FLORE Cosquer is a project manager at the Scottish Documentary Institute in Edinburgh, a research and production centre based at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh.
She submitted this on Thursday, September 5.
What exactly is it that you do?
My role is to manage the training documentary programmes (Bridging the Gap, Interdoc) and the industry events (The Edinburgh Pitch, Docs in Progress) run by Scottish Documentary Institute. I am also involved in the production arm of the Institute, SDI Productions, as production manager.
Working across most of the Institute’s projects is highly stimulating and definitely keeps the routine away.
What did your working day today or yesterday comprise?
We’ve just opened the call for Bridging the Gap, our short documentary initiative nurturing and developing Scottish-based new talents. So, today has involved some outreach work, promoting the initiative and helping people through the submission process, as well as sorting some more practical organisation matters. And a touch of admin work.
How different or similar is your average working day to when you started?
I’ve been working for the Institute for almost four years. I am probably doing things quicker now, which gives me additional time to try and improve the management of the programmes and be more involved on the creative side.
How do you see your job evolving?
I remember dreading that question when I had the interview for my job! I have no recollection of the answer I gave at the time… The Institute offers a very creative and supportive working environment, so everything seems possible.
What gives you the most job satisfaction?
Having the opportunity to work both in production and training. It helps keeping the excitement about documentary intact. You meet a lot of people and get stimulated, challenged all the time. The training side forces you to keep an open mind and always question your choices and decisions, whether practical or creative. It feeds your production work and is especially rewarding as you feel you are doing something very concrete to help people.
