The first half of this week was relatively uneventful because we were busy working on our final projects. My group had The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and our task was to create an ad campaign that would be successful in viewing the shows currently dismal ratings. My group (along with several of the others) decided to take the current events route and fabricate a presidential campaign for Noah against Trump and Clinton. We invented stupid platforms for him to endorse to draw attention to the comical nature of the current presidential race as well as draw a new millennial crowd into viewership to replace the aging, Jon Stewart worshiping fan base who no longer watch the show. Our group made a video, powerpoint, "merch", and fake social media accounts to promote the "candidacy". My role was making a political poster, propaganda pin, and fake Twitter account. Our efforts earned our group the prestigious "Canned Lion" award at the final dinner.  

Monday night a group of us got pizza at the world's most uncomfortable take out restaurant where you'll fit right in if you love creepy guys pointing and laughing and making fun of you to your face. But we sat on the beautiful JLP pier and watched the sun set which always makes a night better. Tuesday night we when back to Monaco and ate at the same expensive restaurant with the million dollar view. My food was average but seeing the amazing cars in the parking lot below was almost worth the trip. Th luxury in this city is absolutely ridiculous.

Thursday night Leila and I ventured to Marsielle to see Portugal (aka Cristiano Ronaldo) take on Poland in the the Euro Cup quarterfinals in the Stade Velodrome. The journey there went basically without a hitch and the atmosphere of the game was amazing. Everyone was chanting and so excited to be there. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done, and to top it off, Portugal won in PKs after Poland missed their fourth shot. Afterwards, we were so excited that we wanted to buy everything at the overpriced fan shop, only I couldn't because all of my cards suddenly had travel hold placed on them. Thankfully Leila had date and I was able to contact my dad and have that issue righted. We thought we had really lucked out when the train we needed to take was 30 mins late and we were able to coerce our way aboard without round trip tickets. We were wrong. The train sat in the St. Charles Station for an hour before heading back towards Cannes, and what was a two hour trip on the way to Marsielle, became a four hour trip on the way home. The train was literally inching along. Luckily, I met a friend, Loic, who was very kind and gave us gum and orange Fanta and a pillow and taught me how to say "j'en ai marre" and told me about his girlfriend and his dreams to move to Canada and start a family with her one day. Although this made the trip more enjoyable, we were still miserable exhausted and cranky when we finally reached the all too familiar Cannes train station curb to attempt to call an Uber. Our app wasn't loading so out of sheer exhaustion and desperation, we shared an uber to Juan-les-Pins with a couple of French boys at the station. I know, I know, that literally sounds like the beginning of the movie Taken but it was 5 am and we needed to get the hell home.


On Friday, we celebrated our final day in Juan-les-Pins by renting chairs at Plage Juanita. The beach and water hear was much clearer and nicer than it is at the public beach and we all kicked ourselves fro not coming here sooner. The only downside to that day was that I accidentally left my book on my chair, and one of the cabana boys took it and I was unable to get it back. After the beach, we went up and showered and got ready for the farewell dinner back in the pretty little park. My group won a "Canned Lion" and I got the superlative "Most likely to find a French husband and to win a Cannes Lion" so all in all a very successful night for me! Afterwards, Vasser and I went to an adorable shop with one of the coolest necklaces (and shop owners) I've ever encountered. Then we got some Nutella and Amerena gelato one last time from Stefano and walked about the boardwalk market where I found a cool choker. No one ended up going out on the last night because everyone had to be up early which was kind of disappointing but probably for the best. Everyone is so exhausted after this amazing trip.

Pizza, Projects, and a PK win for Portugal

The first half of this week was relatively uneventful because we were busy working on our final projects. My group had The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and our task was to create an ad campaign that would be successful in viewing the shows currently dismal ratings. My group (along with several of the others) decided to take the current events route and fabricate a presidential campaign for Noah against Trump and Clinton. We invented stupid platforms for him to endorse to draw attention to the comical nature of the current presidential race as well as draw a new millennial crowd into viewership to replace the aging, Jon Stewart worshiping fan base who no longer watch the show. Our group made a video, powerpoint, "merch", and fake social media accounts to promote the "candidacy". My role was making a political poster, propaganda pin, and fake Twitter account. Our efforts earned our group the prestigious "Canned Lion" award at the final dinner.  

