Since Star Academy— 18 years ago already — Stéphanie Lapointe rolled around, took several paths that led her quietly, but surely, towards this new form of writing that is screenwriting. As of March 11, Unis will air its brand new project, The knightsa series in which she delicately tackles the theme of performance.
Touring in Rougemont, at the Mont Rouge equestrian center, the series The knights takes us out of the usual school, where many youth series take place. The idea of working in nature, with animals, first came from the producers of Trio Orange, a unique way that Stéphanie Lapointe immediately liked. “I said to myself: ‘What a great way to create a world of youth!’ […] It deals with themes that go further than what happens between the four walls of a school. I find it the fun to come up with a project that takes us out of the school world. This is one of the original sides of the project. »
The story features a group of young people, including Charlie (Rosalie Pépin) who, following an accident, will be separated from his faithful Orion. Surrounded by her friends and Robin, a new trainer (Vincent Graton), she will have to learn to tame the unpredictable.
Always driven by the themes of renunciation, failure and parental relationships, the author of the series Fanny Cloutier (Les Malins) had an abundant playground here to address the notions of competition and performance. “How much pressure do you have to put on your shoulders? Do we succeed in life because we are a champion? This is a question that lives in me because we push young people a lot to always become better. […] But can we all be number ones? And is that what will make us happy in the end? These are themes that I find important and that we tried to address in the series,” explains Stéphanie Lapointe.
In order to offer a realistic universe, the author surrounded herself with a solid team, including Marie-Philippe Châtillon and Julie Roy in support of the texts. The young actors were trained, but doubles were needed during the obstacle jumps. “We did a lot of research and there were people working with me. Pascale Tremblay-Wagner, the lady who receives us [au Centre équestre Mont Rouge], with whom we are filming, is a consultant for the texts, and very often I send them to her even before they are approved by the broadcaster in order for them to be credible. »
Everyone on the set seems to be well surrounded and pampered. This is also the case of the horses, which undoubtedly remain the masters of the place, at least if we trust this anecdote told by the screenwriter. “It was really hot this summer and we only had one scene left to do, but we had to stop to give the horse a shower. They were really the kings of filming. »
Youth screenwriter
Singer, actress, director, author of children’s books, Stéphanie Lapointe explains that screenwriting remains a profession in itself, different from the other spheres in which she has dabbled. “When I started and it took writing 13 half-hour episodes, I didn’t know where to take it. […] It’s scary at first. There are so many things to tell. And you don’t want to get lost. If you start talking about a quest, you have to wrap it up before you go too far elsewhere. It’s a nice puzzle. »
Challenge that is different when writing a novel. “We can then allow ourselves to stay in the heads of the characters, to do mileage on things that are very internal. When you work in TV fiction, you have to be efficient. That doesn’t mean there isn’t depth or poetry — I often put that into my projects and I find it important — but a scene can’t end just any way you want. It takes a punch […] »
Moreover, if her professional path has forked since her debut, the author confides that she has found her way with screenwriting. “This job, I don’t want to let go […] I would be sad if we spoke again in 10 years and that I was completely somewhere else, because now I finally feel like I’m getting the right deal. »
Regardless of the vehicle borrowed, she emphasizes above all her love for adolescents, this public that fascinates her and for whom she particularly likes to write. “It’s a necessary passage to the adult world where you are raw, during which the emotions are real. We make mistakes, we put our foot in our mouths and it’s a period that touches me a lot. »
In season 2, she intends to explore themes that will go even further. “I’m lucky to work with bold producers who aren’t afraid to portray adolescence as a time that can be harsh and raw at times. I applauded that because our teenagers have so much access to all kinds of things on Netflix platforms, on other foreign platforms. If we don’t dare to go further in difficult subjects [avec nos séries], we will lose them. I am very happy to have had this freedom. »