 It was just this past February 5th and we were there. “We” who? Stephan, the cameraman and me. And “there” being where? In Marne-la-Vallée, of course. What for? To film the town’s first conference on Sustainable Development. How did it go? It went well, really well, in fact…Here’s a glimpse at the making of our video.
The settingMarne-la-Vallée: Europe’s top tourist destination. Everyone knows that since everyone knows EuroDisney/Mickey Mouse. But Marne-la-Vallée is also, and especially, a city with a population of 300,000 striving to become the capital of sustainable development. You’ve got to admit it, the city’s got a real competitive edge for achieving that: a competitive cluster, major universities and graduate schools, research labs, etc.
The leading roles
Another thing you’ve got to admit: Epamarne and Epafrance, the two public institutes in charge of urban planning for the city, have made becoming the capital one of their main goals. So, to make it “the” capital, both EPAs organized Marne-la-Vallée’s first conference on Sustainable Development. The aim: to get “the show rolling” and outline a collective and stimulating strategy.
The crew
What’s the link with Webrédacteurs? It’s quite simple: for nearly two years now, our agency has been shooting interviews for the EPAs, published in video format on the website www.marne-la-vallee.com. When the idea of a Conference was launched, the EPAs naturally handed us the project of creating an event-specific website, www.developpementdurable-mlv.org (in French only), and the videos that would go with it. On D-day, the site was obviously ready. However, all the videos of the Conference still had to be shot…
The cameras
Inside – Daytime – A Marne-la-Vallée hotel – A big auditorium ready to seat 300 people. I get there shortly before 8 a.m. Stephan and the cameraman are already there, the cameras are set up, the mikes plugged in; We’re ready to roll but being the writer that I am, I’m more comfortable with my computer keyboard than an HD camera. No sweat, the cameraman briefs me in the blink of an eye and there I am in charge of wide-angle shots. Lucky for me, “A traveling shot is a moral statement,” as Godard once said.
The shoot
From then on, time flies. Renewable energy, sustainable travel and transport, urban planning and density…one workshop follows another and then comes the debate. I film everything, with a wide-angle the whole time, jotting down a few notes as I go. Némo keeps doing close-ups and supervises the whole affair. Stephan talks to the speakers, keeps an eye open for trouble and makes sure everything runs smoothly. Hardly any time to do a pan shot… Final curtainIt’s 6 p.m. before we know it. The 1st conference has come to a close. I pick up a mike, do a few interviews on the run and presto, it’s a wrap up. Look forward to seeing you next year, at Marne-la-Vallée’s 2nd conference on Sustainable Development!
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