INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES
THE VIEW FROM…
FRANCE Our world tour continues with France, an industry known for its pioneering New Wave and its cinematic poeticism. We hear from Romain Lacourbas, ASC, AFC, who dissects the country’s current status as a leading exporter of films and speculates about why it has such a strong showing
WORDS KATIE KASPERSON
I n 2024, France produced and co- produced nearly 250 films, which is a ‘big number for Europe’, according to Romain Lacourbas, DOP and board member on the French Society of Cinematographers (AFC). “If you look at the numbers, it reads that the market is
in good shape and going well. But if you read in between the lines, there is still an issue regarding the middle – films with mid-range budgets,” he clarifies. Lacourbas guesses this is an issue not specific to any one regional industry; “those mid-budget movies aren’t big
blockbusters and aren’t indies; they are more like noir, thrillers or political movies. These aren’t the genres that are bringing people to the dark rooms. I’m guessing that studios don’t want to take as much risk in genres that they’re not sure are going to work, financially
54
DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
Powered by FlippingBook