A streamlined 65th edition of the Festival which will run for five days
More than 650 delegate passes given away free as part of new Young Lions initiative
New opportunities to celebrate the work throughout the City of Cannes and beyond
A simplified awards structure will remove 120 sub-categories from the Lions
Price freezes and money-saving packages give attendees more certainty on expenses while they are in Cannes
Cannes Lions has launched the 2018 Festival of Creativity, with important changes to the delegate experience and awards structure.
The 65th edition of the Festival will run for five days, from Monday 18 – Friday 22 June 2018. A streamlined Festival and a simplified award structure will bring much greater focus to each Lion, truly recognise the best work and deliver it to the biggest audience – ensuring delegates benefit from the highest quality content programme and make the most of their time in Cannes.
As a result of the reorganisation:
Changes to the Lions:
The Cyber Lions, Integrated Lions and the Promo Lions will be retired
The Brand Experience & Activation, Creative e-commerce and Social & Influencer Lions will be launched as part of the new architecture
The craft categories within Print, Outdoor and Design will be removed from their respective Lions to be judged by a specialist Industry Craft Jury.
Commenting on the 2018 Festival, Philip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Events said, “This is an especially important launch for us. We have spent a lot of time talking to the relevant people to make sure the Festival is not only as aspirational as possible, but to also ensure the sentiment behind the Festival is fundamentally founded on the work and those behind it. We have held lengthy discussions in order to curate an updated Festival that puts the creative content back at the heart of Cannes Lions.”
Following on from conversations with the City of Cannes, the first in a series of exclusive benefit packages for Festival attendees has also been unveiled. Alongside capped taxi fares and expanded free Wi-Fi facilities along the Croisette, hotel prices will be frozen for 2018, and fixed-price menus will be on offer exclusively for Festival badge holders at more than 50 restaurants.
Speaking about the new benefits package, Jose Papa, Managing Director, Cannes Lions commented, “Our customers made it clear that they had a significant issue with the affordability of the city of Cannes, and we shared this feedback with our city partners. The response from the city, and from the Mayor David Lisnard’s office has been fantastic. These new delegate benefits make it possible for attendees to budget for the Festival more accurately and effectively, with genuine money-saving measures.”
Next year’s Festival also marks the introduction of a new initiative aimed at nurturing global young talent across the industry. One Young Lions delegate pass will be given free to every office which entered more than 15 entries at the 2017 Festival, totalling over 650 free places for the Festival in 2018.
Commenting on the Young Lions scheme, Jose Papa said, “As representatives of the future of the industry, it’s vital that young creatives get to experience Cannes Lions and can take advantage of all the learning, inspiration and networking on offer. This new Young Lions scheme will welcome a new generation of young creatives to the Festival, while at the same time recognising the agencies and creative businesses who enter the awards.”
Throughout the five days of the Festival the City of Cannes will play host to the best creative work and awards shows as they spread beyond the Palais. Submissions and award winners will be displayed on screens on the beach and around Cannes, creating a much bigger role for the work in the overall Festival experience.
Next year’s Festival will also mark the first time that every awards show will be available to view for free on all major platforms. As usual, all winning work will be published on the Cannes Lions site.
Speaking to the impact of the plans for the 2018 Festival, Philip Thomas said, “Change has always been part of Cannes Lions and the innovations we’re introducing for 2018 mark an exciting new phase in the story of the Festival. Some of the effects from these changes will be felt immediately, while others represent the start of a longer transitional journey. But what they all have in common is that they refocus the festival and ensure that Cannes Lions continues to be the leading global event for the world’s creative communications industries for many years to come.”
Passes are already available to purchase through the Cannes Lions website.
Source: Cannes Lions
UAE cinema chain Reel Cinemas has been undergoing a revamp of late, with The Dubai Mall cinema now home to 14 transformed screens with Dolby Atmos surround sound and Barco Flagship Laser Projectors. Together with the four existing Platinum screens, Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall has 18 operational screens in total.
The cinema’s new look is rather FUTURISTIC – offering guests a complete digital journey. From self-service machines for ticket purchasing and F&B orders (the cinema no longer features a traditional box office and candy bar), to a social wall and a curved digital poster wall, Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall aims to set new standards for cinema chains across the Middle East.
The cinema at The Dubai Mall has also upped its refreshment offerings through new partnerships, where cinemagoers can now get their hands on gourmet burgers, pizzas, cookies, cupcakes, pancakes and a wide range of hot and cold drink- including Karak Chai.
