[LUM#3] From grain to image

[LUM Magazine] - Published on October 4, 2016 in Enhancing Your Education, Faculties, Schools, and Institutes

From Corsica to Alsace and from the Loire to Italy, Marie Houlonne travels the roads of France, from estate to vineyard. This filmmaker, who specializes in the world of wine, recounts the vintages and terroirs, capturing the gestures of the trade and the soul of the wines.

Equipped with several cameras, she roams the sun-drenched vineyards and delves into dark cellars. From vines to barrels, Marie Houlonne is on the lookout for the visual identity of wine estates. Her job? A filmmaker specializing in wine. "I make promotional videos of the estates that are used on their websites or social media," she explains.

Before arriving in the world of image, Marie Houlonne worked in economics. A career change? "More of an evolution." With the same passion as her guiding thread: wine."I discovered this world when I was a student at the Faculty of Economics in Montpellier, doing an internship at Château de Flaugergues," she recalls. The young woman fell in love with this environment and wanted to learn more about it.

She then turned her attention to a master's degree in Wine Trade, which allowed her to familiarize herself with oenology and winemaking and led her to a position as export manager in a winery that was just beginning to expand internationally. She developed exports to Northern Europe and Asia. "This experience in commerce led me to question marketing and communication in the wine industry, and I wondered what I could bring to this field that was new."

In the privacy of the wine cellars

With a photographer husband, the idea was obvious: it would be images. But animated ones. "I trained in video to start my own business." It's an unusual profession that only a handful of people practice. And Marie Houlonne has a winning advantage: she knows this world inside out. "When I meet a winemaker to prepare a video presentation of their estate, I know their profession, their world, their consumers, and their market," explains the director.

This knowledge allows him to better understand his clients' expectations and forge special relationships with them. "I am genuinely interested in what they do. We become part of the family, part of their private lives; these are real encounters." Encounters that are multiplying: in two years of activity, Marie Houlonne has already shot more than 40 reports, making her the most sought-after director in this sector. Her success has transcended borders, allowing her to take her camera to the vineyards of Tuscany, Italy. Having successfully exported wine, Marie Houlonne now happily exports herself: "Travel and discovery are part of my life."

Keywords: Training, LUM#3, LUM Magazine, Portrait