How the Ovni(s) series talks about extraterrestrials… and Toulouse in the seventies
Season 2 of the series Ovni(s) is currently broadcast on Canal +. With Melvil Poupaurd and Alice Taglioni, she has Cnes, Geipan and the Toulouse region as a backdrop. Interview with its director, Antony Cordier.
Season 2 of the series Ovni(s) is currently broadcast on Canal +. With Melvil Poupaurd and Alice Taglioni, she has Cnes, Geipan and the Toulouse region as a backdrop. Interview with its director, Antony Cordier.
What is the UFO(s) series about?
It is inspired by Geipan, this office of the national space center (Cnes) in Toulouse which is responsible for investigating the phenomena of unidentified flying objects from scientific elements. The series takes place in the seventies, during the creation of the Geipan, around colorful and wacky characters. Some believe in the existence of extraterrestrials, others are more rational. Melvil Poupaud, for example, is a scientist who during the episodes will be confronted with unexplained phenomena and convert to irrationality.
How did the idea of staging the Geipan come about?
I believe it was a taxi driver who spoke to our writers about it! We met the real Geipan scientists who were afraid that they would be made fun of, but we quickly reassured them. The series tells real anecdotes, such as the big disco ball that was taken for a UFO in the 1970s, and which was in fact part of a Jean-Michel Jarre concert scene that fell from a truck. But the series also talks about the paranormal with schoolboy things like the discovery of a giant cotton candy in the reactor of a nuclear power plant. We tried to find extraterrestrial manifestations that are out of the ordinary.
Have you yourself witnessed unexplained phenomena?
Directly, no. But the Geipan showed us impressive photos or videos. Like these Asian lanterns whose luminous points can give the illusion of a spaceship.
How did you recreate the atmosphere of the seventies so well, the music in particular…
I am inspired by the cinema of those years, which is very expressive. I took certain codes from it, like zooming inside a shot or split-screen sequences, an effect consisting of dividing the screen into several parts. The music is inspired by spaghetti westerns with very melodic themes. And then we had a lot of fun creating a variety hit and a singer, Duluc, inspired by Thierry Pastor. The music of the series was composed by Thylacine with synths from the 70s but also by Alice Taglioni, who plays in the series and who is a pianist. She composed all the piano parts.
In the series, the characters live in Toulouse, Tournefeuille, Colomiers… How did you film the Toulouse region?
For decor reasons, we shot in Belgium. The Cnes scenes, for example, were shot in the former RTBF studios. In Belgium many buildings are made of bricks and they are quite reminiscent of the architecture and color of Toulouse. And then we added some references, like bandas or “La Dépêche du Midi”. We often recreate the front pages of regional daily newspapers. Not everyone gives their permission, but we were lucky with “La Dépêche”.
Will there be a season 3?
Eventually, at least we all really want it. The end of season 2 is quite open…
A small role for “La Dépêche du Midi”
As in season 1, “La Dépêche du Midi” plays a small role in season 2 of Ovni(s) with some wacky ones: “And if Didier was telling the truth? or “The end of the world is near, the aliens told him”. Logo, typography… These diversions, inspired by real front pages of “La Dépêche” of 1978, are the work of a graphic designer, Alexandre Zaldua. “I really like this work of graphic archeology. The search for historical documents and the meticulousness of the reproduction of the documents are for me very stimulating graphic phases in the creation of the sets and the accessories which accompany the actors” he explains.