2023-09-27 00:31:38
There were two finalists for best daily series at the last Gémeaux awards gala. There will only be one left next year.
Published at 8:31 p.m.
Producer Fabienne Larouche confirmed it on Tuesday: she will not register STAT in the race for Gemini in 2024. Consequence? With a single entry, either Indefensiblethe dailies category will disappear, good evening, and the rival TVA series will join the soap operas broadcast “weekly” like Alerts, Witches or 5e Rang.
“I understand very well those who no longer want to participate in Gémini because of the cumbersomeness of the exercise, the significant cost attached to each nomination and the politics behind it all. The Gemini formula, which dates from another era, has had its day. Which in no way detracts from the merits of the winners of this year or previous years. We have to rethink all that,” insists Fabienne Larouche, boss of the Aetios company with her husband Michel Trudeau.
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Michel Trudeau and Fabienne Larouche from the company Aetios
Fabienne Larouche expresses grievances similar to those of the couple formed by Sophie Lorain and Alexis Durand-Brault, from the ALSO company (Mégantic, Disobey: The choice of Chantale Daigle), who also sharply criticized the list of winners for the 2023 edition.
Scattered trophies, lack of logic in the distribution of statuettes, excessive registration fees, criticisms are raining down on this controversial gala and its non-gendered categories, which were imposed and which please neither the public nor people in the industry.
An important nuance to make: the withdrawal of Aetios and ALSO does not mean that their shows will not appear anywhere in the 2024 Gémeaux list. For example, if Suzanne Clément or Geneviève Schmidt from STAT wish to compete, Fabienne Larouche will not prevent them. Same thing for producer and director Alexis Durand-Brault: “If the actors or directors want to sign up, I’m not going to say no, I don’t want to bully anyone,” notes the latter. But honestly, I don’t think I have many requests. »
In “gradual withdrawal” mode, Fabienne Larouche did not register With a beating heart, Happiness, Without an appointment, With your eyes closed et Reasonable doubt at the most recent gala. The screenwriters Danielle Trottier (With a beating heart) and François Avard (Happiness) have also passed their turn, notes Fabienne Larouche in an interview.
On the other hand, the headliners of these shows (Roy Dupuis, Ève Landry or Magalie Lépine-Blondeau) were all submitted to the jury’s vote.
Now let’s talk about money since this is a major source of irritation. Participating in Gemini is very, very expensive for producers. You must first pay the annual membership to the Academy (ordinary rate: $180), you must then pay to enter each program in the competition (between $180 and $1,390 for a single entry), you must pay the tickets to attend the three galas (between $400 and $600 per ticket) and sometimes you have to pay for the trophy itself, yes.
If a team – like the distribution of Bye bye – triumph, it is the producer of the show who assumes the costs of manufacturing the additional Geminis, which sell for $460 each. That’s a lot of money.
And the bill rises very quickly. Alexis Durand-Brault and his company ALSO spent $30,000 to register for the latest Gemini party. “I no longer want to invest in that,” says Alexis Durand-Brault, whose work Mégantic bit the dust during the ceremony led by Pierre-Yves Lord.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Sophie Lorain and Alexis Durand-Brault
At KOTV, which manufactures Between two sheets, Plan B and Virage: double fault, the 2023 Gemini cost around $60,000. “I’m thinking. The manager in me would like to cut and use the money differently. The creator in me does not want to disrespect his colleagues,” says Louis Morissette of KOTV.
Richard Speer, president of Attraction (Live from the universe, Chefs!), also pays tens of thousands of dollars every year to take part in the Gemini. “It costs a fortune and what’s in it? In the current difficult television context, we are going to think about where we want to put this money,” explains Richard Speer.
Producer Guillaume Lspérance from the A Média company, which notably oversees Everybody talks about it et Guys, also finds the final note too salty. “It’s very expensive and it’s complicated to manage. It creates a lot of dissatisfaction. Also, there are too many prices. What makes a prize prestigious is its rarity,” recalls Guillaume Lspérance, who did not enter Discussions with my parents in Good evening ! for the 2023 edition of Gemini, to avoid disappointment and unnecessary costs.
In 2022, 143 Geminis were awarded. This number dropped to 94 this year. The appearance of mixed or non-gendered categories of interpretation has greatly helped in the tightening effort.
It is the 1,289 members of the Academy – and not the public – who award the Gémeaux prizes in Quebec. And who are these members? Researchers, authors, directors, producers, animators or technicians, it casts a wide net.
To summarize a complex voting system, which varies from one category to another, know that grand juries, made up of six people from the audiovisual industry, weigh heavily in the development of the honor roll.
In the “best daily series” category, for example, the opinion of this grand jury counts for 50% of the final score. A 30% share comes from a ballot open to all members of the Academy and the last 20% is adjusted according to the audience ratings measured on classic TV.
If a TV series plays on a digital platform (Crave, Extra de Tou.tv or Club illico), it automatically loses these 20 points. It’s still stupid. “The producer has the choice of waiting for his series to be broadcast on television, as was the case for the fourth season of Plan B. The rules are clear and well explained, without being perfect,” notes the general director of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in Quebec, Chantal Côté.
This same Academy reminds that Gemini is a competition. “And in a competition, there are winners, losers, surprises and disappointments,” says its general director.
Like its host Guy A. Lepage at Everybody talks about it, producer Guillaume Lspérance asks the killer question: what are Geminis for, ultimately? “No one gave me a job because I had won a Gemini and I have never negotiated a salary increase for an actor because he had won a Gemini,” says Guillaume Lspérance.
Anyway, other than its $460 retail price, how much is a Gemini price really worth?
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