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| Author | DCM |
| Categories | cannes |
The 61st annual festival of creativity, which takes over Cannes every June, is one of the few truly global celebrations of our industry, bringing together a hugely diverse range of companies, characters and campaigns.
One of my highlights is always the Film awards which close the event on the Saturday night. The Film Lions Jury President, Amir Kassaei, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Worldwide, said his team were looking for “bravery, honesty and humanity from winners.”
In keeping with this theme, rock icon and humanitarian, Bono, was presented with the inaugural Lionheart award during the final ceremony. A standing ovation welcomed him to the stage where he spoke with candour, humour and passion about his work for (Red). He implored our industry, which he called both "the creative engine of capitalism" and "the world’s thermostat" to help tackle AIDS and avoid the dangers of “compassion fatigue”.
Alongside Bono, there were many inspiring speakers throughout the week, providing unique points of view about our industry. It’s not often a programme welcomes Jared Leto, Sir Jonny Ive, Marcel Desailly, Dynamo, David Hasselhof, Spike Jonze, Fencer and Olympic Medallist Yuki Ota and Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson to the stage.
Bono receives Lionheart award
Neil de Grasse Tyson is the man responsible for discovering that Pluto is not in fact a planet. He spoke at Ogilvy and Mather’s intimidatingly titled ‘Cosmic Quandries & Creativity’ about the nature of having to constantly challenge the status quo and the perceived ‘facts’ of the universe to achieve true innovation.
In a fascinating speech, which culminated in another standing ovation, he stated that what truly creative people have in common is a persistent curiosity that motivates them to explore new ideas. He explained: “If you don’t make mistakes, you’re no longer on the frontier…the mistakes you make should be mistakes no one has ever made before.”
Dentsu Japan also hosted a session that pushed the boundaries of creativity in the traditional sense, looking at the Augmented Human, and the fusion of the creative and technological innovations in sport.
Presented by Prof. Jun Rekimoto, and supported by some impressive demonstrations by Fencer and Olympic medalist Yuki Ota, the session looked at how technological advancement can enhance sport, both in terms of performance and entertainment. Motion sensors can now be used to track athletes’ movements which can then be projected onto the screen via multi-coloured light beams to enhance the viewing experience. The conclusion was that, ultimately, technology and data can be used to scientifically evoke strong emotions in humans.
Finally, another highlight was going ‘Back to the Future’ during the SAWA (Screen Advertising World Association) seminar. This session, with speaks from across the world of cinema, celebrated the links between film, innovative technology and advertising. Digital Cinema Media’s own Head of Planning and Knowledge, Blackett Ditchburn, opened the seminar, setting the scene by looking at how cinema has evolved in tune with its audiences, embracing new technology to reflect and showcase the pioneering filmmaking displayed on the big screen. As part of the seminar, the iconic Delorean car from the Back to the Future films caused a stir when it was parked in front of the Palais.
DCM's Head of Planning and Knowledge, Blackett Ditchburn opens the SAWA seminar
Overall, Cannes Lions 2014 marked another epic week of crazy cars, inspiring content and exciting collaborations.
For more pictures taken during Cannes Lion 2014 on the DCM Facebook page click here.