“So mama don’t take my Kodachrome away” Paul Simon
Yeah, I know, everyone has been referencing this song.
Maybe because it’s easy.
Mostly because it was true.
A good friend of mine was the photographer for a major global advertising account, that shot in every exotic location you could imagine. And every possible light condition you could encounter.
The film he always used, of course, was Kodachrome. K64 to be exact.
Oh, he’d filter it, clip test it, push or pull the ASA (that’s what we called ISO then) and use Nikon F2 and F3’s to expose it all. Being way before 9/11, the customs situation was not that much of an issue.
Once back in the states, he would hunch over his massive light table, loupe in one hand, bringing each mounted frame up to his eye for the edit.
And there were thousands of frames.
Once the final edit was sent to the ad agency, they used these images for everything from a matchbook cover , to a massive billboard.
The grain structure of those 35mm frames held, for the whole range of sizes. Beautifully. The power and quality of that film stock was unmistakable, and unquestionable.
I still have sheets and sheets of select K64 images, and boxes and boxes of full sessions, and of course, slide reels of these beauties.
They still look great. Those far off places still feel exotic.
Kodachrome was not really marketed to the pro as much as the amateur. It had a sweet leeway of exposure which was very forgiving.
Things were not always as automatic as they are today, but cameras did have some suggested exposure based on full sun, cloudy , shade or indoor lighting.

The richer, brighter, colors were perfect for the family photos, even as the culture only allowed certain elements and genders to appear so.
Come vacation time, that set of rules went away, as all of the accoutrements of a work-free environment, stood for fun.
No blackberries, unless you were picking them and eating them. Apple products were put into pies.
Dad didn’t bring his laptop to “be in touch”, and face time was used, instead of facebook.
I’m not judging here. My family rarely picked blackberries.
But someone always had a camera.
So it is with a slight sigh, that we say goodbye to Kodachrome, as Kodak made their announcement, last Monday, that production would finally cease after 74 years.
I haven’t shot with it for years. there is only one lab in this country that will process it.
However, it has gone the way of the dodo. Except with a lot of memories in it’s wake.

The giveaway this week, is a book of tribute to that emulsion.
Americans In Kodachrome definitely pays tribute to the family, and the visual history they all created, with a common paint palette. Like all art, whether it is high minded or vernacular in scope, each artisan, or craftsman uses the paint differently. Different brushes, different subjects, different canvas.

“Introduced in 1935 as the first modern color film, Kodachrome was used extensively after World War II by amateur photographers equipped with the new high-quality and low cost 35mm cameras. Americans in Kodachrome is an unprecedented portrayal of the daily life of the people during these formative years of modern American culture and is comprised of ninety-five exceptional color photographs made by over ninety unknown American photographers. Conceived as a book and nation-wide exhibition, Americans in Kodachrome 1945-1965 is an evocative and haunting portrait of a historic generation of Americans.”

I’ve ordered a copy of that book to send to one of you and hopefully it will be delivered to us soon.
If not, another book on the Kodachrome subject : Kodachrome: The American Invention of Our World, 1939-1959
, will be substituted.
Another change this week is that the NEWSLETTER will come out on Thursday, not Weds.
Sorry, just putting together some new stuff, and came back to office later then I thought.
So sign up for the NEWSLETTER, now that you have more time, and look for details on getting this free tribute to Kodachrome, included in that email.

Say, how did anyone feel about the advertising business coverage last week?
we have a few more vids we’ll share with you coming up and want to see if it’s too much off mark, or there is some interest.
Post a comment or email us privately.
Thanks.

It has been an amazing week of screening work, checking it online, powerful seminars with the smartest people on the planet, and seeing our friends from previous years, at the 2009 Cannes Lions Advertising Festival.

Toss that all together onto the Riviera, and you have a pretty solid festival.
Even with the numbers down both in entries and delegates, the even has been one of the richest in years.
The work has been selective and the Lions organizers made sure to schedule high quality seminars every day, all week.
As a matter o fact it has been the seminars which are the big draw, with massive line-ups for each.
Kofi Annan, Bob Geldof, Spike Lee, Miami Steve Van Zandt, Roger Daltry, and the top marketing minds from the interactive and advertising business.

more photos after he jump Continue Reading »

