Charlotte Pochart

A passion for machinery

In Paris, she goes from one internship to the next in order to gain as much experience as possible in the field. That’s how she joined Next Shot, a professional equipment rental agency, as a trainee scene shifter.Poster of the film Les Anarchistes by Élie Wajeman (2015)

In spite of a convincing experience, she switches to another field, and succeeds in getting an internship as a props master on the feature film “Les Anarchistes”. “From then on, I started working on short films to train myself and make myself known. The world of cinema is a microcosm, in which you have to fight for your place. I had to prove myself! And it also gave me a rather broad vision of this universe.”

A world also for women

It wasn’t until 2016 that Charlotte began working on a regular basis as a scene shifter, mainly on commercials. “It’s a very masculine world, but women have their place, I am the living proof!” In 2017, she passed her heavyweight license, “quite essential when you’re a scene shifter“, which then led to her being called on more regularly on film shoots.

Today, she still works on advertisements, notably for major cosmetics brands (Chanel, Dior, La Prairie…). “Since 2017, I also work on all the Chanel fashion shows held at the Grand Palais.”

She sometimes acts as a backup for feature films, TV movies or documentaries. “Just for the record, I regularly work with the head scene shiftet I met during my very first experience at Next Shot! So when they say that the network is essential, it’s not just talk!”

Any advice for future aspiring scene shifter?

“For those who intend to become scene shifters, I would advise them to do a lot of internships, it’s the best way to learn about the equipment. Then, for women more specifically, don’t stop at gender-specific comments, they’ll only slow you down!”

To sum up :

• Do internships at several rental companies in Paris and ask to be trained on the equipment. At Next Shot, I used to train to set up the equipment every day.
• Don’t try to become a head scene shifter right away, wait until you become a good scene shifter before you want to become a chief. Don’t cut corners!
• Pass Truck Licence and CACES Nacelle once you feel comfortable enough in the job and in driving 22m3.
• Don’t believe people who still say you can’t be a woman and a scene shifter or an electrician.