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Video length: 2 min.
The cinema is increasingly using fake infants, made of silicone, for filming. The France 3 teams went to the Cinébébé company, which designs them.
Lydia is 50 centimeters tall. This two-day-old infant is asleep. In reality, it is a full silicone dummy movie baby. “It’s Lydia, she’s already been in a lot of movies. It’s the one that makes a crazy effect as soon as we present it”, explains Julie Barco-manager of Cinebaby. 50 children populate this strange nursery. Only theater professionals, televisioncinema and advertising can rent them. From 0 to 18 months, they have all skin colors, but always with their eyes closed.
750 euros per rental day
Cinebaby also manufactures larger than life bellies to simulate pregnancies. They are six employees in all. It takes them two months to create a baby from scratch, from sculpture to painting, passing through the mould. Everything is done by hand, even the laying of the hair. “It is a job thati takes between 12 and 20 hours depending on the heads”, explains Céline Lallement, workshop technician Cinebaby. Renting a fake baby costs a total of 750 euros per day. In France, the law prohibits filming for children under three monthss.