The GreenShot: Ecological innovations for your film productions

TheGreenShot
Interview with Véronique Pevtschin

Véronique Pevtschin, who are you?

I am the co-founder and CEO of TheGreenShot. There are four founders, Max who is the location manager and inventor of the concept and who started in 2018, Thierry who joined Max very quickly and manages all the development. As for me, I joined the adventure in 2020, at the same time as Catherine, our eco-responsibility expert. And I was involved in the launch of the commercial structure, TheGreenShot in June 2021.

This date is not trivial, because Annette, the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 was one of our pilot films. Leos Carax encouraged us to enter the market at the same time as the film's presentation and this was obviously an emotional moment for our budding team in July 2021.

With an engineering background, I have spent the last 15 years in the field of cyber security for a large Italian company. On a more personal level, I lived in the region of Puglia, whose economy was hit very hard by Xylella, the olive disease. This concrete realization of the earth and its problems, led me to TheGreenShot - to put IT at the service of the climate. I participate in the strategy, in the setting up of our partnerships, in the creation and management of the team and in the financial resources.

Why did you choose Paris Region?

After creating our first office in Belgium, we immediately turned to Paris Region for two reasons: Paris Region has taken a proactive turn towards eco-responsible productions, and this positioning offers great opportunities for TheGreenShot.  TheGreenShot team has been growing very fast. From 4 employees in June 2021, we now have 18 employees 16 months later and three employees in France. In 1990, I had a first experience creating a company in security and human resources, for which we also created an office of 15 employees in Paris Region. I already knew all the potential of this Region.

Our setting up has accelerated thanks to our Solar Impulse label - indeed, in March 2022, TheGreenShot received this label which has opened the doors to many collaborations. It was on this occasion that we met the Film Paris Region team, which enabled us to concretely confirm our choice of Paris Region.

What is TheGreenShot's DNA?

Our DNA is simple in that we want to facilitate productions at all levels, for every team member, for administrative departments, for management, for financiers, for insurers. 
In concrete terms, facilitating means reducing stress levels, lowering financial risks and accelerating eco-responsible choices.

Every day, productions have to face new challenges - we help them not only to manage them, but also to anticipate them. TheGreenShot is one step ahead of these challenges - we've gone 'real time carbon' in 2019, with an inclusive app in 2020.
At a time when a CSR approach is paramount, large companies should not be left to manage this issue alone. Productions are extraordinarily complex environments, with mobile teams and nomadic locations. In order to give creativity full rein, we need to protect our productions as much as possible from complexities and support the teams in order to reduce the stress and pressure they face.

Eco-responsibility should not be experienced as 'an additional constraint' but rather an opportunity for positive change. 

It is this deeply human-centered DNA that guides us.

What are the innovations that TheGreenShot offers?

•  The first innovation – we provide a web and mobile solution that accompanies each technician in his or her life on the set or in the studio. It is an all-in-one application that covers the contract, working hours, expenses, accommodations, locations and so much more. And he or she will be able to keep TheGreenShot in their pocket even for productions that have not been chosen yet. For technicians, our goal is to help them during filming and also to manage all their administrative work - the history of each of their missions stays with them.  And their carbon footprint too.
• The second innovation – we capture filming data, and also interface to other budgeting, accounting, and planning applications and we provide real time financial budgeting. So no more delays - you can decide to change in the middle of filming with the real figures in hand. Not only do we reduce the time required for manual data entry, but we also provide up-to-date financial tables that reduce the risks of each production.
• The third innovation – Using production data, we can continuously calculate the carbon footprint.  Without any additional work. It is no longer a question of calculating 'post-mortem', but of seeing this footprint, and 'experiencing' it when it is generated or when choices are made. And it is very granular - at the level of an individual, a team. Do you need to choose a means of transportation? You can compare two possibilities within the application. Do you need to choose a supplier? The same applies. This 'real-time carbon' approach is totally innovative - and we are expanding it every day.  For example, we are working on an algorithm that will allow us to anticipate whether a location or a studio filming will be more or less costly in terms of money and carbon footprint. Responsible choices for which we also know the cost.
• And the fourth innovation – Our work on automation allows for detailed carbon reporting with less work.