Monday night a group of us got pizza at the world's most uncomfortable take out restaurant where you'll fit right in if you love creepy guys pointing and laughing and making fun of you to your face. But we sat on the beautiful JLP pier and watched the sun set which always makes a night better. Tuesday night we when back to Monaco and ate at the same expensive restaurant with the million dollar view. My food was average but seeing the amazing cars in the parking lot below was almost worth the trip. Th luxury in this city is absolutely ridiculous.

Thursday night Leila and I ventured to Marsielle to see Portugal (aka Cristiano Ronaldo) take on Poland in the the Euro Cup quarterfinals in the Stade Velodrome. The journey there went basically without a hitch and the atmosphere of the game was amazing. Everyone was chanting and so excited to be there. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done, and to top it off, Portugal won in PKs after Poland missed their fourth shot. Afterwards, we were so excited that we wanted to buy everything at the overpriced fan shop, only I couldn't because all of my cards suddenly had travel hold placed on them. Thankfully Leila had date and I was able to contact my dad and have that issue righted. We thought we had really lucked out when the train we needed to take was 30 mins late and we were able to coerce our way aboard without round trip tickets. We were wrong. The train sat in the St. Charles Station for an hour before heading back towards Cannes, and what was a two hour trip on the way to Marsielle, became a four hour trip on the way home. The train was literally inching along. Luckily, I met a friend, Loic, who was very kind and gave us gum and orange Fanta and a pillow and taught me how to say "j'en ai marre" and told me about his girlfriend and his dreams to move to Canada and start a family with her one day. Although this made the trip more enjoyable, we were still miserable exhausted and cranky when we finally reached the all too familiar Cannes train station curb to attempt to call an Uber. Our app wasn't loading so out of sheer exhaustion and desperation, we shared an uber to Juan-les-Pins with a couple of French boys at the station. I know, I know, that literally sounds like the beginning of the movie Taken but it was 5 am and we needed to get the hell home.


On Friday, we celebrated our final day in Juan-les-Pins by renting chairs at Plage Juanita. The beach and water hear was much clearer and nicer than it is at the public beach and we all kicked ourselves fro not coming here sooner. The only downside to that day was that I accidentally left my book on my chair, and one of the cabana boys took it and I was unable to get it back. After the beach, we went up and showered and got ready for the farewell dinner back in the pretty little park. My group won a "Canned Lion" and I got the superlative "Most likely to find a French husband and to win a Cannes Lion" so all in all a very successful night for me! Afterwards, Vasser and I went to an adorable shop with one of the coolest necklaces (and shop owners) I've ever encountered. Then we got some Nutella and Amerena gelato one last time from Stefano and walked about the boardwalk market where I found a cool choker. No one ended up going out on the last night because everyone had to be up early which was kind of disappointing but probably for the best. Everyone is so exhausted after this amazing trip.

St. Tropez is bae (a little rhyme to help you pronounce it right)

Today was incredible. Despite being exhausted, we got up at 8 am and hopped on a 2 hour ferry ride to the notoriously beautiful St. Tropez. The boat first took up to St. Marguerite, where we si he'd to a different, bigger boat. We were only on the island for like 30 seconds but it looked so beautiful and I definitely want to go back and check it out. The ferry ride itself was long but very enjoyable and a great way to see the beautiful French coastline (still working on my pronunciation of Cote d' Azure). When we arrived on St. Tropez, we took fumbled around with a mix of broken French and broken English until we could discern from a bus driver that he could in fact take us to a beach. We walked down a long road and were initially turned down form the first beach club restaurant we tried to go to because it was "full" even though there were only 4 people in the whole place...so we moved down the road and found a place ironically called Key West, and it was way nicer and every one on the staff was so kind and friendly (and unbelievably hot) and we had a nice lunch and water with actual ice cubes (a real luxury here) before heading out to our amazingly comfortable beach lounges. The view was truly amazing this is hands down the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. The water was freezing as usual but so clear and blue that it was very worth it to swim. I wish we could have stayed there all day it was so beautiful. But unfortunately we had to get back to the port so we didn't miss the ferry home so we had the Key West boys call us some cabs. This ended up being one of the most fun parts of the day. The cab was a Mercedes van and the driver based old Biggie and a St. Tropez rap song and opened the van doors as we flew through the town. It was so fun and we got to see a little bit more of St. Tropez. The ferry ride back was nice but I was exhausted from the sun. When we got home we got some gelato and I was in for the night. I think I pinched a nerve in my shoulder so i'm going to try and rest tomorrow.

