At Wallimage, the spring session is traditionally the one where we get films or series that will be shot during the summer. Not surprisingly, this is the busiest session of the year, the one where the choices are the most complicated. This year, twenty projects were submitted to the technical group responsible for analyzing them and presenting them to the Board of Directors. First consequence: given the abundance and quality of the projects submitted, the Board decided to push the potential investment slider to its maximum. It is therefore more than 1.5 million euros that has been allocated to the nine selected works that are fairly evenly split between animation (2 files), series (2), documentaries (2) and feature films (3). It should also be noted that three selected projects are of Belgian initiative.
A Wallimage session would now be strange without “his” genre film. Kandisha brought to us by Scope Pictures is nevertheless very particular since it mixes fantastically fantastic, horror … and codes of the suburban film. The miracle is that it works on all levels thanks to an amazing scenario signed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, already responsible for Inside, Livide or Leatherface. 7 days of shooting will be located in Wallonia with about twenty Walloons involved. Rental of camera, lighting and machinery equipment will be provided by TSF, catering by Iris Soldani, equipment rental by ALVM and rush management will be done at Studio l’Équipe Wallonie. Pix and Real will perform on SFX while music, editing and sound mix will also Walloon.
We find Scope Pictures again in partnership with Wrong men on a movie that makes us salivate. Annette is the new film of gifted Leos Carax (Bad Blood, The Lovers of Pont Neuf, Holy Motors).Adam Driver and Michelle Williams will join forces in a musical comedy written by the Sparks, mythical duo that has delighted the world’s electro pop scene for 45 years. What a movie proposal! Six days of filming will be in Liège with a massive Belgian team. 25 Walloons will join the adventure. Most of the post-production will take place in Wallonia and the VFX will be fully (!) supported by Mikros-Technicolor Liège for a sum exceeding 600.000 euros. Mikros will also take care of the mastering. In addition to equipment rental at Eye-Lite and TSF, note that the noise will be Walloon while mixing and editing sound will be at Bardaf in Liège.
Despite eight feature films, the Danish director Henrik Ruben Genz is not really popular in Belgium but looking at the trailers of his films is really exciting. Erna’s War, his new project plunges us into the first World War in a devastated Europe. A Danish mother (played by Tryne Dyrholm, already heroine of Nico 1988) clandestinely joined her disabled son into the German army and is also sent to the front. The project proposed by Entre chien et Loup offers us a very homogeneous range of expenses in a true perspective of collaboration rather than purely financial co-production with 17 days of filming in Wallonia, including a visit to Keywall’s studio and 36 Walloons on board. post to work. The mix and editing sound, calibration and lab will be at Dame Blanche and VFX at the Other Company (140K). The rental will be shared between Eyelite, KGS, Macadam Car and Karaboutcha; Iris Soldani taking care of feeding the troops.
The two series chosen during this session are as far apart as possible. Patrouille is the new cartridge of the RTBF / Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles series. Produced by Panache, it tells the story of a scout patrol that finds diamonds that have just been stolen from a retriever. Guaranteed suspense for six 50-minute episodes that will be broadcast on the RTBF in 2020:2021 (shooting process has just been delayed). Most attractive stuff for us : 38 days (out of 48) in Wallonia with 33 locals including 10 postmasters. Rental at Eye-Lite and Ad hoc sound services, the canteen at A hungry all useful, small VFX at The other company, and sound at the Studio team Wallonia.
Compared to this Belgian configuration (about 2 million for six episodes), Fertile Crescent is a super production with 12 million for 8 episodes. This series of international espionage tells the story of a Frenchman’s quest to find back his sister, who may have become a Kurdish fighter and offering a dive into the heart of E.I. which has just been joined by three Britons, this Fertile Crescent will be shot during 17 days in Belgium, including 5 in Wallonia. Versus is in charge of co-ordinating the shooting process (in Belgium, but also in Morocco), and post-production, which will take place entirely in Wallonia, at PIL, at Bardaf Liège and at Cob Studios for sound effects. 7 Wallons integrate the main technical team of the series as a whole; 7 others for all post-production work; shooting in Belgium will involve 15 additional Walloon technicians.
We all know that he cartoon industry is one of the most structuring sectors for the Walloon economy. Two series that should appeal to both children and… older children have been chosen for being cofinanced by Wallimage
Belvision offered us a new adaptation of Le Petit Nicolas de Goscinny and Sempé in 52 episodes of 12 minutes. Dreamwall will animate 35 episodes, take care of texturing, perform storyboards of five episodes, nine scenarios will be Walloon and closed captioning will be performed at Dame Blanche. The work will generate work for 23 full-time equivalents over one year.
Presented by Taka and Panic, Dumpster Dog will also count 52 episodes of 12 minutes requiring the know-how of Mikros-Technicolor Liège. 11 people will work there for 280 days to take care of colorization, texturing, compositing and rendering. Vincent Patar and Valérie Magis wrote the scripts of several episodes while Dame Blanche Genval will take care of all the mastering and the delivery of the PAD files. This issue is the opportunity to see Taka, now led by Hugo Deghilage to move to Mons where the young Pâturageois wants to develop a global audiovisual activity uniting all the forces of the region (and there is talents here, believe us!).
Wallimage has also chosen to support two documentaries. Hypercitoyen is a project of Pascal Rocteur from Mons that examines the colorful personality of Stephen Vincke, defender of local and cultural heritage to the absurd, an anarchist figure who challenges the order of society and prefers the glory of the imagination to the triviality of reality. This arguably controversial movie intends to mix narrative forms, genres and media. Produced by Domino, it will be entirely shot, and postproduced by a small (but valiant) Walloon team.
Finally, Prod à la Demande offers us to immerse ourselves in the daily life of the youth and family service of Molenbeek which must settle day after day, gently, but firmly and effectively a panel of rather impressive problems. This documentary will be divided into three parts of 52 minutes and will be presented on the RTBF under the label Miners Brigade Molenbeek. 14 technicians engaged on this production are Walloon, while the calibration will be done, like the sound mix, at Dame Blanche Genval.
