Revive an era

Design the visual universe of This is how i love you was a real Olympic sprint for artistic director Dominique Desrochers and her team. In four weeks, they stepped up their efforts with Kijiji, former decorators and collectors in the province to recreate the atmosphere of Sainte-Foy in 1974, the year in which this incredible series by François Létourneau takes place.

“We drew a lot of inspiration from our childhood photos,” she explains. But it was important not to fall into caricature and that the settings do not take over the characters. Here we are in a 1970s suburb where ordinary people live. A decade perhaps not so long ago, but very difficult to relive. “Surprisingly, the 70s and 80s are much more difficult to reconstruct than the times at the turn of the century. It was the arrival of mass-produced furniture. Everything was more cheap. Nothing was kept. Designer furniture has stood the test of time, but that is not what everyone had in their living room. ”

Dominique also provided artistic direction for Eden Museum and the first four seasons of Upper country. “The furniture from this period has been preserved, restored. It’s solid. For the 70s, we are at the mercy of what we find. It’s a long process, we have little control and it’s more difficult to get an overview. We rent a warehouse, we collect everything and we make a big store to create sets. ”

Courtesy photo, HERE TV

Scene from This is how i love you

Dominique and his team had the same preparation time as for a contemporary series to revive the 70s. Imagine when you have to give life to a big-box store (where Serge works)! “We found lingerie which, by cheating a little, resembled that of the time. A gunsmith provided us with the weapons. The hardest part was on furniture and appliances. One month of work and all the scenes were shot in two days. The Olympic sprint is here. Not to mention that a plateau looks like a big move with all the work that it can entail.

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Retro bungalow

The vast majority of the series was shot in Boucherville. “We were taking suburban bungalows that had not been transformed. The doors and windows had to be original, the distribution of the rooms too. In Gaétan and Huguette’s house, we had to redo the floor, put in linoleum, have a carpenter make an entrance door, repaint the colors of the walls and even change the melamine kitchen counter.

At Serge and Micheline’s, we leveled the ground to put in a period swimming pool that we painted. The basement had the barn plank walls, the bar, the mirrors. Amber windows with relief were added to the cabinets. We are lucky to be able to count on extraordinary owners who agree to welcome us, to be relocated, and to have their homes modified. We take great care of it and after the shoot, we put everything back as it was. ”

Currently everything has been put away. The second season should be shot in the spring. The work can now be fine-tuned. “I have an extraordinary and seasoned team. We work in harmony. The whole team of this production is wonderful. But it is not for nothing that we no longer produce period series in Quebec. It is expensive and we have little time. We measure ourselves against big American series whose teams are three times bigger, and the budgets are not comparable. It is admirable what we are doing here. This immersion so right in the heart of the 70s allowed Dominique and his team to win the Gemini for the best sets. let’s remember that This is how i love you won 10 Gemini, including Best Drama Series.