Commercial Analysis 3: "Your Future Is Not Mine" Adidas Originals

Nothing makes me happier than seeing one of my favorite commercials of all time win big in Cannes. I first saw this commercial this spring, and instead of skipping through it, watched the entire 30 second YouTube Version and then, hungry for more, went and found the extended version and watched it several times in a row. Its strange and dystopian and the intention or story seems to be vague and completely open to viewer interpretation, much like a work of art. It is fitting that it won in film craft for original song because the music fits so perfectly with the film. Everyone in the video is wearing Adidas gear, and most of it has little to do with sports. This is very different than say the Under Armour Campaigns that also won tonight. Adidas has done an amazing job rebranding themselves in the past year or so. It's not hard to tell, look around you and you'll see it everywhere. They're apparel has become trendy and stylish and a fashion statement. Not just a company who makes soccer cleats anymore. I believe the use of this ad in conjunction with other promotional tactics such as the ties to Yeezy has redefined Adidas as a fashion brand for cool, different, original people, hence the name of the ad. They are trying to appeal to a different demographic than just athletes, but now including artists and musicians and creative minded people who value self expression. Technically speaking, I actually feel like the slightly shorter version has a better pulse, rhythm and flow with the music than the longer one, but you lose some of the amazing imagery when you cut the time in half so all in all I feel the longer with is the more complete work and was therefore the film used to analysis by the jury. It is always impressive to me when a brand can release two different length versions of the same commercial for different contexts and they still convey the same message and don't really sacrifice machine the way of content. This shows that the overall theme and overarching story line are very sound. This commercial is one of the more artistic ones I've seen in a long time which is probably why it appeals so much to me.

Commercial Analysis 2: "Under Armour Phelps" Under Armour, Droga5

This commercial was probably the most impressive of the night in my opinion. It won a very well deserved Film Craft Grand Prix because "its surpassed every individual craft category and the craft became invisible and the story came out." I'm very glad that film craft is a category for awards because the look and feel of a commercial is a huge part of its effectiveness in my opinion. The cinematography of the pieces is truly breathtaking, especially the underwater shots. A film with this caliber of photography immediately captures your attention before content or a message will. Yet that is not to say that the commercial is lacking in story at all. The alternating shots of him swimming and him struggling paired with the lyrics of the song make you feel incredibly sentimental about him as an athlete and, as any sports brand knows well, that emotional connection to an athlete wearing a brand creates emotional attachment to the company. I found myself worrying during this commercial. It was uplifting on the one hand because he is well known by all for being an incredible athlete, but on the other hand I was a little stressed about him leaving the sport and growing older and struggling to still be great. It made the work he was putting in seem that much more impressive, which in turn makes Under Armour seem more impressive. As I learned from designer Stefan Sagmeister earlier this week, all people fundamentally agree on what is beautiful, so having a beautiful ad is a good strategy to lure the viewer in. You won't want to skip a beautiful commercial, especially an inspiring one like this. The only part I didn't like was the tag line at then end, "its what you do in the dark that puts you in the life." I know that all of the commercials involved in this campaign include this, I just think it would have been stronger if they used a slight variation of it for each different commercial pertaining more closely to each particular sport or athlete. I understand the metaphor of course about how hard work behind the scenes makes you great, I just felt it was a tiny bit off in this particular commercial. But all in all I was completely blown away by it and feel it is very effective and that the campaign as a whole is very solid. It is hard to reinvent the architypal inspirational sports commercial, so striving for amazing imagery and a wise use of editing and music in post production is paramount.

