In brief
- The production of the Bugarach series has taken over the basement of the Corum in Montpellier for the filming of its second season.
- A team of specialised technicians transformed an underground car park into a science-fiction set in just 48 hours.
- The set design includes about thirty computers and tablets displaying custom-created animations.
- Filming of the Montpellier scenes begins this Tuesday, 22 September 2026, under the direction of producer Olivier Compère.
In Montpellier, the hustle and bustle of film sets have left the Vendargues studios to settle in a more unexpected location: the basement of the Corum. It is here, in the anonymity of an underground car park, that the universe of season 2 of the Bugarach series takes root for France Télévisions.
The art of technological illusion at the Corum
The challenge is considerable: to erase the original identity of the place to make way for a futuristic imagination. Out with cars and city noises, in with a meticulously designed set where every detail counts. Under the direction of Sète architect Thibault Pinto, a dozen specialised technicians are busy installing, piece by piece, the elements of a complex visual puzzle that must give the illusion of a secret control centre.
This coordinated team brings together builders, painters, and electricians working in concert. This technical ballet is the sine qua non condition for the magic to operate once the cameras are rolling. In the gloom of the basement, the usual parking space is no longer recognisable, now populated by complex structures and concealed cabling.
Animated screens for total immersion
In this artificial gloom, the technological illusion is striking with rows of desks equipped with tablets and computers displaying lines of code and digital animations. Audrey Combes-Laget is responsible for bringing these thirty screens to life, ensuring the synchronisation of animations created specifically for the series, ranging from data streams to character fingerprints.
Each interface has been designed to enhance the realism of this science-fiction environment. These elements are essential not only for the final viewer but also to allow actors to react to concrete visual stimuli during filming. Technicians ensure that each tablet works perfectly before the first “Action”.
A race against time for realism
Time is the main adversary of this behind-the-scenes team, with an assembly that must be completed in less than two days. Filming officially begins this Tuesday lunchtime, leaving technicians until the last minute to fine-tune the settings. This Monday evening, the sounds of saws and drills still echo under the ventilation shafts, while the teams consult the sketches taped to the concrete walls.
The organisation is military: everyone knows their mission in this perfectly rehearsed ballet. If there is any doubt about a structure, the printed plans serve as the final arbiter. This rigour makes it possible to meet the extremely tight deadlines imposed by the production schedule of a series of this magnitude.
The secret of a monumental structure
Among the elements being assembled, one particularly attracts attention on the loading dock: an imposing wooden frame whose role remains jealously guarded. Technician Marcello Urbina Alarcon is refining this centrepiece, described as the most important set element of this season 2, without revealing its exact function within the plot.
Producer Olivier Compère prefers to preserve the element of surprise for viewers, emphasising that the realism of the set is key to achieving the desired “wow” effect. To discover the final result of this titanic work and the secrets of this Montpellier bunker, the appointment is set for early 2027 on France Télévisions channels.
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