BRUSSELS (Brussels Morning) – The recordings of the video clip for Stromae’s song ‘Fils de joie’ have come under fire. The hundreds of dancers were cold and were paid too little for their services, said the whistleblower.
The recordings happened in the month of January, when the mercury rose just above zero. Hundreds of dancers and extras were present in the Cinquantenaire Park for the recording of the video clip for the song ‘Fils de joie’, from Multitude, Stromae’s latest album. It now appears that there are serious complaints about the working environment and conditions.
The issue was brought to attention by one of the dancers who tells about her experiences at RTBF. “You who defend the values of social justice,” she addresses Stromae. “Why did you choose to collaborate with production house Abyssal, which does not seem to care about paying a decent wage to cultural workers?”
The whistleblower speaks of a compensation of 150 euros for 5 days of work for professional artists. This concerns rehearsals and recordings on location. “In the beginning, we only knew it was a paid project. Once we heard what the fee was, we went ahead with it because we were committed to the project.”
‘Job for the resume’
Pierre Dherte, president of the Union des Artistes trade union, has received similar complaints about working conditions during the shooting of the ‘Fils de joie’ clip. It bothers him that the professional artists have earned so less than the extras. The extras received 60 euros, the professionals converted half. “At 30 euros a day, we are clearly below the applicable statutory daily wage.”
“If it were a small production, a short film for friends with a small budget, then it would still be understandable somewhere. The artists participated because it was Stromae, but that is not a good reason. We denounce that these professionals are asked to take a job for their resume. This was a big production. It’s work.”
Despite repeated requests, the manager of production company Abyssal has not yet responded.