Today, we have a totally open platform, which is connected with complementary solutions - just to name a few - Oovizz, Xotis, Workflowers, MovieMagic, Klimate in order to deliver workflows that make life easier for productions, teams, CSR managers, and environmental managers. And above all, audiovisual professionals in the field.

You won an innovation award in 2022, can you tell us about that?

In December 2021, we won the Makers and Shakers award for ‘production tech innovation’. An important distinction because the jury is made up of a worldwide panel of judges from the profession - American, New Zealand, English and European. And this award is a recognition of our main innovation - facilitating the carbon footprint by generating it not after but directly during a production, automating as much work as possible to generate the different certifications. 
And thanks to the educational component included in TheGreenShot, improving progressively each person's level of knowledge about eco responsibility. 

Who are the professionals who call on you?

Obviously first of all the green managers who have a huge job ahead of them and whose task we make easier. In planning, because they can prepare the production, insert the suppliers and solutions they recommend, quickly identify the people they will be in contact with. During the production, they can communicate permanently with their relays on the ground, take pictures, share the tip of the day. This avoids the 2 to 3 weeks that are often spent afterwards on preparing an eco-responsible report and realizing that information is missing. After the production, to quickly prepare the final report - in the required certification format.

Production companies that are either switching to an eco-responsible mode for the first time or that have experimented with it and know the complexity and extra cost of the work. In this case, our application and its administrative time reduction allows for real savings. This is also where they discover all our operational features, which allow for financial management as well as contributing to their CSR commitment.

There are also professionals in the field. Once a production has used TheGreenShot, field professionals moving to their next production call us and ask if TheGreenShot will be available on the next production. We have launched the free SOLO version for them.

Finally, major platforms and studios also request our services. For example, we were chosen by the new studios on Vancouver Island that will break ground in 2023 for all of their productions - a contract we were very pleased to sign because the developers of these studios had sought and analyzed solutions on a global level.

Which service is the most requested by the professionals of the sector?

You chose the right word - 'service'. Audiovisual professionals are looking for real support. We have identified two strong trends. The first one is obviously how to approach eco-responsibility in a concrete way, while at the same time keeping room for creativity which is the foundation of their profession. We are responding to this trend with a combined solution and service offer. Provision of green managers or team members in partnership with market professionals or in some cases with our internal team. With TheGreenShot as a work management and facilitation platform. 
The second trend is the problem of multiple solutions - we see studios or large production companies using between 7 and 10 applications, often with no or poor connectivity between them and causing additional stress. In this second case, we use all the possibilities of TheGreenShot via our interfaces. Again, we have a combined offer with our customer advisors who do a great job - in three meetings, each advisor takes an inventory with the customer of the solutions in place, and how the insertion of TheGreenShot will allow for a fully integrated and most importantly, real-time updated production process. In this scenario, TheGreenShot is the missing link to streamline a range of solutions or processes in place. That's why we announced our partnerships with Oovizz and Workflowers at SATIS, and there will be major new integrations in 2023. 

Which is the most innovative and eco-friendly?

TheGreenshot en version SOLO. Nous sommes les seuls sur le marché à proposer, The SOLO version of TheGreenshot. Starting in January 2023, we are the only ones on the market to offer TheGreenShot app totally free of charge for every production professional on an individual basis. With the carbon footprint tracking in real time and history for each production in which the professional has worked.

This application offers three components: a practical component to reduce the time that a professional spends in his or her administrative management, a carbon component to see his or her carbon footprint at any time, and a knowledge component that includes our '1-minute, 1-tip' subscription. It is a free subscription to our eco-responsible feed that provides concrete information. To deliver a mini-dose of useful and eco-friendly information every day.

Eco-responsible training courses are increasing and are extremely useful - our role is to complement them with a continuous flow in order to continue this learning in 1 minute per day.