In Love is in the meadow, whose season 18 has been delighting M6 viewers every Monday evening since August 21, happiness literally passes like, or rather through, a letter in the mail. The one sent by the suitors to the farmer of their heart after seeing their portrait on television. It remains for these singles to seduce themselves during speed dating, then a stay on the farm, a family weekend and finally a romantic getaway before taking stock of this romantic-bucolic adventure with Karine Le Marchand, her essential presenter.

An immutable sentimental schedule that the public discovers over the four months of the broadcast. But the production of the show is spread over the whole year. She must indeed cultivate love in all seasons to harvest the most beautiful stories when the end of summer comes. Zoom on the perfectly oiled cogs of this very efficient television machine.

Within Fremantle, the production company for L’amour est dans le pré, a “production and filming” unit works on the program year-round. And, if its workforce varies according to the manufacturing phases (up to 30 people), it occupies six to eight permanent staff, whose first task is to cast the farmers. “Applications come in year-round, although we get more during the broadcast,” says artistic producer Gabriella Mather.

Because what matters is personality. “You have to be touched by a character, a story. But we must also feel that the person is capable of opening up, of sharing their emotion and of verbalizing it to tell us what has been happening to them for a year. Love is in the meadow is a very psychologically demanding adventure…” warns Gabriella Mather. Before definitively selecting the participants, the production goes to their homes to better understand them and enlists the services of a psychologist “to judge their ability to expose themselves to the media”. “She is there throughout the process by their side. They can reach her at any time, ”says Gabriella Mather…

This same psychologist also establishes the expertise of the suitors, who take their pen to declare their love after the distribution of the portraits, in January or February. While most opt ??for the old-fashioned method — a handwritten letter that “farmers appreciate,” says the producer — others send an email. Fewer are those who apply via the casting platform.

Some, finally, try to contact directly the chosen one of their heart, easily “findable” via social networks. “It’s a real subject,” agrees Gabriella Mather. But, in general, farmers warn us. We then try to bring the relevant suitors into the process… Sometimes this does not work and the bachelor ignores this application. But it happened that he fell in love with the person who contacted him. Perhaps the beginning of a beautiful story for him, but certainly the end of his participation in L’amour est dans le pré.

When the bachelor has made his choice for speed dating – 10 suitors at most – the production takes over the letters (they will be returned to the farmer at the end of the season) and the telephone. “We call the suitors and we discuss at length with them as to their motivations because sincerity cannot be judged in two seconds, explains Gabriella Mather. We also look at their profiles on social networks, we analyze their publication. In short, we are doing a real investigation. “Then, the production disappears – or almost – in front of Cupid… Which shoots a few arrows during the speed dating, shot in March, and sends the lovers on a stay on the farm…

A team of five people (a journalist, two cameramen, two sound engineers) is sent to each single person who welcomes their two suitors. For five days, from getting up to going to bed, she films the daily life, the banter, the clashes of the trio. All the images are transmitted to the editing cell in Paris (which has eight people), which must process the rushes. “It’s a very large volume to watch. But, during the stay, the journalist writes a hot sheet, a document that retraces everything that happened, hour by hour. It is a good working base for the assembly. »

Finally comes the balance sheet, filmed in September. “The idea is to allow some time for couples to mature and to be able to talk about their story with a little perspective. On the other hand, for the production, no time to breathe. We must already process applications for the following season. “Often the stages overlap. We started shooting the portraits for season 19 when we hadn’t finished wrapping the romantic getaways for season 18.” Indeed, in the meadow or elsewhere, love does not wait!