadcast on Radio-Canada.

“The production schedule overlapped with the end of the school year and the start of school. We couldn’t get away, ”explains this dentist and university teacher. Her pretty Victorian house, which she owned at the time, was for viewers the residence of the character played by Macha Grenon.

What prompted the Aubry family to accept these repeated moves? “We had just completed a major expansion and renovations. Therefore the timing was therefore good for financial reasons, ”says the 55-year-old woman.

Ironically, these renovations allayed the owner’s fears of seeing her ancestral home damaged.

“Holes were drilled in two bedrooms to let a camera through. But that didn’t bother me since it was a new gypsum partition. It repairs better than an original plaster wall,” she points out.

Damages and insurance

As elsewhere, the Aubry house has been completely redecorated to better represent the essence of the TV series. Wood paneling was added to the walls, as was wallpaper. At the end of each shoot, the production made sure to “get everything back to like new”.

“And we were compensated for the wear and tear on the hardwood floor and mattress,” adds Ms.^me Aubrey. Same story on the side of Dominique Chagnon: “Nobody quibbled. The floor was sanded and varnished throughout after the team’s departure. »

“Insurance covers absolutely all damage caused by filming activities,” confirms M^me St-Arnaud.

Are there still some bad surprises? “When I saw my wardrobe wide open on the screen, I warned people that they will have to find other clothes to put in it in the future,” says Ms.^me Aubry, for whom no amount of money was going to compensate for this display of his private life.

Dominique Chagnon, she discovered in the spring her window frames damaged by adhesive tape (duct tape) used to secure large air conditioning pipes. “I said: Ah yes. We hadn’t seen that,” she said.

Happy ending

Despite everything, the two women would repeat the experience without hesitation.

“It was really fun. They have been so kind and accommodating. They even found a role for my spouse. My children were there every day to chat with the children in the series, ”recalls Chantal Aubry.

Dominique Chagnon agrees. However, she issues a warning. “You have to understand that these are artists looking for an image, a sound, a punch. You have to be in this moodthere with them. And if they’d rather you weren’t there, you have to be prepared for that. You rented it, your place. You have no business there anymore. »