CANNES: The NDS Feel the Reel

Ex-worldwide creative director, Bob Isherwood, dreamed up the NDS in 1991. It took moments for the industry to realise he had hit on a brilliant way to unearth the directing talent of the future. Twenty years later, it is Cannes’ live theatre highlight, fuelled by the talents of the world’s top technological and creative innovators. And a showcase for some of the most groundbreaking technology.

Saatchi & Saatchi has been coupling emotion with technology for the past few years through the NDS, and that has led to this year’s Feel the Reel theme, conceived by Saatchi & Saatchi creative, Linda Weitgasser and Alex Sattlecker. It’s an all new experiment in which the Showreel becomes the hero and S&S’s Lovemarks ethos plays a central role.

Audience interaction plays a big part in this year’s NDS. 2,300 people in the audience will wear a sensory wristband using a brand new emotional technology platform ‘XOX’ created by Studio XO – the fashion technology company represented by Juliette Larthe of Global Creative Production Agency PRETTYBIRD. Studio XO’s XOX captures human emotion with its wearable technology, and this is projected back at them through data visualization created by visual artists, Marshmallow Laser Feast and Berlin collective, Elektropastete. The ‘feelthereel’ identity was created by Mark Farrow and Gary Stillwell at Farrow.

Tom Eslinger, worldwide mobile and social director, commented: “Aside from a fantastic collection of directing talent, the wearable technology lets the audience co-create the event for the first time simply by watching. The theme, and what will be created by the audience and technology also fit beautifully with our business and filling the world with Lovemarks. Mobile, and particularly wearables, is a focus for Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide – we published my book Mobile Magic this year and have created mobile ideas for clients for over 10 years. The NDS allows us to test and learn at scale, while creating the most fun and visual live user test ever. The panels and people at Cannes will be talking about wearables and mobile and social and UGC and co-creation: we will be combining that all together in a very cool live event.”

THE DIRECTORS’ SHOWREEL:

The Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Creative Board, with creative direction from recently appointed worldwide creative director, Pablo Del Campo, made a final selection of 19 films by 18 directors.

Andy Gulliman, Saatchi & Saatchi worldwide film and content director andcurator of the NDS Showreel commented, “We want to be introduced to a new generation with a fresh approach and attitude. We want to find young talent that can manage a traditional format and stand out from the crowd. We want to give great work great exposure.”

This year the reel has an eclectic mix of music videos, animated shorts, humour, erotica, surrealism and the grotesque. Directors on the reel come from Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Switzerland, UK and the USA. There are some viral hits on the reel, including Tatia Pilieva’s First Kiss, and Alberto Belli’s spoof HBO trailer, It’s Not Porn. And video clips like Josh Cole’s Not Giving In for Rudimental.

The 18 directors selected for the New Directors’ Showcase reel 2014 and their films are:

Tarik Abdel-Gawad Box

Alvise Avati Beans

Alberto Belli It’s Not Porn

Simon Bonde & Peder Ghost of a Smile

Ian & Cooper Joel Compass ‘Back To Me’

Josh Cole Rudimental ‘Not Giving In’