Should movie fairs and festivals be moved online?
It’s challenging to transpose a MIPIM, which usually takes place under the sun of Cannes and fits into the azure of the Alpes-Maritimes. This landscape has so inspired artists, from Chagall to Picasso, to name just these two.
We have all seen the figures, nearly 330,000 jobs affected, as described by Bertrand Biard, president of the event association defending the interests of this sector that generates hundreds of millions of euros in turnover annually in France. It is an extremely heterogeneous sector that does not stop at very large events like the Paris Agricultural Fair and Motor Show but also includes cultural festivals (Cannes, Paris Book Fair), MIPIM, corporate seminars, manager training, etc.
In short, for the first time in its history, the event industry is taken seriously by the authorities. The President of the Republic has even mentioned this sector alongside many others as one of the hardest hit by the crisis. Professionals in this community have been halted in their tracks just as the professional events season was beginning. In France, it runs from March to July, and then from September to December. Paris, a major capital city, attracts congress attendees and hosts numerous trade fairs throughout the year.
This is where things become complicated for French event agencies and all those organizing corporate events in France from the UK, Monaco, the US, or the Netherlands. MIPIM, Cannes Film Festival, Vivatech, the Motor Show, MIP TV participants also come for the setting, the French lifestyle, to meet, see, and compete with colleagues and competitors, all of which are currently prohibited. So, I pose the question:
Should we transpose professional fairs online, offer a fully digital book fair? A dematerialized Cannes Film Festival without starlets or the Croisette?
I don’t have a ready-made answer to this question, but it certainly deserves to be asked.
Indeed, it is a broad question. Can we imagine the Cannes Film Festival without the red carpet walks, without starlets, without the red carpet, without hugs at the awards ceremony? It’s not easy, is it?
First question: Is it feasible?
Clear and straightforward answer: yes. We can organize an entire film festival online today, with existing technological means, it becomes doable. Professional videoconferencing tools and the internet connection quality of professionals and individuals allow for this kind of feat. For the audiovisual sector, there are platforms like Cinando that allow deploying a whole digital infrastructure to offer screenings, master classes, film pitch workshops, etc.
However, a note in passing. This requires a lot of preparation, so yes, it’s technically feasible but necessitates much more rigorous organization than a classic award ceremony, for example. In this case, the event script would entail many more pages, columns, and technical references than a simple live award giving.
Second question: Is it desirable?
Often people do things just because they are doable. Let’s address the WHY, why organize the Cannes Film Festival online instead of canceling and scheduling it for next year?
One figure for the Cannes Film Festival: 32 million euros in the 2020 edition budget, meaning 32 million in direct losses as the festival is not insured. It’s impossible to insure the event against a threat like the coronavirus epidemic.
The risk that attendees will turn to other festivals like Toronto or Berlinale by next year. Here too the competition is fierce, a canceled edition is nearly unprecedented and very risky. Let’s also remember the battle between Netflix and Cannes last year, which refused to screen films that hadn’t had any theatrical release, not even a limited one in a handful of theaters for a week or two. Is this a first-class burial for cinema in theaters?
Concerning the Cannes Film Festival, which I’ve chosen as a case study, it has long ceased to be a popular event. I mean that the memorable moments of the Festival are strictly reserved for professionals, those in cinema—producers, directors, actors, technicians—and an army of journalists covering all the festival’s events and surrounding activities. Thus, it’s simple to grant secure IDs to accredited pros and gather them online. But what about the glamour?
We could therefore say it’s not desirable. Moreover, as I write, on March 30, 2020, the festival is postponed but not canceled for 2020. The organizers took their time to announce a potential postponement to July without giving a specific date. Cautious, then. Is this a way to give themselves as much time as possible to also work on an online version that would offer glitter and grand moments from the homes of confined Hollywood stars?
Let’s note that the film market traditionally held during the Cannes Film Festival has been seriously studied to be held solely online. At this time, the market has already anticipated possible cancellation of the festival, an event that would host no attendees at the heart of the Palais des Festivals. An utterly empty Croisette.
Already, screenings will occur simultaneously online at the end of June-start of July if the festival indeed takes place then. This market is the largest in the world and as such has always favored direct contact, exchanges over a glass of champagne, but some competing markets have long been held online. An opportunity for Cannes to modernize while saving an essential event heavily threatened by COVID-19 and confinement measures.
Moreover, it is now quite simple to give an international dimension to these major events by equipping them with remote conference interpreters but especially by involving them as early as possible in the event’s creation. For this, consulting an interpreter consultant is recommended, and this will especially allow you to obtain a viable, affordable solution that will lead you to achieve your objectives in terms of visibility and international impact.
