Chateau La Chapelle-Gauthier

[48°33'2.78"N,  2°54'4.49"E]

 

Location of the Chateau (interiors) and the Ru d'Ancoeur (bonfire filming)

La Chapelle-Gauthier is about 50km south-east of Paris and is where the main interior sequences were filmed. Filming was primarily in an upstairs reception room and the kitchen, which is downstairs. Because of the bright sunshine in Brittany when the exterior shots were filmed, the interior shots needed strong lighting to match. Because of restrictions in where lighting rigs could be placed inside the Chateau, the team had to construct lighting towers in the moat surrounding the chateau so that daylight-simulating lights could be projected into the reception room. 

The Chateau La Chapelle-Gauthier

The Salon de Reception—Marianne's room

The Kitchen

Female solidarity: A scene in the kitchen from the film

Filming in the kitchen

The Stairwell

Preparations were made to the chateau before filming

The Countess' Salon

[48°33'2.78"N, 2°54'4.49"E]

Daytime lighting

Because of the bright sunshine when filming exterior scenes when in Brittany the lighting at the chateau needed to match this. Because the chateau is an historic monument the team were constrained in where the lighting rigs could be located. Because Marianne's studio was located on the first floor and the chateau is surrounded by a (dry) moat, this meant that the crew had to build lighting towers outside at each end of the reception room windows so that full sunshine, or morning light could be simulated.

One lighting tower had to be built in the moat to light the reception room

A smaller lighting rig was built at the other end of the reception room

Inside the reception room screens were used to control lighting

Lighting Evening Scenes

Lighting of evening scenes was done to simulate lighting from candles and the open fire. Rigs with strips of LED had to be created to give the right effect.

Strips of LED lights were used to simulate candle light

The lighting rig for evening scenes can be seen above the bed