Alongside physical infrastructure, improving and augmenting the local workforce is a key pillar of French president Emmanuel Macron’s France 2030 plan, his 30 billion euro ($34 billion) roadmap for investment and innovation.

“Top-tier technicians are the foundation of the entire French ecosystem,” says Arnaud Roland, who oversees the France 2030 project for the national film agency Cnc. “That’s why professional training programs are integrated into every aspect of our modernization efforts. Our competitive edge goes beyond locations; it lies in the combination of diverse landscapes, modern infrastructure, and, most importantly, highly adaptable crews.”

As France 2030 targets doubling the workforce in animation and VFX, public investment covers every stage of the creative process — from scriptwriting and costume design to construction and compositing. A recent beneficiary of this funding, the Paris film school La Fémis, will soon launch a new course teaching designers to blend traditional techniques with the LED-wall technologies required for virtual production.