The second phase of the cinema’s renovation is presently underway, and once completed, Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall will house approximately 26 screens with a seating capacity of over 2300 seats.
The cinema chain has also launched UAE’s first movie pass membership – available to cinemagoers in Dubai.
For Dhs79 per month, or Dhs199 for three months, members get access to unlimited screenings at Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall. Though only applicable to standard cinema screens, members can use their pass every single day of the week.
There are limited memberships available, and early members also get discounted rates for a limited period. All members enjoy 10 percent discounts off Reel Cinemas F&B, and memberships are active until December 31 2018, with payment of monthly renewal fees.
In order to get a ticket for a screening, members need to visit a Reel Cinemas ticket counter within 90 minutes of the film’s start time, and present their Unlimited Membership card. Unfortunately, tickets cannot be booked online
Visit Reel Cinemas for more information. Motivate Val Morgan is the official cinema advertising partner of Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall. Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities at these two locations.
Sources: Reel Cinemas, Arabian Business and Time Out Dubai
From filming in the cold weather of Austria to the hot climate of Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi, director Ali Abbas Zafar says the upcoming Bollywood blockbuster Tiger Zinda Hai has been shot in extremely challenging weather conditions.
A crucial sequence in the action-thriller, starring superstar Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, was shot in the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi. The recorded temperature on the days they shot was 50-degrees Celsius, a statement said.
“Tiger Zinda Hai required a certain scale of desert in the film and Liwa provided that. Temperatures were soaring and as we shot action sequences with a moving car here, the conditions were extremely challenging,” said Ali Abbas Zafar.
Zafar added that the film’s unit stood by the local vision and that “the local crew in Abu Dhabi were also very supportive.”
Tiger Zinda Hai – slated for release on December 21 in UAE, is a sequel to the 2012 spy-thriller Ek Tha Tiger.
Zafar also praised Hollywood stunt director Tom Struthers who has choreographed the action sequences for the film.
Tom Struthers is known for his work in films such as The Dark Knight and Inception.
“Tom is a master of high-octane action sequences and for Tiger Zinda Hai, his brief was to create action that is both larger than life and yet, realistic. He has delivered sequences that will stay with audiences for a long time,” said Zafar.
The team shot a schedule in Abu Dhabi, which featured choppers, jets, army vehicles and heavy artillery from the army.
“We had to create a lot of explosions for the film. We’ve blown up fifteen vehicles, of which four are moving vehicles. One of them was a 40-tonne truck which made a lot of noise when it blew up. What was difficult to make, actually feels beautiful to watch now,” said Struthers.
He added that the action in the Bollywood film is on par with that in any other film he has done in the past.
Watch the trailer below:
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on advertising alongside this Bollywood blockbuster.
Source – Gulf News (Tabloid)
Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas is set to invest AED1.2 billion ($330 million) through a series of acquisitions, organic expansions and a commitment to customer experience.
VOX Cinemas has secured 23 new locations, opening progressively over the next three years, with 2018 set to be the company’s most aggressive year yet, when it will open 16 locations with a total of 145 screens spanning seven countries in the MENA region.
The company said recent joint ventures in Oman and Bahrain have anchored the company as the region’s largest cinema entertainment provider.
This year’s expansion into Africa with Mall of Egypt in March and Qatar in April led the Middle East expansion, with further new cinemas in Bahrain and Kuwait opening in the next six months. New cinemas will also launch across the UAE.
Cameron Mitchell, CEO for Majid All Futtaim Cinemas said: “We are continuing to extend our unique offering to more movie lovers by doubling our screen count to over 600 across seven countries in the Middle East, creating more than 1,500 new jobs across the region by 2020. Recently, the company expanded its film distribution interests through a new partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film across the region, and we are currently reviewing opportunities in film production for 2018, rounding off our vertical integration plans.”
Mitchell added that the company expanded its customer base by 50 percent in the last 12 months, expecting to end the year with 18 million visitors.
“We are excited to bring our branded concepts to several new locations, including Majid Al Futtaim’s City Centres Sharjah, Al Zahia (UAE) and Sohar (Oman), as well as in Al Ain and on Palm Jumeirah.”
Motivate Val Morgan is the official cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas.
Source: Arabian Business
Director Zack Snyder and cinematographer Fabian Wagner shared a pair of cool new photos from behind the scenes of Justice League. The ensemble actioner from DC and Warner Bros. is less than two months away from its wide release, and with the new trailer that released over the weekend, anticipation has reached fever pitch.
Snyder went right back behind the cameras to continue DC’s curiously unnamed cinematic universe after 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, while Wagner is making a major leap to work on his first big-budget feature film.
