It took eight weeks to 15 people to create the lab Code Lyoko. Work a bit unusual for Paul Chapelle, chief designer for many years. “This is the first time I have reproduce futuristic places have been designed for a cartoon.” His team to three quarters Charente, he worked on a lot the first four seasons before cutting the first board.
Fifty-six days later, in early July, the middle of the tray 600 m2 studios Aredi, St. Yrieix, stands a sort of immense sphere against plywood. Exterior view, it does not look like much. But when you enter inside, you find yourself in the heart of powered lab used by the heroes of the series to go from reality to virtuality.
The wood has disappeared under layers of paint which gives the impression of being locked in a metal ball. There are pipes that serve no purpose, electronic housings disemboweled, drawn locations “that are benchmarked to add overlays in 3D.”
A backdrop of cardboard that, once on the screen, give all the necessary realism to the fifth season. Code Lyoko Evolution series is the first French to mix real and cartoon pictures.
“The work we do is not very far from that team decoration on Avatar … Budget less, smiled the chief decoration. But we wrestled well. There was a good correlation between the team and the production. We have not done an exact reproduction of the cartoon, he says. But we tried to get closer to the maximum. “
The school transformed
In the lab, so he took five weeks to build the structure, and then three weeks to give the patina and the futuristic and metallic. A work in consultation with the chief operator. Whoever occupies the frame and the light on the set. “He uses a special filter, then it must give its opinion on everything because certain colors could disappear because of the filter.”
For Paul Chapelle, who joined the project in March, “This is an interesting challenge.” Whoever rolled his hump as decorator Karl Zero emissions then worked on Louise Michel, and Mammuth The great evening Delépine and Kervern, “this is the first time I do something so sharp.” His team began to realize a model of the lab. When it was approved by the production, they could build size.
The other challenge is the international character of Code Lyoko. “The series will be sold everywhere abroad, which generates some constraints.” Like in high school, all signs must be understandable by a Russian or an American. “We have banned all writings. There will be as pictograms. “
The deco team tackled the transformation of school Guez de Balzac. “We had to move the CDI also for the purposes of the scenario.” In one scene, a hero escapes through the window. Except that the true CDI has no window. “To stick to the cartoon and have a real unity in the scenery, we also had to rearrange the internship. Was squarely built the furniture in the rooms. “
That students Charentais be reassured. Next week in September, Guez has regained its classic face. It is also the job of a decorator, able to transform a place but to restore its initial state when the shooting ends. A job where you have to hunt as well as knowing how to transform a dentist’s chair in a position to control small computer genius.
