Charlotte Pochart

A passion for machinery

In Paris, she did a series of internships to gain as much hands-on experience as possible. So it was that she joined Next Shot, a professional equipment rental agency, as a trainee stagehand.

Poster from the film Les Anarchistes by Élie Wajeman (2015)

Despite this convincing experience, she then changed worlds, and managed to land a traineeship as a prop operator on the feature film ” Les Anarchistes“. “From there, I started working on short films to train and make a name for myself. The film world is a microcosm in which you have to fight to earn your place. I had to prove myself! And it also gave me a broad view of the world.

A world for women too

It wasn’t until 2016 that Charlotte began working regularly as a stagehand, mainly on commercials. It’s a very male-dominated world,” she says, “but there’s plenty of room for women in it – the proof is there!” In 2017, she took her HGV driving test, “quite essential when you’re a grip”, which meant she was called on more regularly to work on shoots.

Today, she continues to work on commercials, notably for major cosmetics brands (Chanel, Dior, La Prairie…). “Since 2017, I’ve also been working on all the Chanel fashion shows held at the Grand Palais.”

She sometimes works as a back-up on feature films, TV films or even documentaries. “As an anecdote, I regularly work with the chief grip I met when I first started at Next Shot! So when we say that networking is essential, we’re not just talking!

In conclusion

Any advice for future aspiring machinists?

“For those who are going to be stagehands, I’d advise them to do lots of training courses – it’s the best way to learn about the equipment. Then, for women more specifically, don’t stop at sexist remarks, they’ll only slow you down!”

To sum up:

• Take courses at several rental companies in Paris and ask to be trained on the equipment. At Next Shot, I practised setting up the equipment every day.
• Don’t become a chef straight away, wait until you’ve become a good machinist before you want to become a chef. Don’t rush things.
• Pass your HGV licence and CACES Nacelle once you feel comfortable enough in the job and driving a 22m3.
• Don’t believe people who still say you can’t be a woman and a machinist or electrician.