The magic of cinema is also visiting one or more monuments, without even leaving your seat. Swashbuckling films and historical fictions regularly set up shop in heritage sites. But not only that. Police series too, and even Daryl Dixon (2023), the recent spin-off of the famous zombie series The Walking Deadwhich was partly filmed at Royaumont Abbey (Val-d’Oise) and Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche).
Feature films screened in movie theaters or on the small screen increasingly call on monuments, both to anchor themselves in the great history and to enjoy prestigious settings. They are also encouraged by those responsible for heritage sites who have in their sights the financial profits and image benefits that such partnerships provide them. This trend is not new; it is even as old as the invention of the Lumière brothers since “Versailles has always hosted filming since the beginning of cinema. We can say that it is a tradition”the castle claims.
However, the phenomenon has taken on an unprecedented scale in the last five years thanks to the popular craze for old buildings, for period films, and especially the explosion in the number of streaming platforms. To be convinced, one only has to look at the success of recent French blockbusters: The Three Musketeers (2023), and The Count of Monte Cristo (2024) filmed in a number of more or less famous and identifiable castles and monuments. A particularity of this practice is that the filming uses heritage sites in three ways: “A monument is used either as a real setting in its contemporaneity, for example Emily in Paris (2020-2024) at the Royal Palace, or Lupin (2021-2023) at the Arc de Triomphe, comments Marina Santelli, head of the state department of the National Monuments Centre (CMN). Either the monument is used as an authentic historical setting, as in The Three Musketeers at the Hôtel de Sully. It can also serve as a replacement for Champs-sur-Marne and Maisons-Laffitte, which frequently replace Versailles, particularly in Jeanne du Barry (2023). »
When you think you are seeing Versailles, it is often a double, the two previously mentioned, but also the Gaston d’Orléans wing in Blois, the gardens of Chantilly, or even Vaux-le-Vicomte. These substitutes are essential because “This is necessary in connection with the constraints of the life of a museum, in which priority is given to the public”explain the Versailles teams. “So, the castle only hosts filming during closing hours, on Mondays, or even at night, which does not allow a production to make its entire film in this setting. In addition, certain scenarios are unrealizable at Versailles, because of the preservation of the site and the works.” In the same spirit, the Picture Gallery of the Château de Chantilly is also often used to represent the Louvre Museum and the city of Senlis, old Paris, with its half-timbered houses, medieval cobbled streets and beautiful monuments. This city is a real gem, strangely little devalued by tourism, which creates a perfect illusion. The recent blockbusters inspired by Alexandre Dumas were partly filmed here, as well as the biopic Mr. Aznavour which comes out in theaters this fall.
Lots of competition and financial fallout
Senlis, which has the advantage of being close to Paris – an asset for production teams often coming from the capital –, records no less than 150 days of filming per year. This activity is supervised by the municipality which communicates its rates transparently on its website. For example, a film crew will have to pay 830 euros to film a day in the historic center and 2,510 euros to occupy a monument. These affordable rates as well as the recognized qualities of Senlis’ reception play a huge part in its attractiveness. Due to the large number of available sites, always more numerous to meet the need to generate its own resources, competition is fierce. There is no single price list or organization that centralizes all requests. Productions must negotiate directly with the managers of the sites and it is sometimes difficult to find your way among the countless contacts. However, almost all of the sites that can be privatized can be viewed on different platforms: Film France, which depends on the National Center for Cinematography, but also Prêt à tourne and Scouting location.
Professionals of the 7th art can also be guided by the network of regional film commissions, which promote their territory, and put productions in contact with the teams of the monuments. Some regions are particularly active in making themselves known to directors and scouts, like the Ciclic agency which promotes the Centre-Val-de-Loire region. The biggest success of this agency is the reception of The Serpent Queen (2022), a blockbuster series featuring a very rock’n’roll Catherine de Medici. A good deal since the region estimates the direct economic impact of the first season at 13 million euros for the territory.
To increase their visibility, some operators organize themselves internally, like Versailles, which has a filming office that instructs and monitors projects. The same is true at CMN, where the land department, which manages everything related to the occupation of space for events, employs four people. “We have an organized promotion strategyrecognizes its boss Marina Santelli. We worked with Film France and the Île-de-France Film Commission to organize our offer and know how to present it, because that was not our initial job: we did not know the customs and habits of location scouts. This is now the case. Today, we are clearly identified, we participate in trade fairs and are present on all the platforms that list the sets. We got ourselves into working order and we welcome a lot of feature films and documentaries. Advertisements too, because we are in great demand for advertising spots at the Villa Cavrois (Nord) and the Villa Savoye (Yvelines), for example.”. This strategy of promotion and centralization with a single point of contact, which receives requests and refers them to the monuments in order to study the technical feasibility and availability of the locations, is proving to be very profitable. In 2023, the CMN recorded 467 filmings for a turnover of 1,772,000 euros. This result is up 45% compared to 2022 and the 2024 trend is just as encouraging since the turnover already showed 1,100,000 euros at the end of May. The same results at the Château de Chantilly where privatizations generated 2.5 million euros last year, 10% of which came from filming. “2023 was a record year with 250 events, but overall since 2019 it has been increasing year on year”confides Émeric d’Arcimoles, marketing and development director of the château.
Monetize and enhance heritage
“Chantilly was a pioneer in heritage rental because our status implies that we diversify our resources. This allows us to free up cash to invest and safeguard our heritage. But it goes beyond the question of revenue. It is above all a question of notoriety. Some series filmed here like The Art of Crime (2017-2024), Murder in Chantilly (2023) Or Interviews with a Vampire (2022-2024)), are seen by millions of viewers; this contributes to the reputation of the castle and the town”continues Émeric d’Arcimoles. If the fallout in terms of image is sometimes difficult to quantify, certain indices nevertheless show the impact of the filming. The film Chinese Zodiac by and with Jackie Chan (2012) fighting on the rooftops of Chantilly thus had an effect on the site’s reputation among Asian tourists. “We were able to measure this effect at the Château de Pierrefonds (Oise)confirms Marina Santelli. The broadcast of the English series Merlin (2008-2012) has significantly increased the number of English visitors; this was evident in terms of time and volume. Sometimes it is more diffuse because the site is less immediately recognizable than in this specific case.”
Producers have also understood that highlighting a historic location in their films can help increase its reputation and they use this lever in negotiations on rental rates. “There are catalog prices, determined by the board of directors according to the number of people, days of filming, private spaces, etc.”explains Émeric d’Arcimoles. “But there is a part of negotiation depending on the counterparts that we can obtain, for example if we talk about the castle during the promotion of the film.” Some sites that have recently developed this activity also offer tailor-made rates, notably the royal castle of Amboise (Indre-et-Loire), as confirmed by Samuel Buchwalder, its communications manager. We adjust our prices according to demand, especially if the site is identified for what it is or if it is only used as a backdrop, as in The Serpent Queen. Our rates are de facto not at all the same for fictions filmed explicitly in situ, such as The Forgotten Woman of Amboise (2021). In the case of this TV movie, the team really played the game by interacting with the public, taking selfies and intervening on our social networks.
When everything goes well, the experience is very rewarding for sites that rely on the public’s curiosity and enthusiasm for the stars of the 7th art. But how can you protect yourself against a bad reputation in the event of unsuitable content when the managers of the venues generally have no say over the scenarios? “Most often the projects are confidential”remarks Émeric d’Arcimoles. “However, we are vigilant that they do not go against the Château de Chantilly brand, for example with ultra-violent or sex-related content. In this case, we veto it because it could be disastrous for our image. Especially if the film is very successful.”
