Visiting the South of France in June never gets old. But this time around, there are some genuinely new wrinkles in store at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity (6/17-23), most notably two launched awards sections–the inaugural Branded Content & Entertainment Lions, and the Mobile Lions.
The latter’s jury president is Tom Eslinger, digital creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, who recalled a brief yet as it turns out fruitful encounter at last year’s festival with Terry Savage, Cannes Lions chairman. “I was wandering through the display area, looking through the categories and saw a lot of mobile stuff in Promo, Media, Out of Home,” recalled Eslinger. “Mobile was being shoehorned into different award categories. I ran into Terry and asked, ‘How long before you have Mobile Lions?’ Six weeks later, I got a call which led to me working with Cannes organizers in putting together a team of experts and journalists to help flush out the categories for a Mobile Lions awards section.”
This isn’t the first time that Eslinger has presided over a Cannes jury. He headed the Cyber Lions jury back in 2007.
“That was a tricky time,” he said, noting that the Cyber Grand Prix went to three winners that year: Ogilvy, Toronto, for Dove’s “Evolution”; Farfar, Stockholm, for Diesel’s “Heidies 15MB of Fame”; and R/GA, New York, for its Nikeplus.com website. “Cyber was still defining itself at that point,” related Eslinger. “What was viral? What was digital? We kept an open mind to find the most deserving work.”
Again, keeping an open mind is essential as Eslinger now takes the helm of the first ever Mobile Lions jury. He observed that an inaugural awards section is inherently more demanding and has more pressure involved in that he and his colleagues will be helping to define the category, what’s deserving and why.
“We have a good mix of judges from different areas–technology, creative and business people who have all tasted the blood of great creative and have won awards. This will make for some good debate,” said Eslinger. “My advice to the judges is to only die in the ditch for an idea that you feel deep down is worthy. What we select will become the case study films the industry will use to sell mobile–and in some cases ideas that are similar to what won.”
As for ground rules governing the healthy debate he expects among judges, Eslinger affirmed, “I want to make sure the debate isn’t about the device, isn’t just about technology. We don’t want to ultimately celebrate the technological trick devoid of an idea. At the same time, we don’t want to celebrate an idea that isn’t executed well. Cannes is about craft, ideas, originality, how well did the work perform in the marketplace. Our jury members can be searching the Internet while they’re reading about work during the actual judging process. If the idea being judged hasn’t generated any social chatter, if there are no tweets, then that has to be taken into consideration. What impact did the work have?”
Branded Content & Entertainment Bill Davenport, president of Wieden+Kennedy Entertainment, is serving for the first time not only as a Cannes judge but also as a festival attendee. An agency veteran, Davenport has stayed connected to Cannes proceedings over the years through his many W+K colleagues who have attended. He’s now looking forward to getting a first-hand look at work and developments there.
Davenport said he jumped at the opportunity to be a member of the inaugural Branded Content & Entertainment jury.
“It’s a chance to see a vast body of work and get a handle on what other markets are doing. People are talking more than ever about content, especially when coupled with social media. In pre-screening some of the work thus far, there’s such a variety of projects considered to be content. I’ve seen work that ranges from commercials to events to stunts, all seemingly lumped into the branded content category. It will be interesting to get a consensus view from the other jurors as to what branded content is, honing into what it means in the context of the category we’re judging.”
In providing that definition and context, Davenport observed that the jury will be helping to shape a new category, a prospect which also appeals to him. “I’m looking forward to the judging. I think it will be fascinating to get involved in debates over the work, and over what this new category should be and its place in the show.”
Executive producer Tom Dunlap of RSA Films also welcomes the opportunity to help shape Branded Content & Entertainment as a new category. He’s already found the preliminary screening of work enlightening. “I’ve started looking at entries and been impressed with many of the submissions. There are quite a few entries and I think this is already proving to be quite a successful new category for Cannes. It’s a surprise to see how markets are engaging with branded content–countries you might not think of as otherwise being heavily involved yet they’re turning out some notable work. In researching, I’ve learned about different countries and their rules about branded entertainment, how marketers, agencies and producers are working within government regulations to create content, how they deal with certain restrictions but don’t let them get in the way of producing something entertaining and engaging.”
Dunlap got the judging gig as a replacement for Mary Lisio, sr. VP, non-fiction and branded entertainment at Scott Free Productions, a sister shop to RSA.
“Mary and I collaborate quite a bit in that most of the branded entertainment we’ve seen has been nonfiction related,” said Dunlap. “I tap into her expertise at Scott Free. She also comes from an advertising background and worked at Wieden back in the day. I was glad to step in for her at Cannes.
According to Dunlap, Lisio had to bow out from the Branded Content & Entertainment jury due to her involvement in developing and producing a National Geographic miniseries, Killing Lincoln, based on the book of the same title.
Noted commercialmaker Adrian Moat (who’s handled by RSA Films) has been tabbed as Killing Lincoln director. Scott Free, Lisio and Moat earlier teamed on Gettysburg (for the History channel), which last year won four primetime Emmy Awards, including the statuette for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.
Film Craft Lions While the Branded Content & Entertainment and the Mobile Lions are brand new, the Film Craft Lions competition is just entering its third year. SHOOT caught up with a couple of 2012 Film Craft jurors–Diane Jackson, executive VP, director of integrated production at DDB Chicago, and Michael Sagol, founder/executive producer of Caviar, Los Angeles.
Jackson noted that the Film Craft Lions have afforded more of an opportunity for agency producers and heads of production to be represented as judges at Cannes. If any have served in the past prior to the formation of the Film Craft Lions, they have been few and far between.