That doesn’t mean Wagner totally lacks experience as a cinematographer for big productions. He is coming off his acclaimed work on Game of Thrones, earning an Emmy nomination for his cinematography on the pivotal season 5 episode “Hardhome”. He proved his ability to create sprawling visuals with that episode, which locations like Iceland provided in abundance for he and Snyder to make Justice League. Wagner gave fans a taste of how epic some of the shots in the new film will be in his latest photo from the set.
Check out the behind-the-scenes glimpse at Justice League below, via Wagner’s official Instagram account.
It reveals a shot of what is presumably Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne surrounded by mountains, staring off into a large body of water. The location in question is the Westfjords, a large peninsula in Iceland that was confirmed as a filming location over a year ago. In addition to Affleck, several Aquaman cast members were involved in the Iceland-shot scenes. As Wagner mentioned, filming wrapped in the location almost a year ago.
Snyder also shared a photo of himself on the set via the social network Vero (h/t Batman-News). You’ll notice that Snyder is using a camera that’s painted pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which he first used on the set of Batman V Superman. You can also see that a chilly Snyder was prepared to get wet if he had to, in order to get the best possible shots.
Wagner described Justice League as the “biggest and most fun job” of his career, and it would be hard to argue otherwise. Regardless of how fun the film was compared to Game of Thrones, Justice League was almost certainly the most expensive production yet for him. The official budget is unknown, but it likely falls between Aquaman’s $160 million and Batman V Superman’s $250 million. It’s known that Wagner employed a similar visual style to Batman V Superman, which original cinematographer Larry Fong (unsurprisingly) described as “incredible”. This newest photo from the Iceland set shows that those scenes will surely boast some amazing views.
Don’t miss out on aligning your brand alongside this MEGA blockbuster – guaranteed to usher in large audiences.
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities.
Sources: SCREENRANT and YouTube
Commissioned by Motivate Val Morgan – market leader in cinema advertising across the Middle East, Ipsos – global market and opinion research specialist, recently conducted a study to decipher movie-going audiences and measure the effectiveness of cinema advertising in the UAE.
The report, Cinema 360: Audience, Advertising and Movies, examines the following:
1. Cinemagoers: habits and preferences
2. Cinema vs TV and Digital Mediums
3. Movie genre insights for specific audience targeting
The study validates the distinctive power of cinema as a medium for entertainment and advertising: premium first-run content, delivered to a captive and engaged audience, in an impactful environment, can deliver significant uplift and value to advertising budgets.
Access the reports below:
Executive Summary, Methodology and Overview
Key Findings and Takeaways for Advertisers
The Art of Shaving – a sought-after brand in the UAE, booked 2 Cinema Activities at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, for a period of 1 month through Motivate Val Morgan.
The activities are as follows:
The Art of Shaving is also one of the global sponsors of the movie Kingsman: The Golden Circle – which released in cinemas on September 21. International Markets Leader of the brand Asad Raza Khan said, “The Art of Shaving is proud to be associated with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. This association symbolizes the coming together of two concepts which completely believe in the perfect gentlemen and what is needed to become one.”
The Art of Shaving was established in 1996 in New York and was acquired by P&G in 2009. The brand is the top complete male grooming solution, offering products in Skin, Shave, Hair, Body, Face and Beard Care. The brand also introduced a top quality Fragrance line earlier this year.
Dedicated to providing the best overall grooming experience for men, The Art of Shaving arrived in UAE earlier this year, with its first two shops at City Walk: Phase 2 and Dubai Festival City. The brand is also present in select Paris Gallery outlets – including The Dubai Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall.
Check out their website for more information on products and services.
In Screentalk #112, we indicated that June 2017 saw a 20% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to June 2016 (based on the first two and a half weeks of the month). However, with admission figures in hand for the whole month, June 2017 has in fact seen a 47.4% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to June 2016.
Three movies that contributed to the increase in admission figures in June 2017 include:
The three movies are presently sitting at 9th (Wonder Woman), 12th (The Mummy) and 17th (Transformers: The Last Knight) spot in UAE’s Top 20 Movie List for 2017.
Additionally, July 2017 has seen a 79.4% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to July 2016.
Three movies that contributed to the increase in admission figures in July 2017 include:
Please Note: all three movies are presently screening across cinemas in the UAE and sitting at 4th (Spider-Man: Homecoming), 10th (War for the Planet of the Apes) and 19th (Dunkirk) spot in UAE’s Top 20 Movie List for 2017.
