One mysterious package, multiple compulsive knockouts and a serial flirter with a very heavy sense of humour. Meet Frapuccino.
It only takes one road trip with Cyril, Paolo and Amelie for things to get out of control. Completed in 2016 with the direction of David Trujillo and Paul-André Robin, this comedy action series is one not to miss.
Writer of the series Mathilde Bourbin spoke to MWF on the production of Frapuccino and the perks of being involved.
What was the funniest thing that happened on set?
It was a funny process, but also a tough one! We needed to shoot two days in front of the church. The first day, everything was perfect. But the second one, we arrived and we discovered that the church was… half destroyed! So we decided to shoot only the right side of the building. That same day, the weather went from bright sun to rain. After lunch, the priest informed us that there was a marriage. And in the late afternoon, we discovered that there was a funeral as well… In 10 hours, we managed to shoot only 1 sequence!
What inspired your web series?
My friends! For another artistic project, we had to use the same trunk we use in the series. And it drove the Parisians crazy! They kept asking the same question: “Is there a body in the trunk?” Pierre-Emmanuel (Paolo) took advantage of it to speak with girls, whereas Jules (Cyril) began to be silently hostile. When I came back home, I wrote the first scene of Frapuccino.
What did you want to achieve in creating this series?
I wanted to show off my friends’ talents, actors and technicians together. They are so gifted – and at the time we began the series there was no other projects this big where they could express themselves. I wanted to give them this gift: an ambitious project, written especially for them. I also wanted to express my admiration for artists such as Quentin Tarantino, Michel Audiard, François Descraques and Guy Ritchie, who inspire me a lot. I guess I needed to use my male inspirations, before I could express my female inspirations with my next project (Cabaret Ta Mère, actually touring in France). Maybe the next one will be more balanced!
What was your experience with web series before creating your own?
I loved watching them at work during my lunch break. I watched François Descraques’s Visiteur du Futur, Les Opérateurs – I love Authentik from Anthony Lemaître, Bref. from Kyan Khojandi and Bruno Muschio, Les Grands Esprits from Florent Colignon and Julien Dépré. Then I started watching everything I could on the web, including french series and others!
What is unique about your series?
It is an evolution. We shot for three years, starting as a team of 20 with a small camera and a GoPro! We ended as a team of 50, with a Black Magic camera and we are very proud of our last episodes. I guess what allowed us to improve ourselves so fast, is our love and passion. It gathered an incredible positive energy, and you can feel it while watching the show.
What was it like to have Jules Poucet not only star as Cyril in the series, but compose the music?
He knew exactly what the spirit of the series was. It didn’t take him long to compose the score, and I think it inspired him on the set. The character of Cyril wears headphones, this is not a coincidence!
What was your release strategy?
We had a partnership with the french rock n’roll radio OUI FM. We built our release strategy with them, to have some teasing on air before releasing any episodes.
What was your target audience and how did you build a relationship with them?
Our target audience is male and female from 12 to 45 years old, with an interest for comedy. We fed our Facebook page and Youtube with our episodes, but also pictures, deleted scenes, interviews and making of. But I am not sure our audience is really well defined. I hope that the MWF will help us to understand better what people like in Frapuccino.
What advice would you give to emerging creators?
Try to find a balance between passion and patience.
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