shots Awards: TVC Of The Year (upto 60 seconds)

With the winners for November's shots Awards already announced we take time to talk to the gold winners, Andreas Nilsson, Phil Crowe (ECD, The Mill LA), Gustav Johansson (Director -UN World Food Programme 805 Million Names), Zak Razvi (Best New Director, Jordanne) and Stéphane Xiberras (CCO and president, BETC Paris, Canal+: The Stone) about their awards and the secrets behind their creative success.

TV Commercial Of The Year (Up To 60 Seconds): Canal+ The Stone

What was the spark for the concept of The Stone?

Stéphane Xiberras [CCO and president, BETC Paris]: Since we wanted to tell a story about technology, it felt logical to turn towards science fiction. But then, once there, we just can’t resist making silly jokes! Luckily it works well for Canal+ as it’s really in their brand to not take themselves too seriously. The creatives found an ending that we hope is funny and unexpected.

Canal+ has a rich history of great advertising; can it be daunting to continually have to come up with great ideas?

It’s inevitable that some campaigns will be better than others. We always try to do our best and to keep that typical Canal+ spirit, for over 10 years now. Our film, The Bear, was such a success that, ever since, every campaign that comes out is compared to it. I suppose that’s normal though.

Can you tell when you’ve hit on a great idea and all the pieces are falling into place?

I think it’s very important to have a good idea on paper. Thanks to [CD] Olivier Apers, [copywriter] Lucas Bouneou and [art director] Sophian Bouadjera, we had that. But then it’s really important to remember that it’s the production that finally will add value to your project. It’s not until you’ve found the perfect director and format that you can say, “well now, we have a chance of creating something good!”

BETC has worked with Canal+ for some time; how important is the trust built up between you when working on a new project?

It’s absolutely key. We really work hand-in-hand on the campaigns and if we didn’t it wouldn’t work. At least not for this long.

What did director Antoine Bardou-Jacquet bring to the project?

Antoine was absolutely crucial. It was him and the production crew that suggested we shoot in Iceland, which was a great idea. As we didn’t have a lot of time for CGI, the lunar landscape really helped, in a natural way, to give the film that sci-fi feel.

What was the hardest part of putting the commercial together?

Lack of time is always stressful in these types of productions. Antoine is very meticulous and wanted it to be like a proper feature film trailer. The more credible it would look, the more surprising would the ending be. It seems to be working!

Apart from The Stone, which other Canal+ ads rank among your favourites?

I have a lot of affection for both The Bear and The Closet, which today, years later, still make me laugh.

How does it feel to win the shots Awards TVC of the Year (up to 60 seconds)?

We are really proud, of course! And hopefully it’s a good, hmm... signal... for the rest of the year!