Two experienced Archive Producers from France and Germany exchange on different workflows and challenges. What are the differences and similarities between German and French productions? What were the international industry’s most important developments during the past year? What can we expect in the next few years?

A discussion on how Archive Producers tackle a project during each phase of it. What services do Archive Producers exactly offer? How to best plan a project with them? Archive Producers help find the right footage for your story, negotiate rates, check technical needs, scope of rights, and legal permissions. From historical film footage and news programs to clips from the latest blockbusters, they organize your rights clearance and budgets.

Camille Carlier first worked at ARTE and later France Télévisions. She then continued at FOCAL International as the Awards, Events and Membership Coordinator. Today, she lives in Paris and works at Le Chaînon Manquant (The Missing Link), a sourcing, research, and clearance agency. Therefore, she can explain how some Archive Producers are freelancers and others are employees of companies. Camille is a member of PIAF (Francophone archive producer association), an expert in international rights clearance and production risk assessment for documentaries, commercials, fiction, exhibitions, and video games.

Vanessa Christoffers-Trinks is located in Cologne/Germany and has been working as a free-lancing archive researcher/producer in Germany and internationally since 2007. Over the years, she has built up an extensive database with over 400 archives, filmmakers, cameramen, museums, and other institutions. Being a director herself, she can approach a topic from the filmmaker's PoV, while maintaining the necessary distance and keep an eye on costs. She sees herself as an interface between directors and production management. Vanessa is a founding member of the German association of Archive Producers GRAP (founded in 2022)