The first “French Hollywood” was built in Seine-et-Marne by an architectural firm from Dreux

“We ensure the transition between the world of cinema and audiovisual and that of building and public works,” explains in the preamble Philippe Giroux, the Drouais architect who heads the AMJ firm in Dreux (Eure-et-Loir) and is building the first French Hollywood in Maisoncelles-en-Brie (Seine-et-Marne) near Coulommiers, on a former NATO base.

“We are the interface between production designers, production and directors. Everything is designed, including the exterior and interior decorations, with them. We work on regulatory and security issues. We also respond to specifications which tend to decarbonize French cinematographic or audiovisual production and make it more sustainable than in the past,” he continues.

Philippe Giroux and his architectural firm, AMJ, are working on the construction of a site of some 50 hectares dedicated to the production of French or foreign fiction and advertising. And this on behalf of the TSF group, one of the major players in the sector since 1979. “We have been working with them for many years,” recalls Philippe Giroux. “We built their head office, Plaine Saint-Denis in Seine-Saint-Denis. »

Zidane filmed for the opening ceremony of the Olympics

“This time, TSF ordered us, as a first step, a facsimile of the streets of Paris spread over 1.5 hectares, outdoors,” explains the architect. A kilometer of facades allows all kinds of wanderings on foot, in cars, or by any other means of transport through the Haussmannian arteries of the French capital. Arcades, shops, café terraces and other staircases in famous districts such as Montmartre feature prominently in this gigantic decor.

“Filming conditions in Paris are complicated and sometimes too expensive,” continues Philippe Giroux. This is why TSF asked us to recreate this backlot (Editor’s note: a platform for decorations of Parisian streets). So a director can do an 8-minute tracking shot in a car without going back to the same place.” One of the very first users of this setting is none other than Thomas Jolly, the director of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Two scenes from the prologue clip of the opening ceremony were produced here, showing Zinédine Zidane running, torch in hand, through a vintage Paris.

A 100 million euro project

To date, all of the exterior sets reproducing Paris on a full scale have been built. The cost of this first tranche is 15 million euros. What remains are the studios and their interior film sets and other administrative premises or premises dedicated to makeup and costumes. “We are starting this construction phase in 2026,” confirms Philippe Giroux. “We are going to build twelve studios of different sizes with surfaces varying between 800 and 4,000 m2. They will be positioned next to each other and will communicate with each other in order to optimize their uses. However, the project does not provide for accommodation on the site. »

Overall cost of the project, interior and exterior: 100 million euros. This unique tool in France benefits from financial support as part of the France 2030 system. Its implementation appears to be sustainable and long-lasting.

“We are adopting a circular economy approach,” emphasizes Philippe Giroux. “Our common desire with TSF is to participate in the decarbonization of cinema and audiovisual. We build energy efficient buildings. All studios will be equipped with solar collectors which should allow us to produce half of the electricity needed for filming. We use biosourced materials. Finally, it is planned to recycle and recover the vast majority of waste from the site. Including all the decorative elements which for too long escaped this type of approach and were thrown away. »