LIA has chosen Charlotte Lepot, Executive Producer, DIVISION, Paris, as this year’s jury president. She began her career at Partizan in the 1990s, where she cut her teeth as head of music videos. From that debut, she has worked on unforgettable music videos for headline music acts such as Daft Punk, Air, Radiohead, Kylie Minogue, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Bjork, U2 and many more. Since joining DIVISION, Charlotte has continued to innovate and evolve the industry with the films she produces for both fresh young directors and acclaimed filmmakers such as Michel Gondry, François Rousselet, Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, Alex and Martin, Quentin Dupieux, Jon Watts and Valentin Petit. In turn, she has been internationally recognised.
Lepot commented, “It’s a big responsibility and a huge honour to stand as the Jury President for these categories. I’m thoroughly looking forward to the enlightened and passionate discussions we’re going to have about this year’s films. Discovering, discussing, learning and sharing with incredible jurors is really my passion! I’m always curious to see what’s next and get inspired by the greatest films from all around the world.”
“It has been said that a good execution can improve an idea. But a poor execution can downgrade a good idea. Obviously, having both is the ideal combination. That has been proven time again,” LIA noted.
“This year marks the 40th anniversary of Apple’s renowned 1984 TVC by Chiat\Day to launch the Apple Macintosh. Most advertising experts considered1984 the greatest single ad and arguably the most famous Super Bowl commercial. Even more impressive, for a commercial that was only broadcast once. About 43 million Americans saw the ad live during the Super Bowl. At the end of the commercial, the two announcers of CBS could only say, “Wow! What was that?” British movie director, Ridley Scott, was hired to direct the script created by the agency. Scott was the auteur who had brought the dystopian future to the big screen with films like Alien and Blade Runner. It was reported that this TVC was shot in a week and at a cost of less than a million. Reportedly, Scott accepted the budget constraints because he believed in the ad concept. Having Scott on the team brought production to a different level. He made it looked filmic because Scott said they were making a film. Scott was devoted to authenticity, and it began with the set design through to casting, to even subtle sonic touches like a coal whistle. It was Scott’s 60-second cut that went on air frame-for-frame. That’s the power of a great idea with great production.”
Barbara Levy, president of LIA, stated, “There are so many commercials that we love. We can watch them over and over again because there is something so magical and special about them. Their concepts are brilliant, but their executions brought them to a whole other level. And it is all the talented people who were involved in the production and post-production that we have to thank for giving us those films.”
Meet LIA’s 2024 production & post-production and music video jury:
- Charlotte Lepot, Executive Producer at DIVISION, Paris – Jury President
- Shoko Akutagawa, Freelance Creative Producer, Tokyo
- Ingrid Bragemann, Founder / Global EP at Tantor Films, Santiago
- Nikki Chapman, Production Partner at FCB London, London
- Emma Daines, CEO of Fin Design + Effects, Sydney
- Jonathan Davies, Managing Director of The Mill, London
- Caleb Dewart, Managing Partner / Executive Producer at Hungry Man, Culver City
- Alberto Lopes, Executive Director / Partner of Vetor Zero, São Paulo
- Vic Palumbo, Chief Production Officer / US at Special Group US, Los Angeles
- Brandon Pierce, VP Executive Creative Director at Artists Equity, West Hollywood
- Nick Simkins, Executive Producer at FINCH, Sydney
- John Spary, Managing Director of John Spary Associates / Mad Cow Films, London
Jury members, from around the world, will convene in Las Vegas for LIA judging. All rounds of judging are done onsite at the Encore-Wynn Hotel. Every judge is required to see every piece of work in their respective category. These juries decide on the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Statue Winners, as well as the finalists. Each panel, at their discretion, also decide on whether a Grand LIA will be awarded.
As there is no off-site pre-judging, all judges are fully involved right from the beginning to the end, so everyone is privy to the final results before they are published.
Judging in Las Vegas commences on September 29 and will be completed on October 7, 2024.
