A real Eiffel
Cat’s Eyes producers Benjamin Dupont-Jubien and Mehdi Sabbar discuss achieving their dream of bringing the cult Japanese mangas to the screen, relocating the action to Paris and how they utilised the city’s iconic landmarks in this crime heist series. While every television production faces a deadline to complete filming, the team behind French heist drama Cat’s Eyes found themselves in a unique race against time – with the Olympics. Shooting in Paris is complicated enough, requiring numerous permissions before cameras can start rolling on its streets and boulevards. Yet as the city was hosting the quadrennial sporting feast earlier this summer, the team from production company Big Band Story faced a definitive cut-off point if Cat’s Eyes was to complete filming at multiple iconic landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, before Olympic preparations began. “They had to shut down Paris in order to prepare for the Olympics, so we had to finish in March,” executive producer Benjamin Dupont-Jubien tells DQ. “They were not keen on letting people shoot. They had other priorities in mind. Having people at big monuments for them was not a good idea, so we had lots of obstacles to overcome.” “We were in a rush,” admits fellow EP Mehdi Sabbar. “We knew that if we couldn’t shoot in October then the series may be postponed by two years.” Thankfully, filming was completed on time and the six-part series debuted on France’s TF1 in November. Distributor Newen Connect has also sold the show to international networks Rai in … Continue reading A real Eiffel