Well , we are seeing the crowds beat a steady rhythm around the Palais (fancy term for the convention center) flocking to, and exiting, the seminars en masse. And you can see the seminars for yourself, for free, @ canneslions.com. A first for this event. And you should take advantage of it, just for the information given by some of the best minds in the marketing world.
The screening rooms are a little less populated, but the titanium and integrated sections appear to be booming. If all of that sounds like a language you can’t understand, go to this site, Cannes Lions, and it will be made clearer.
The main thing we are noticing is the chatter about the new economy and how everyone will fit into it. Or not.
It is generally agreed that the massive layoffs at the agencies are jobs that just aren’t coming back. Not that personnel won’t be needed when things pick back up, but not the positions that have been eliminated. It will all be leaner and meaner to be sure, and the skill sets required are just being figured out. And the seminars seem to give folks some comfort in figuring out what may be next for them.
If you have been fully immersed in the digital space, it’s not so much new info, as a confirmation.
A smaller crowd, but incredible insights.
by the way, this campaign just won the Grand Prix for outdoor advertising.

And smoothies by Liquidchefs.
Watermelon and basil smoothie,

sounds bad, but tastes great!.

And if you didn’t want the freebie T, Uniqlo had an exclusive line for to purchase. Or bring back as gifts ” My boss went to Cannes and all I got was this crappy T-Shirt”. No, they didn’t really say that.

and just a quiet moment on a pier. You need one of those every now and again.

Before we go, here is your daily video.

So goodnight from the Lions! see you tomorrow!

..to the 2nd day of screenings and seminars at the Cannes Lions Ad Festival!

The crowds came into the Palais to check out the shortlist for the print/ poster/and outdoor awards, and managed to fill the space nicely.

People were in at 9:00AM sharp to see who made the cut. this is a fraction of the crowd.

But it was the seminars that had the buzz.
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, had people climbing onto to stage trying to talk to him. Total rock star status.

If you have already been working in the Twitter space there was not a lot of new info, but if you are trying to get a handle on it, you can check out the presentation on-line

The new Schematic touch wall brought a sense of Minority Report to the scene, as a chip embedded into your delegates pass, caused you to be recognized by the wall, and you could search, connect and have informational emails sent to yourself, via a wall size touchscreen.

And we, of course, had some of our favorite print work:

Obamacain from Grey NY

from Istanbul, DDB produced this series of ads for Witte Mulen Bird seed with the line” turn birdie into man’s best friend”
Very funny.

Monday agency in Bangkok , had series of 3 ads for a karate school.

What a perfect way to illustrate the Nikon’s ability to recognize up to 12 faces, in the Where’s Waldo kid of adult ad from euro RSCG, Singapore.

Look, I’m not an art director or copywriter but these ads stood out to me.

A little more rain tonight, but seems like the Gutter Bar will be hopping again.

By the way, the Great Schlep, with Sarah Silverman, won a gold lion tonight!

See you tomorrow!

……or least into Cannes. It’s been pouring for a few hours here, but not many of the delegates got wet.
Why?
Well, for one thing, attendance is trimmed way back this year, at the Cannes Lions Adfest 2009.
I heard almost 40% . And the entries are also down for the most part, but the glass half full news is that it is easier to see all of the work being considered by the judges. Plus people were more selective about what they entered. So less IS more.
But seriously, the rain gave way to a sweet Riviera balminess after 3 hours.

And the new media or integrated or titaniums or whatever you want to call an advertising campaign that fully embraces WEB.20, has been a real hit here.
If you think that making a :30 spot is the last word in advertising, you know by your own usage of the web, that it just isn’t true.
The traditional commercials are not going away, nor are they dead. The structure they are based on, fund the rest of the work.
But the advertising campaigns that invite you interact on so many levels, are where the future has been and is evidenced here at the Cannes Lions Adfest.
Even the audience median age told the story: the young creatives flocked and filled the integrated rooms, while the older school hit the commercial rooms.
Everyone will see it all, we promise you, but that first blush, the initial date, showed where the love was.

one of the many rows of display panels waiting for the short list of work.

Tomorrow we get to see the press and outdoor work, which is mainly the photographic work being judged here, and in a few nights we’ll see who takes home a Lion.
We did get a chance to look at all of the entries online.


Say, does this look like a famous photogs work with the initials JG?

Some of the work required photoshop skills of a master, while others just required you to design great shot.

For me, the integrated campaign on Human Trafficking, from Amnesty International was perhaps the most impactful including ebay auctions for people. Just search the work portion of the site to pull it up.
And another campaign let viewers get interactively involved in a love story, going as far as your choosing the placement of the 2 people at specific spots so they can meet and tryst, which I will find or you.

Overall though, a great start to the festival with the co-founder of Twitter speaking tomorrow.

OK, off to bed for now.
Or maybe one last one at the Gutter Bar…..
And now, here is your daily video: