Le Ballon Bleu was shot entirely on iPhone 7+, the FiLMiC App and Zeiss lenses in and around Paris, France. The filmmakers used iPhone 7+ because it supported the incredible Zeiss prime lens adapters. Furthermore, shooting on iPhones allowed the filmmakers to move quickly from location to location without sacrificing the professional cinema quality they wanted the film to have.
As quiet as Paris can be from 6-10 in the morning, nearly every shot was filmed with parked cars, motorcycles, or pedestrians. The filmmakers used green-screens and visual effects to replace modern structures, signage, clothing, and vehicles. Additional footage, b-roll and visual effects plates were filmed in other parts of France and Versailles since many locations in Versailles were not destroyed in WWII and did not require extensive rebuilding in the years after the war. The dilapidated condition of Paris after WWII is evident in the French film Le Ballon Rouge which the filmmakers wanted to emulate in Le Ballon Bleu.
Filming with children in France requires special permission from the French government.
Le Ballon Bleu could only film with child actors 4 hours a day for a total of 5 days due to the strict filming regulations involving minors imposed by the French government. Filmmakers must submit their script, production details, final cast, final locations with filming addresses and exact filming dates and times for each location and cast member. If you make a change to the cast or an error to your submission you must resubmit your film for the next approval deadline.
The filmmakers shot every scene of Le Ballon Bleu with and without live balloons in order to capture the natural movement and reflections to help recreate the balloons with visual effects and animation in post-production.
At the 2022 Children's International Film Festival in Wales, Le Ballon Bleu won the award for Best Original Score, and Octave Bossuet was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.