This historical drama follows the fate of Danish architect Otto von Spreckelsen, who in 1983 won the international “Tête Défense” competition launched by François Mitterrand with the design that would become the emblematic Grande Arche de La Défense. The film dives into the heart of an architectural and political saga, oscillating between utopia and the symbol of a new economic era.
Under the supervision of VFX Supervisor Lise Fischer, working alongside VFX Producer Loriane Lucas and Compositing Supervisor Philippe Desfretier, MPC Paris assembled a team of 30 artists over four months to create and integrate more than 100 visual effects shots. One of the major challenges was precisely recreating the construction site at different stages of its development.
To remain faithful to historical reality while respecting the filmmaker’s vision and production constraints, the decision was made to use archival footage as the primary material for all wide shots establishing key sequences. The team combined advanced digital techniques — CGI environments, matte painting and compositing — with meticulous documentary research based on historical archives.
Here, visual effects are not just a tool to correct anachronisms, but a true visual language serving the narrative,” explains Lise Fischer. “Every reconstruction required precision craftsmanship: iconographic research, digital creation, animation and the integration of period elements to restore the scale and aesthetic of these construction sites.”
Between archives and digital creation
Among the standout sequences are the foundations of the Arche with the iconic concrete “elephant feet,” the rise of the honeycomb-like walls, and the 100-metre-high footbridge that enabled the architectural feat of building the roof.
Sequences at the Louvre — where Ieoh Ming Pei’s pyramid returns to its earliest stages of construction — and on the Champs-Élysées further anchor the story in its era. To ensure visual continuity between archival material and digital reconstruction, MPC Paris developed a custom pipeline that combined upscaling and restoration of the original footage with the creation of 2.5D and full-CGI environments, adding movement and life across the various stages of the builds.
The process also involved precise matte painting and advanced compositing to seamlessly insert studio or green-screen performances into period imagery. Additional 3D simulations and animations were created for key elements such as cranes, machinery, vehicles and pedestrian activity.
This rare and exciting approach — transforming archival photographs into animated shots for a fictional narrative — allowed the team to explore new methods. The result strikes a balance between documentary authenticity and artistic creation, restoring the scale and visual identity of major construction projects of the 1980s. This hybrid workflow, combining documentary rigor with digital artistry, embodies MPC Paris’s philosophy: using technology in service of the filmmaker’s vision.
Our mission was to restore the authenticity of the settings and time period, while remaining true to the film’s structure and direction,” concludes Lise Fischer. “Here, visual effects extend reality — in order to transcend it.”
Picture post-production and colour grading
The image post-production was overseen by Thomas Jodeau, alongside Agat Films’ post-producers Pierre Huot and Mehdi Sellami. The MPC team based on Rue d’Hauteville handled rush management, conforming and part of the final deliverables. Colour grading took place remotely: colourist Yov Moor worked from Japan, with a live projector feed for director Stéphane Demoustier and cinematographer David Chambille, who were based at MPC Paris.
