We went, we saw, we conquered! Our once in a lifetime experience at the Cannes Young Lions festival came and went faster than we would have liked, but we are still left with all the creativity, inspiration and motivation that it provided us all along the way.
Four members of our team had the amazing opportunity to represent Cyprus in the international event, after our soaring local double win in both Digital and Film categories, and well, the rollercoaster of emotions, adrenaline and creative enlightenment that they endured during their five days in Cannes was simply exhilarating.
Day 1:
Off to the airport ! 4 people, 6 luggages, endless snacks and Cannes Young Lions here we come! The trip was long, but the excitement kept us going all the way.
Day 2:
The anticipation was immense, and as we waited to embark on the biggest creative adventure of our lives, we took in all the inspiration and excitement that surrounded us. We proceeded to register at the Palais de Festivals and we kept checking the clock for when it was time to receive our brief for both categories and get going with our creative flow. Once we did later that afternoon, we had 24 and 48 hours for Digital and Film, respectively, to make something out of nothing. And so we began! We huddled and brainstormed and kept throwing ideas on the table, until everything started coming together. Our whole evening was spent deliberating our concepts, taglines, campaign names and mechanisms, with endless discussions and snack munchkin, in order to conclude on the best final creative idea that would represent us and our subject.
Day 3:
Submission day for our Digital team! After a long evening and some wild dreams that never let our minds rest, as we were fully encompassed with the subject of our brief, the Digital team headed to Palais de Festival where all international groups were working on their own campaigns. The place was silent, filled with concentrated faces and whispers, yet buzzing with imagination and creativity. It was time to put in the work and get to the finish line before the deadline later than afternoon, as we did. The Film team, on the other hand, were still trying to figure out the best way to fully incorporate the brief into their short film, and what would be the most easy, fast, yet still incredibly creative way to convey their messaging. The answer ended up being: stop motion video! Supplies were bought, the setting was conceptualised and visualised into our AirBnb room, the equipment was set up and so we began a very long creative process.
Day 4:
Another busy day ahead for both teams, as it was submission day for the Film team and presentation day for our Digital team! While they were memorising and practising their speech, making sure all things were on point and were fully aligned with their campaign, back at the shooting of the stop motion video, things were moving along. More and more of the film was coming together, as the tagline and text in the video finally made sense and it looked like everything was starting to click perfectly together. Before we knew it, we had our final result - which we went through a gazillion times making sure everything was edited perfectly - and it was time to submit our 48-hour invention! The creative process was over on our part, but now it was time to soak in some much deserved inspiration, as we attended seminars, such as ‘Marketing and Finance Importance’ and ‘How a Jury’s Room Decides About The Awards’.
Day 5:
Day off for both teams, which meant that we had the incredible opportunity to explore the festival and Cannes as much as we could. We had the chance to interact with so many amazing international companies, such as Reddit and Sprite, and draw inspiration from their inventive placements, as well as attend some once-in-a-lifetime seminars.
Day 6:
Our final full day in Cannes had a bit of everything. Our day started off with a hosted brunch for all the Young Lions participants, and it was great to be in a space filled with motivated individuals. And endless brunch selections, of course. Then, came the crucial moment of the announcement of the winners, and although we didn’t get to hear our names at the top of the list, there was nothing like the experience that we gained from simply having the privilege to be a part of the competition. There’s always next year, after all! After a couple of more fascinating seminars, we went to full-on tourist mode! We strolled around the city, took all the pictures and bought every souvenir you can imagine.
Day 7:
It was time to travel back to Cyprus, but our luggage was packed with so many memories that we would bring with us both personally and professionally.
We feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of such a prestigious and inspiring event. We feel so joyful for having the opportunity to represent our country and for being tasked with putting our most creative foot forward, which honestly, is what we do best! Until next time.
