Ben Welsh’s Cannes Diary: Day One & Two
Ben Welsh, ECD at M&C Saatchi, Sydney is a judge on the Cannes Lions Outdoor jury. Welsh, is giving daily insights to this year’s judging for Campaign Brief Asia.
Last year, on my way to Cannes, my iPhone slipped out of my pocket and into the British Airways business class seat. I wondered what the crunching sound was and why it wouldn’t go as flat as it should, then I started wondering where I had put my phone.
At the end of the trip, the co-pilot managed to removed a tangled web of barely recognizable parts and I was reunited with what was left of my iPhone. This year I have arrived in Cannes with my iPhone, but only just.
Two days ago, while walking along the Seine, I was accosted by two very animated young men, who were waving petitions and saying “Excuse me, excuse me, speak English?”
Before I knew it, I felt an emptiness in my breast pocket where my iPhone had been. With a calm that was totally out of character I said; “excuse me can I have my phone back” and took it from under the chap’s board before walking off, leaving the two arguing. This all happened in front of my wife who was very impressed.
Paris was cool and overcast. The sun is shining here and the old and leathery are collecting on the Croisette. Judging starts tomorrow, but tonight we have a jurors’ dinner at The Carlton (yes, very posh, but no Hermes beach towel this year). I know a couple of members, Aussie expat Sarah Barclay(pictured left) and a bloke from the Philippines.
Our jury president is Tony Granger. (Do I ask him about Paul Fishlock?) The air traffic control union called a strike yesterday and the railways have come out in support. Three of the six jury tables are empty, but apparently, they are all on their way.
DAY TWO
Day one of judging.
We start without 4 jurors who have apparently arrived in town. Terry Savage welcomes and briefs us. We are assured that no block voting has happened in the past. Tony G. adds his thoughts then we are divided into three groups and given 38 folios with some 1300 bits of work to go through. It’s a bit like drinking tequila, but instead of lick, sip suck it’s scan, scan, scan, scan; yourself, the folio, the work, the score.
After 2 hours and 15 folios my head hurts, which is a bit like drinking tequila. Very little of the work is great. Some has been crafted to within an inch of its life, but is somehow familiar. I feel sorry for the poor bastards who have spent so much of their lives on something that’ll never be great. The lost jurors have turned up.
We stop for lunch and get a brief glimpse of the yachts and cruise ships in the bay, then it’s back to work. And more average work. Loads and loads of posters telling me not to text and drive, with too much copy to read while I’m driving; a lot of the posters are more like print ads. Perhaps they will do better in that category.
The last six books are craft categories, something new for this year. Immediately I find myself scoring higher numbers, as the craft is generally pretty good. The lion’s share is illustration (4 books) with one on photography and another on copy.
By 5.15 I scan and score my last ad. I’m getting sent pics of work from various places around the world and being asked for an opinion. So far no promises of any favours. Time for a rose.