“I view it as a huge honor to be part of the jury,” said Jackson who sees a bit of a balancing act in judging Film Craft. On one hand, she observed, you have to detach the craft from the idea so that you can judge a craft like cinematography for instance on its own merits. On the other hand, you have to assess how the craft helped make the idea what it is as executed in the final piece of work.
At press time, Jackson had already viewed quite a volume of work, helping to pare down entries to be considered at Cannes.
“The pre-screening means that when you get to Cannes, you will be looking at the best of the best,” she said. “This gives you the time to have a dialogue, to debate and to really work as a jury.”
Jackson expects lively debate among jury members. “I’m looking forward to the in-room banter–and to the different perspectives and cultural context that judges from different countries will provide. We will have quite a global presence in the jury room,” she noted, citing Film Craft Lions judges from the Czech Republic, the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Norway, Japan, Spain, Germany and India.”
Like Jackson, Sagol is a first-time Cannes juror. “This will be my ninth or tenth year at Cannes but I’ve never seen all the work,” he said. “I’ve seen the winners, much of the short lists but now is my chance to sit in a room and soak all the entries in. For me, that represents a real treat. As a filmmaker, it’s a great opportunity to look at my peers’ work around the world, to voice my opinion, to hear others’ opinions.
“In Film Craft,” continued Sagol, “we’re looking at a level of excellence that we as filmmakers strive for. I’m honored to be on a jury chaired by [director] Ivan Zacharias [of Stink, London]. He will help to shape and develop this category–now just in its third year–even further. It will be interesting to see what tone he sets for the jury, and how all the judges respond to his leadership.”
Cyber Lions Rei Inamoto, chief creative officer of AKQA, now embarks on his second tour of Cannes judging duty as he will serve on this year’s Cyber Lions jury. His first Cannes judging stint was in 2010 on the Titanium & Integrated jury. He sees a common bond uniting both gigs, which he simply described as “the experience of being inspired by the work as well as by other judges.”
Part of what inspires Inamoto is his search for the creative holy grail. “I’m looking for advertising that is not advertising. I’m not looking for the best ad but seeing the very best ideas that become advertising.”
He’s also searching for surprises. “Cannes is on the later side of the awards season so you’ve seen some of the work already at ADC, One Show, Clios. But because of the scale, scope and size of Cannes, there’s a reach out to so many international markets that you can still encounter wonderful surprises, creative gems you haven’t seen before.”
Plus Cannes provides the opportunity unlike any other show to gain much needed context for those gems and other notable work.
“You not only uncover pieces of work from other countries but there are judges who are from those countries who can provide creative and cultural context as to why a certain piece works, why the creative strategy was so spot on. You learn nuances and subtleties in communication that are valuable. These are insights you wouldn’t normally get elsewhere. It makes you a better judge and more appreciative of deserving work and the cultures they came from. It can also help to make you better creatively in your day-to-day work.”
Film Lions Geoff Edwards, co-founder and executive creative director of DOJO, San Francisco, said the role of Cannes judge is one he’s “coveted” for years. Like Inamoto, Edwards appreciates the chance to gain cultural context for the work that’s being judged.
“I’m on this year’s Film jury which has representation from every continent, which I find exciting,” said Edwards. “You can learn about cultural elements that delve into why something was created and why it works. When you understand the ‘why,’ deserving work can resonate for you. It’s this kind of cultural knowledge that helps you connect with great creative worldwide.”
In that vein, Edwards said he is personally looking forward to meeting Film jury president Tham Khai Meng, worldwide chief creative officer of Ogilvy & Mather, and chairman of Ogilvy’s Worldwide Creative Council. “I have a great deal of respect for him and his work. I’ve admired his work for some time,” said Edwards. “To be able to work with him on the jury is a great opportunity and I think it will be a worthwhile experience. Discussing work with him, interacting with the best and the brightest who are serving on the jury is what it’s all about. I look forward to the debate, the tussles that go into helping to define this year’s winners, the work that will ultimately deserve the Grand Prix.”
Edwards affirmed, “It sounds corny but Cannes Lions and Grand Prix honors are the most prestigious communications awards in the world. What I like beyond that though is not only does Cannes recognize innovative work but the Cannes Festival itself continues to innovate. Every year they continue to surprise with new categories, moving into new areas, evolving as the industry has evolved beyond the traditional and taking into account all the new content forms and platforms that are taking hold.”
Preparation for judging is considerable, continued Edwards, noting that he’s already looked at a significant volume of work ahead of his sojourn to France.
“It’s a trial cleanser to the main event. We’re weeding out some of the entries we won’t be considering in the jurors’ room and previewing what we will be deliberating over and discussing. I’m familiar with a lot of work in the states. I’m very much a student of what is out there. But some of the international work is coming across my desk for the first time–Africa, Dubai, Europe and China, along with descriptions that help you understand the thinking behind the ideas. The international work is what excites me, opening up new possibilities. That can’t help but to advance you creatively and artistically.”
Michael Canning, sr. VP/executive creative director, Leo Burnett, New York, is equally enthused to be on the Film jury.
“I love Cannes. It’s all about the best ideas, setting a benchmark of creativity and thinking regardless of place of origin. That’s why Cannes is such a huge source of creative inspiration for the industry. And you’re seeing many more clients now coming to Cannes, which makes it even more important.”
Relative to the Film jury itself, Canning related, “Film is always an interesting category but it’s become even more so as a project might start as a TV or cinema spot and find life on other screens. Being able to see how film is used across multiple screens makes the category all the more fascinating.”
Adding to the fascination for Canning is being able to discuss and deliberate with fellow judges the merits of varied work.
“The conversation, getting first-hand cultural context for work, is something I’m very much looking forward to experiencing.”
Canning can bring context from the both the United States and Down Under. After a successful tenure at Leo Burnett Sydney, he relocated stateside last year as part of the core team launching Leo Burnett’s New York office.
