Produced by Les films du Poisson, “En Thérapie” (English translation: “In Therapy”) has been a remarkable success since its premiere on Arte in January 2021. To date, this show, consisting of 35 episodes, each 26 min. in length, has attracted the Franco-German channel’s largest, series-watching audience since its inception. Directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, “En Thérapie” was almost entirely shot on a single set in a flat located in the 16th district of Paris by cinematographers Quentin de Lamarzelle and Mélodie Preel.

“It’s a series that takes place in a psychotherapist’s office, with a lot of dialogue, and I wanted to leave room for the setting,” explains Quentin de Lamarzelle, the director of photography who created the visual look for the series and lit about a dozen episodes. “As we were shooting on a natural set with a southern exposure, we had to set up a scaffold on the facade with an ARRI SkyPanel lighting the opening to create a light that would work all day. All the exterior and interior lights were linked together and controlled from an iPad on which I had created light profiles: full sun, evening, grey day, etc. With Mathieu Vadepied, artistic director of ‘En Thérapie,’ and the directors, we defined six lighting moods for the series, which reflected the mood of the characters. We could quickly switch from one profile to another using the iPad. This was a major time saver on a series where we had two days to complete an episode.”