Alex Hugo in Lusagne – Samuel le Bihan in search of wild spaces and spectacular landscapes

La Grave La Clarée L'Izoard

The famous Alex Hugo series is filmed in the Hautes-Alpes, and very regularly in the Hautes Vallées - La Grave, Clarée, Izoard.

We met them in Cervières in June 2019 and were able to interview Samuel Le Bihan and Lionel Astier.

Why did they choose the Briançonnais region?
"First of all,there's the welcome we received,"
says Alain Éveillé, production manager,
"then there's the variety of scenery and the accessibility of high-altitude sites. Here, we also have all the necessary infrastructure outside of filming."
The film crew is based in Briançon during filming, which lasts about three months a year.

Some of the actors dream of filming in winter. But for the production team, the constraints would be too great. At present, they already have to take into account the vagaries of mountain weather. They have sometimes filmed a sequence only to find themselves in 20 cm of snow the next day. You might think that would be easy to incorporate into the story. But scenes are rarely shot in order. In reality, the end is often shot before the beginning. So they are forced to improvise in post-production, creating fake snow using digital effects.

Samuel Le Bihan's favorite spot is the upper Clarée valley.

"It's really the place where I love to walk, it's beautiful, it's relaxing. There's something extremely serene about this river, even in its more tortuous stretches like the magnificent Fontcouverte Falls. It's wild and powerful, and at the same time extremely soothing, with these houses and people living there in harmony with nature. The path that follows the river all the way is just sublime. When I can, I go there, really on a completely poetic level, to learn my texts and work on my character by walking down the river. For me, it's really a time to recharge my batteries, almost like a meditation.

His favorite filming location is the cirque below the Col d'Ourdeïs.

"Before the Col d'Izoard, we turn right on a tiny track to arrive in a cirque surrounded by mountains, without a single house - it's sublimely beautiful! You're thrown into a completely wild universe. At first it's hidden. When you arrive, it's vast and magnificent, a real western setting.

"I have fond memories of the Girose glacier, firstly because it was a bit dangerous. We were on the glacier, and even though we were roped up, if you fell, well... It was nerve-wracking, and then it was grandiose all the same. What's more, we had to play on our emotions, because my character thinks that something bad has happened to Alex Hugo, and so his friend, who is not a sportsman, doesn't hesitate to go up with a team of guides to look for him. It was a great, impressive moment!"

The activities he does most vary, often with the needs of the Alex Hugo series. Right now, he's concentrating on climbing. Last year, it was cycling, and there was also the canoe-kayak period, because he had an episode on the subject. Cycling is more of a friendly challenge, because in the team there are a few cyclists who do the Tour de France passes.

"I've cycled the Galibier and the Izoard. You wonder if you're going to make it, and it's so much fun when you do".

As these experiences unfolded, the mountains became a privileged and much-appreciated rendezvous for him.

"Every summer, I know I'll be back in the mountains. Paris is a pretty stressful city where it's hard to find a bit of nature. But I have this appointment with the great outdoors, which comes at a time when you want to get away from Paris. When we come back after the August break, in September-October, we can see the autumn colors coming in, the larch trees turning orange, the colors are sublime! Sometimes, with a bit of luck, we even manage to get a bit of snow, which allows us to get some magnificent images."