Open-air cinema and professional baccalaureate meet in Souillac. Nine students orchestrate a screening and a 100% local meal for 150 guests, the concrete outcome of their end-of-year project.
Since 3 p.m. this Thursday, Place Betz in Souillac has gradually been transformed into an open-air cinema. Under the still very present sun and in an atmosphere that is both stressed and excited, the nine final year professional baccalaureate students in marketing and catering services at the Quercy-Périgord hotel trade school are finalizing the final preparations before the start of the session scheduled for 8 p.m. Tables and chairs to set up, projection space to prepare, service equipment to check, organization of the food truck… everyone knows their role.
“We have been thinking about the project since the beginning of October”
After months of preparation, their project will finally take place. This outdoor movie night is not just an event they organized. It is part of an official professional baccalaureate test, called “masterpiece project”. The principle is simple: imagine, build and manage an event from A to Z, as they might be required to do later in their profession.
And for these students, the work began a long time ago. A very long time indeed. “We have been thinking about the project since the beginning of October,” explains Maëlys Garnier, head of the coordination-logistics center. Every Tuesday, several hours of classes were devoted to organizing the evening. And for two weeks, the pace has accelerated further. “We even did an hour from time to time during our breaks to move forward,” she slips. From the start, the students decided to focus on a friendly evening around the open-air cinema, in the spirit of the popular screenings of the 1980s. To carry out the project, the class was divided into three groups. Noa’s group managed communication, Sarah’s group took care of the catering and Maëlys’ group took care of coordination and logistics. A real professional organization.
“At the beginning, we didn’t think it was really going to happen because it was still grandiose,” admits Maëlys. She was the one who had to manage the meetings with the town hall and the entire organization with Ciné Lot. Despite the stifling heat of this May day, the student keeps smiling. “We’re especially going to be hot because we’re dressed in black,” she jokes. “But afterward, it’s going to be a blast because it’s our last moments of the year all together and what’s more, we’re prepared so no stress!”
A 100% local meal and a behind-the-scenes film at a reception
In the center of the square, the food truck arrived around 4:30 p.m. The students imagined a “rustic fast-food” restaurant, with local products: charcuterie board and seasonal vegetables, revisited sandwich with duck breast and rocamadour and old plum ice cream for dessert. We are therefore on a 100% local meal to match the relaxed atmosphere of the evening. The film which is shown around 8:30 p.m. is “The Sense of the Party”, a French film which fits with the event because it goes behind the scenes of the organization of a reception, enough to remind the students of their own preparations.
Meanwhile, Tiago rehearses his role for the evening. He will be responsible for welcoming the spectators, seating them and answering their questions but also serving once everyone is seated. “I can’t wait because there will be our families, which makes the moment even cooler. And then in two weeks, the year is over, so now we just want to enjoy it.” During the evening, 150 people (which was the limit) will be able to taste the local meal prepared by the students. A short distance from the start of the evening, stress gradually gives way to excitement.
