Anatomy of a Scene is a podcast where the people behind French film and TV walk us through their creative process.

In this episode, we talked to Nicolas Bolduc about his work on The Count of Monte Cristo, and to Hichame Alaouié for The Bureau.

In this discussion, we look at the craft of cinematography through the eyes of two directors of photography who have spent three decades shaping images across France and beyond.

First, Nicolas Bolduc who takes us behind the scenes of Monte Cristo, sharing how a film largely shot on location still relied on carefully constructed studio moments, including the prison sequence, where light becomes both a constraint and a language. With him, we talk about what it means, in this job, to choose the light, to control it, and to let it tell the story.

We also speak with Hichame Alaouié who reflects on the particular challenges of shooting long-form TV: collaborating with multiple directors and fellow DPs, adapting to their rhythms, and carrying a visual identity across episodes. He also tells us how The Bureau recreated the DGSE offices entirely in studio, an exercise in precision, architecture, and light.

An episode about the unseen decisions behind what we see on screen: the spaces that are built, the light that is shaped, and the hands that guide it.

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Anatomy of a Scene is produced and hosted by Jeanne Boëzec

Music by Fanny Martin

Editing and mixing by Fanny Martin and Jeanne Delplancq

Artworks by Lisa Carpagnano

Special thanks to Nicolas Bolduc and Hichame Alaouié for their participation

This podcast is commissioned by Unifrance

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