Shooting the entirety of US Netflix series Emily In Paris on location in France was less expensive than it would have been to make it partly in New York, according to two of the producers on the title.

Speaking in the latest ScreenDaily Talks session held as part of the eighth edition of locations trade show Paris Image, French producer Raphaël Benoliel said the production began by modelling different scenarios.

“I had a budget from the New York team that was split between exterior locations in Paris and the interiors in New York,” said Benoliel. “We did a conversion to shooting just in Paris and it ended up being less expensive, with the tax rebates and taking in the service all together.”

He added that it made sense “if you add up the creative aspects as well as the logistics”.

Last year France bolstered its tax incentive, offering an additional 10% on top of the pre-existing 30% rate for international productions which spend at least €2m on visual effects.

France has strong labour laws protecting the rights of workers; rumours of cast-iron 40-hour work weeks could dissuade international productions from filming in the country.

However US producer Stephen Joel Brown said not only was that no issue on Emily In Paris, but crew were constantly engaged with the production, even when not working.

“In Paris, when our drivers weren’t driving they would want to watch what was being filmed,” said Brown. “When you’re filming in New York, the drivers are great but they’re not as engaged with what’s happening on set.”

After premiering in October on Netflix, the show was renewed for a second season in November. Brown confirmed that Andrew Fleming will return to direct an unspecified number of episodes, having directed six of 10 in the first season as well as being an executive producer.

Brown also added that the show is open to hiring non-US directors – not just from France, but from around the world.

“We’re not looking for directors specifically from an area or country,” he said. “It’s a matter of availability in their field for the show.”

The discussion was hosted by Screen’s senior Europe and Middle East correspondent Melanie Goodfellow, and included an introduction from Dominique Boutonnat, president of France’s Centre National du Cinéma.

This episode of ScreenDaily Talks was organised as part of the 8th edition of locations trade show Paris Images, running January 25 to 29, 2021. This event was cosponsored by the CNC, Film France and Film Paris Region.

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