With GREAT lineup of movies slated for release over the months ahead, there’s no better time than now to advertise in cinema. Don’t miss out on reaching a diversified target audience.
Contact a member of our Sales Team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities over the months ahead.
Source: MVM Analysis
Over the last 38 years, Motivate Media Group has built an unrivaled reputation as a provider of premium content and media solutions.
Building upon this, Motivate Connect – the Group’s in-house content marketing service provider, exists to help partner brands communicate and interact with their customers and stakeholders through the delivery of tailored multi-platform content.
With 75 percent of all internet traffic in 2017 predicted to be video, content marketing has become the group’s most popular and fastest-growing service.
The team at Motivate Connect – comprising of videographers, writers, editors and producers, create social-friendly and sharable YouTube, Facebook and Instagram videos, corporate videos, branded content, as well as animations.
The service includes everything from idea conception and story generation, scriptwriting and storyboarding, to production and post-production.
But don’t just take our word for it!
Check out their showreel below:
And here are some cool videos they have recently produced:
Contact Chris Capstick from Motivate Connect (Tel: 04 427 3412) for more information.
GroupM-owned interactive TV, the largest player in theatre advertising of cinemas in India, commissioned a study, to better understand the moviegoing audience. The study’s findings , in a report, ‘At a Theater Near You’, suggest that cinemas provide an ideal environment for relevant storytelling to the most captive audience that is young, premium and affluent.
Be it Manyavar, the men’s clothing brand, or Vicco Vajradanti paste, chances are that consumers will recall the brand names and jingles from one of the ad films played in cinema theatres and not from TV ads, says a study. Even if cinema, as an advertising medium, is small and hardly gets 1 per cent of the total annual advertising expenditure, brands are realising the power of this medium as third-party monitoring systems get launched.
GroupM-owned Interactive TV, the largest player in theatre advertising of cinemas in the country, has for the first time carried out a study across top eight metros to understand and decipher the movie-going audience. And the findings of the report, ‘At a Theater Near You’, suggest that cinema halls provide the most captive audience that is young, premium and affluent.
“We have tried to figure out who this audience is, why they watch the movies and what are their other habits,” said Ajay Mehta, managing director at Interactive TV. “This is arguably the first ever such study and makes for a fascinating read, it will help to answer any questions that advertisers have had but not been able to get answers to, regarding the audience profile, their behaviour and their consumption habits. We think advertisers will find this very useful in planning their campaigns,” he said.
“Being the leaders of cinema advertising in India, we are trying to make cinema more transparent and accountable,” Mehta said. According to the report, almost 57 per cent of the total population are cinema-goers who watch movies in theatre at least once in six months.
More importantly, 71 per cent of these cinemagoers are in the age group of 15-24 years. Also, 61 per cent of the total moviegoers come from the affluent class, NCCS A. Interestingly, it’s not the popularity of movie or stars anymore (39 per cent) that attracts moviegoers to the screens. Movie-going has become a habit for many families and 61 per cent people go to screens out of habit or to spend time with their families.
The most important point from an advertiser point of view is that 50 per cent of this audience is open and willing to consume advertisements before the start of the movie and during the intermission. Over half of the respondents (50-60 per cent) have said that they pay more attention to theatre ads and find them more interesting than TV ads. Moreover, average consumers reach the movie hall 15 minutes before the show time, which allows enough and more branding opportunities for the advertisers to engage with consumers who are also digital savvy.
“In today’s world, it is not about the 30-second-TVC anymore. It’s about relevant storytelling across diverse channels,” said Siddharth Banerjee, EVP — marketing at Vodafone India. “Depending upon the objective, we now have a plethora of channels to tell a story with more relevance and contextuality than ever before,” he said. According to Banerjee, in cinema, advertisers have the ability to deliver a targeted marketing campaign with speed, shown in pre-selected geographic areas, targeting specific weeks and movies to suit their target audience and marketing campaign calendar.
“This medium helps us to reach out to a core audience which could be hard to engage with meaningfully, otherwise. The younger audiences are heavy users of Internet and cinema. Cinemagoers in the age between 15 and 34 years are heavy users of Internet, therefore, combining cinema with digital can help to target this younger demographic in very interesting ways,” he said.
Banerjee said his company seeks learnings from this research to plan our cinema campaigns even more sharply to help deliver on brand and business objectives. Saujanya Shrivastava, Group CMO at GoMMT (Goibibo and MakeMyTrip), said, “cinema is an important communication medium for consumer brands like us.”
Sources – SAWA and The Economic Times (India)
