INTERVIEW
Faced with the coronavirus epidemic, authorities earlier this week prohibited gatherings of more than 1,000 people in confined spaces. But some smaller meetings are also impacted. Television programs recorded in the presence of an audience are, for example, on the front line.
Emilie Selem, associate director of the company "Nouvelle Image", which manages the audience of television and radio programs ("Don't forget the words", "Everyone wants to take their place", "Slam" ...) , has already taken precautions.
Temperature measurement and hydroalcoholic gel
Several health measures have been adopted. For "Slam", broadcast on France 2, the public, the members of the production as well as the presenter are subjected to strict temperature tests before entering the set. In the cloakroom, visitors are asked to wear protective gloves.
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"For several weeks, we have been signing a discharge to members of the public, indicating that they have not recently visited a risk zone. But now that France is experiencing the epidemic, this measure is no longer of much use" , says Emilie Selem. Hydroalcoholic gel pumps have been installed throughout the studios.
Less audience
Another precautionary measure is the reduction in the number of people present in the public. "For 'Questions for a champion', we went from a gauge of 40 to 30 people", specifies Emilie Selem. The reduction is not drastic, but it already ensures the meter of regulatory distance between each spectator.
Certain programs, whose small tray does not allow such adaptations, will do without the public. "Several are concerned within the Canal + group, in particular the 'Canal Sports Club' and the 'Canal Football Club' next weekend," specifies Caroline Bonacossa, journalist for Strategy magazine, who devotes the front page of her next issue to consequences in the media of the coronavirus epidemic.
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"The info of the real", presented by Yves Calvi, is in the same case. "This tray is small and too confined," justified the chain. The decorations will be adapted so that they do not appear empty on television.
The "local" public
Monday evening, the candidates for the municipal election of Paris also debated to a reduced audience on the sets of France 3 and France Info. Each of the seven guests came with six people around him, for a total of 42 people. The practice is common. Several programs are currently being filmed in front of a so-called "local" audience: employees, friends, the children of the presenters, etc. "" La Grande Librairie "on France 5," Téléfoot "and" C'est Canteloup "on TF1 … Several programs appeal to this local audience ", confirms Caroline Bonacossa.
For the moment, no emission announced to suspend its recordings. Some, notably television games, are shot very early on and thus have something to come until at least June.