Marie-Geneviève Masseron, Documentarian, is one of the guardians of Disneyland Paris memories. Right now, she is also a « Magic Keeper » who brings memories back to life while also recording the present for future memories. The InsidEARS team met up with her to discuss what she and her post-production colleagues at Disneyland Paris are challenged with:
Can you tell us a little bit about your mission?
I’m part of the photo library team – which is increasingly becoming a media library – guardian of Disneyland Paris’s heritage. We organize, archive and share all the company’s photos, videos, images and graphic resources – but we are not bookworms!
We work with many teams to enhance this heritage and share it as widely as possible. We are a link between the departments that produce these materials and the departments that use them to bring the magic to life.
How has the health crisis impacted your day-to-day business?
Despite the closure of our resort, we remain busy. More than ever, the company needs to maintain the link between Cast Members, Guests and our resort. We have answered many requests for content to maintain that link and find those rare « golden nuggets » of content that will offer a new look at our architecture, nature, history, attractions, experiences and Characters. There are many topics to research because our teams are not lacking in imagination!
This temporary closure has also given our team and the production teams an opportunity to produce new content, suggest unusual angles and use techniques for shooting which are impossible when Guests are present. We want to use this chance to further record the treasures of Disneyland Paris.
Another major change has been the change to work from home. Our main tool is PixieCloud, an online (internal) platform that serves as a catalogue for all of our heritage assets. Thanks to this platform, we were ready for teleworking, but our partners needed help using it and navigating it. We spent a lot of time on this aspect of the catalogue, and in a way, the distance has helped to strengthen our relationships with our partners.
How are you and your team members doing in this unusual time?
You have to be flexible – I think this is the case for many people at the moment. Around me, I have colleagues who work on a rotation system. You welcome them regularly and accompany them when they take over projects, then prepare for their period of absence and start over again.
Luckily, we have been working together for years which has made these transitions easier, while the distance has encouraged us to strengthen our bonds as a team. Sometimes we experience a difficult day, but knowing that others are « there » if we need them is a comfort and support that helps us.