Commercial Analysis 1: "Close to Home" AT&T

I had seen this ad before. But sitting there in the huge Lumiere theater, even though I knew what was coming, I was still shocked, horrified, and moved to tears when the cars collided. This commercial is not only amazing in terms of cinematography and special effects, its story line and strategy are absolutely perfect for conveying the message. It impresses me till no end how in just a fee minutes, the characters are clearly establish so much so that the viewer has actual attachment to them and it mortified at the scene that unfolds. This is due to carefully written lines that situates teacher character firmly in their role as an everyday person with a family and a future. The conversation that probably gets to me the most is the husband in the truck on the phone with his wife. The conversation about the lottery and the dinner choice is so quintessentially human and it seems so relatable you feel like this could be you or someone you know, which is obviously the point. The key to tying an audiences emotions into an ad is making them feel a connection or empathy for the characters or situation. Viewers today also demand authenticity. And the first part of the commercial is so very realistic. Right down to the crash itself, which happens so fast and without warning, just like it does in real life. Unlike in movies, theres no slo mo realization that you're about to be in a wreck. It just happens and its over just like that. Instead its the aftermath thats in slow motion, because that's the part that isn't real. That is the part of the story that cannot happen. You cannot undo the damage of texting and driving and hitting another car. There are no second chances, only first which is the massage the commercial is trying to convey. You just can't do it in the first place. This is a very admirable and effective style of advertising where the brand does not even mention their product or attempt to promote it, and instead only focuses on the harm their product can cause if used irresponsibly. We see this same trend in don't drink and drive commercials put on by alcoholic beverage commercials. It not only teaches a powerful lesson, but it subconsciously establishes in the consumer's mind that this brand cares more about their customers life and well being than selling their product. This sentimentality builds brand loyalty. Instead of shoving a product and all its cool features into an ad, this simple strategy actually seems far more effective in creating an emotional connection between the viewer and the brand. In today's society this type of ad is almost expected and necessary to run a successful campaign. Consumer's expect a lot out of the companies they buy from and so they feel better about buying a brand they feel really cares about them and is trying to promote an important message as opposed to a product. I think this ad is one of the all around best executed ones I've seen in a long time. Every single frame is iconic and it gives you chills no matter how may times you see it. I believe it will be studied and analyzed for years to come as one of the greatest ads of all time.

Festival Day 8

How can it be the last day? Although this week has been exhausting, it has flown by. We grabbed croissants and a cappuccino in JLP before heading into Cannes one last time. The talks we were most interested in weren't for a little later so we did a little shopping before heading over to the Palais. I watched the very end of a talk before heading to Samsung for lunch. I'm mad I didn't know about this earlier in the week because evidently they had this amazing setup on the rooftop courtyard of a building all week. It was a lovely set up. We had some light snacks (and a plentiful serving of a macarons) and hated with some Swedish people at our table. I'm definitely going to miss having casual conversation with some many people from interesting places.

Afterwards, we headed into Debussey for three back to back speeches. The first was called The Disruptive Power of Soft Power about the Columbian guerrilla crisis. I felt bad because I know they talk was very inspirational in terms of its social and national implications, and I could tell the speaker and some of the audience were very moved by his story about freeing guerrilla warriors from their imprisonment in the jungle, but I just struggled to understand the creativity side of the presentation. It seemed much more social and political to me. The campaign ideas were interesting, but i felt the execution was poor and somewhat unprofessional looking. I think I'm definitely starting to develop a certain advertisement aesthetic that I'm found of.

The next talk was amazing. It was called Who Needs Creative Directors Anyway? Two creatives from Forsman & Bodenfors in Sweden discussed their hierarchy-free office structure and how it fueled creativity, responsibility, and trust within their company. The argued that this model made it easier for people to focus on the work itself and the task at hand rather than being afraid of what their superior might think about it. It sounds like an amazing and fun work environment. They showed several commercials (I'm a sucker for videos during speeches) and they were all amazing. It was very cool to see a relatively small agency creating such bug, meaningful, award-winning work.

The last talk of the festival was with Blake Mycoskie the founder of Toms shoes. He was awesome. It was so inspiring to hear about his amazing entrepreneur success story -- especially because it was both lucrative AND has helped literally millions of people. Its so amazing to hear about all the good you can do with a good idea and a lot of hard work. He talked about how spending money on social causes is actually a good business strategy because it  does wonders for your brand loyalty. He, along with others this week, have opened my eyes to the joy that using your creativity to help others can bring. I'd never really thought about that side of the business before but I definitely do now. Afterwards, we got a picture with him and I tweeted it and he favorited it! And he's verified and y'all know how I feel about that haha.

Waiting in line for the award show we met an interesting man from India who had been to the festival 15 times and was serving as a juror. He seemed very interested in us and told me to come work in India and gave me his card. I probably could't see myself moving to India but hey you never know where connections might lead you. The award show was super long but the commercials were incredible. My favorites were probably the AT&T Close to Home, the Netflix House of Hards, every single Under Amour ad, Hennesy the Picards, the Old Spice ads, and of course the Adidas Your Future is Not Mine. I'm especially drawn to beautiful cinematography and craft, superior storytelling, and a clear but clever message. I love ads that make me feel a distinct emotion. It was a good way to end such an incredible week.

Afterwards we went to a somewhat stressful dinner (the language barrier is very real) then took an amusing Uber ride home to JLP to finish up our assignments so that we can go to St. Tropez tomorrow.