behind the camera "Papotin meetings"in France 2

The guest of the day, Thomas Pesquet, appears in Buzz Lightyear mode for the first time in the program of the day. Confident astronaut thinks he is the only master on board. “In the first minutes of shooting, we feel that he explored his surroundings and scanned his surroundings. He has a very hands-on, very concentrated stance, and you can read his astonishment from his gaze.” says series co-producer Clément Chovin.

Because illusion is short-lived. Around Thomas Pesquet, 45 journalists from about ten institutions and papotineThey are ready to draw their questions clearly. This is really the secret to the success of this program, initiated by directors Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. “The talk there is free, done by people we don’t know, distributed by a non-TV presenter, and distributed to journalists, all of whom are carriers of autistic syndrome and therefore disability, but who do not talk about disability. Clement Chovin analysis.

papotinewas originally a paper diary created in 1990 by Driss El Kesri, an educator at the Antony day hospital. Since then, every Wednesday morning, unconventional journalists have gathered for an editorial conference hosted by the publication’s (and program’s) editor-in-chief and psychologist Julien Bancilhon. The first important step in the preparation of the program: collecting the reactions of the participants to the announcement of the guest’s name. “I’m going to turn off the person we spoke to this morning.laughs Florence Chataigner Mars, editor-in-chief. One of the Papotin editorial staff said, ‘I never want to meet him, I don’t know who he is, I don’t want to hear about him.’ For example, this is a flop! (To laugh)”. The production then presents reporters with a biography of the guest in which they try to highlight facts or personality traits that will help create a connection. Gilles Lellouche has a problem with loneliness? Doesn’t Camille Cottin like authority? Does Angele suffer from insomnia? “Traces that bring people very close to their problems all at once.. Because with members papotineThere’s no question of faking it. “There are topics that we love very much and that do not concern them at all! We can’t force them, we just suggest. We never write a question, they decide” says Florence Chatainer Mars. This is how Thomas Pesquet finds himself being questioned about possible (or not!) sexual relationships in space. “This is an important issue. Intimacy in general: having a spouse, a family, these are signs of stability, it is difficult for them to achieve” analyzes the show’s director, Hervé Poulain. Moreover, for journalists, we find it difficult to understand Thomas Pesquet’s life, the risks he took, and his choice to stay away from his family… There are so many questions about the subject that the valiant astronaut can upset his balance even for a few microseconds. “This little very discreet moment of emotion, which is not felt in the face of the concept of sacrifice, but which is quite impressive, is quite frightening for Pesquet.” He trusts Clément Chovin.

Deeply marked guests

On set, you have to know how to adapt to these free electrons interacting for 3 hours (30 minutes on air). “I have a taste for the unexpected, He trusts Hervé Poulain. I’m from the documentary. What I love above all else is when it comes off the frame. So we came up with a device that allows us to leave a lot of space and capture the unexpected with a mobile camera, there is no light, that is, no darker area than others. And above all, with this logic of full transparency: because participants are not as filtered as we are”. As a result, the cameraman is right there, right there. It doesn’t matter, the important thing is to catch every whispered word and every improvised moment. Guests, on the other hand, come out of this extraordinary experience exhausted. “They often have to disrupt their afternoon schedules because these hours of maintenance are disrupted and weakened.” Commented on Clement Chovin. All marked by Angèle’s tears at a previous meeting. And if each guest experiences the show differently, they all keep the meeting going one way or another: He had Camille Cottin’s editorial team hand out an industrial amount of chocolate. papotineJulien Doré invited three of the journalists to come to the Bercy stage to sing, Emmanuel Macron recorded a video for the team shot down on the presidential plane…

As for the public, it’s there. “This is definitely a surprise. The first surprise is how people got the show regardless of the ratings. Secondly, the extremely positive feedback we have received from all sides and especially from social networks.” He trusts Clément Chovin. And good news for many fans of the show: papotine will return for season 2 at the beginning of next school year.

Amandine Scherer

Papotin meetings with Thomas Pesquet, Saturday 24 June at 20:30 in France 2.