Caméra Café (2001)

Caméra Café is a French-born format of comedy television series exported around the world. Two movie spin-offs have been made in France under the titles of Espace détente and Le Séminaire. It was originally a French television show created by Bruno Solo, Yvan Le Bolloc'h, and Alain Kappauf and it was broadcast from September 2001 to December 2004 on the M6 channel.

700 episodes of 3 minutes each have been produced and were broadcast again on M6 in 2004. The show revolves around a dysfunctional office. Its originality stems from the fact that, within the fiction, the camera is fixed into the automated coffee machine of the office space.

The title is a French pun on "Caméra Cachée", (literally "hidden camera", or Candid Camera for the related TV show).

Plot

The main originality of the series is the coffee machine, located in the relaxation area of the company, which becomes the point of view of the viewer during each episode. In front of it, parade the employees of the company "Geugène Electro Stim" (G.E.S.) all are caricatured to the grotesque humor, even cynical at times.

This place of choice allows the viewer to live from within the everyday atmosphere of the head office of a large company in the French (such as the presence of a driver for the president, a director of human resources and 'a full-time psychologist), with professional or private discussions that often turn into caricatures.

Some extras pass from time to time down the hall and sometimes serve as spectators in some skits at strategic moments.

Cast

Main

Bruno Solo as Hervé Dumont, Purchasing director and Union representative

Yvan Le Bolloc'h as Jean-Claude Convenant, Commercial

Secondary

Armelle as Maéva Capucin, Head of archives and inventory and Carole's assistant

Alexandre Pesle as Sylvain Müller, Accountant

Jeanne Savary as Jeanne Bignon, Secretary and Jean-Guy's assistant

Gérard Chaillou as Jean-Guy Lecointre, Chief human resources officer

Valérie Decobert as Frédérique Castelli, Nancy's secretary

Alain Bouzigues as Philippe Gatin, Network administrator

Shirley Bousquet as Nancy Langeais, Chief financial officer

Sylvie Loeillet as Carole Dussier-Belmont, Chief commercial officer

Philippe Cura as André Markowicz, Chauffeur

Noémie Elbaz as Julie Hassan, Switchboard operator

Karim Adda as Vincent Schneider, Postal service employee

Marc Andréoni as Serge Touati, Company psychologist

Chantal Neuwirth as Annie Lepoutre, Trainee

Tom Novembre as Stanislas Priziwielsky, Digix's accountant

Sophie Renoir as Eva Kovalsky, Carole 's substitute during her illness

Lucien Jean-Baptiste as Franck Marchand

Guest

Aïssa Maïga as Violette, Jean-Claude's ex

Bruno Lochet as Didier Farjex, The chef of the canteen

Bruno Salomone as Thierry

Catherine Benguigui as Mireille

Catherine Jacob as The interior designer

Chantal Lauby as Emma

Christelle Cornil as Yvonne, The maintenance employee

Édith Scob as Madame Bouvard

Élie Semoun as The Security guard

Fred Testot as The window cleaner

Guillaume Depardieu as Simon, a former prisoner in reintegration

Gustave Kervern as The plumber

Mathilda May as The Boss's wife

Pascal Obispo as himself

Raphaël Lenglet as Dimitri, Eva's son

Riton Liebman as The director

Valérie Mairesse as Anabelle, depressed cleaning lady

Adaptations

Caméra Café has seen great export success, having been adapted in:

United States (failed pilot)

Republic of Ireland (2002–2003)

Canada / Quebec (2002–2012, 2021–)

Greece (2002)

Italy (2003–2008; 2011–2012; 2017)

Poland (2004)

Spain (2005–2009)

Portugal (2006)

Philippines (2007–2009)

Indonesia (2008-)

Chile (2008)

Australia

China (2008-2010)

Belgium / Flanders

Luxembourg

Switzerland (2008-)

Macedonia

Brazil

La Réunion, the show is both in Créole and French, depending on the origins of the characters.

Colombia (2008-)

Vietnam (2010-2011)

Turkey (2009-2010)

Cambodia (2012)

Romania (2015-)

The length of an episode varies on the locale. In Quebec, where the shorter format is less prevalent than in France, episodes are 30 minutes long, commercials included (inversely, the Quebec show Un gars, une fille, originally half an hour long, was reduced to 9 minutes in its French version). Italy kept the 7 minute format and Spain chose a four - to six-minute format.

Episodes

See also

General

List of French television series

List of Quebec television series

List of Quebec television series imports and exports

Culture of France

Similar works

The Office

Le Bureau

La Job

References

External links

Caméra Café (France) at IMDb

Caméra Café (Quebec) at IMDb

Official website of the French version

Official website of the Italian version

Official website of the Philippine version

Official website of the Spanish version

List of all episodes - official streaming