“The atmosphere on the set is sad, morose”. Regular production manager on More beautiful life, Marc Barbault summarizes the state of mind of the teams, still left in the dark about the future of the series. “We know very well, through the writing, that they are writing the end arches”, he affirms, convinced of the end of the series, at least in its form. of an almost daily broadcast on the public channel. To hear it, an official announcement from France Télévisions would be a matter of days.
“The end of the series would first be an economic loss, and above all a loss of earnings in terms of employment, reacts Jean-Luc Chauvin, president of the metropolitan CCI Aix Marseille Provence. More beautiful life, it is an important economic lung for television and film production in Marseille. “We will have to support the growth and establishment of local businesses in this sector to compensate for this shortfall,” he adds. According to figures provided by the production company Newen, the series does indeed employ 600 intermittent workers in Marseille per year.
“It’s the equivalent of a company of 120 people”, alerted all the technicians of More beautiful life and the regional association of technicians of the Southeast (ARTS) in an open letter to elected officials. “90% of them are intermittent workers, some of whom have only ever worked for More beautiful life », Notes Marc Barbault. Because the series represents 580 days of filming per year, whether outdoors or in the 3,700 m² of studios in the Belle de Mai media center, which has the famous Place du Mistral as its main setting.
Occitania as a serious challenger
“It’s huge,” continues the production manager on behalf of the ARTS. In fact, this figure is to be related to the 1,715 days of filming per year on the territory and which, according to the CCI, place Aix-Marseille-Provence as the second land of filming in France. These shoots also generate “88 million euros in annual benefits”. “Increasing the number of filming days and the economic benefits they generate is a major challenge for the region”, argues Renaud Muselier, president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, for whom “in this ecosystem , series More beautiful life is essential. He recalls that one euro committed by the region in cinema and audiovisual generates 7.62 euros in total economic benefits (and 17 euros for series).
“There is a real industry and a lot of filming, for ten years things have changed and productions no longer happen as before with a large part of the team formed, believes for his part Marc Barbault. We are at a moment of transition, where this breeding ground is recognized, a halt in More beautiful life wouldn’t come at the best time. “It remains to be seen whether the number of filmings could compensate for the loss of the daily soap opera, while Occitania, with in particular such a big sunplays the serious challengers.
“There is always a way…”
With 2.5 million viewers each evening, and 500,000 more in replay viewing, More beautiful life also offers a showcase of choice for the Marseille destination. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine better promotion than this daily credits with emblematic views. “It was an incredible spotlight on the city, its neighborhoods, its diversity”, abounds Marc Thépot, president of the Tourist Office, who had to cancel studio visits in the face of persistent rumors of the series stopping. . For him, More beautiful life was a turning point in terms of Marseille’s attractiveness.
However, he does not give in to pessimism. : “Even if we do not share his ideas, Macron, when he is in Marseille, it is also a beautiful postcard made on the city. Not to mention the great opportunities that will come, the Rugby World Cup, the Olympics. Intermittents will have other opportunities, especially if the cinema sector consolidates. The best is ahead. The whole issue therefore lies in the structuring of this sector, and in the future of the Belle de Mai media center if the main companies that occupy it were to leave.
” More beautiful life, it’s a franchise that still represents 2.5 million aficionados, we hope that it will be taken over, it seems quite incredible to let something like that go, ”also wishes Marc Barbault. And even if the screenwriters are working on end arches, “there is always a way to unravel the final loop”, he assures, a fine connoisseur of the mysteries of More beautiful life.