Subtitle: Between Glamor and Responsibility: A Call for the Ecological and Social Transformation of Cinema
Source d'image : SoudObjectif
Twenty-four steps that all look the same, under the magical sound of "Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saëns, and this since the first edition, the composition of the famous "Aquarium" evoking a world of fairy tales created to make people laugh without falling into childishness. It was impossible to separate the history of music from what my eyes observed.
Glitter, euphoria, and the public are ready to do anything for a photo with a star. And there were few stars compared to the thousands who parade on the red carpet in the hope of being seen by journalists, who would potentially shine a light on them. It's a true zoological fantasy.
Questions followed: how much did this scene bring in? How much does it cost in terms of budget? What are its human, social, and environmental costs? Tens of thousands of professionals came from all over the world for a few days in a world that is warming up at high speed, leaving us with no other option than to change our economic and societal lifestyles. What social phenomenon pushes all these curious people to wait hours for a photo that has potentially never been taken? It was curious. In reality, you have to start by telling how the festival takes place, or better, the climb up the steps.
Cannes will have 73,990 inhabitants in 2024, with a post-COVID increase of +8% after the crisis. This regional movement is well known and has been studied recently. During the 12-day festival, 80,000 film industry professionals, 4,000 journalists and around 20,000 films submitted. For this, a stock of 71,546 housing units, of which 35% are three-room apartments, is planned. Of these accommodations, 7% are vacation homes, and 40% are second homes. During the festival, prices are far beyond the means of most people. Hotels, for their part, have their reservations blocked one year in advance.
On the steps of a red carpet, I changed three times daily to preserve the feet of international celebrities standing out from completely different worlds. The world of stars, to whom the flashes, the press and the rise are reserved as a priority; secondly, high-ranking professionals: big names from the media and the corporate world who wait patiently, often more than an hour, to climb the steps. "Selfies" are prohibited, objects in hand (handbag) too, it is better to wear black (to go more unnoticed), and you have to go up quickly after everyone. And the third group, the noisiest but less visible: the public, capable of spending hours, faced with all kinds of bad weather, waiting to see with their own eyes, for a few seconds, a star. Less than 0.5% of these brave people will ever climb these steps.
As for the people of Cannes, where are they? They do not approach the Croisette and pray that the "folklore" or, better, the carnival ends. When observing them, this question comes to mind: who pays for all this? Unsurprisingly, The festival has an estimated economic cost of 1.7 million euros daily. That's 20.4 million for the entire festival, primarily paid for by the taxpayer – you and me. It is the Ministry of Culture, much singled out, which finances via the CNC, the Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and the Council of Alpes-Maritimes. For the rest, it is large groups like L'Oréal, Canal+, BMW and Renault, the last two of which are, in this case, involved in scandals concerning the carbon impact of their activities, which are the sponsors. The red carpet is for Porsche and BMW, two non-French companies, also involved in similar scandals. We walk on the head.
In the final count, the benefits are 200 Million. But how are these figures shared? And how real are they?
The festival represents 10% to 15% of the annual revenue of Cannes hotels. But what are these hotels? "Official" representatives:
Emmanuel Caux — Majestueux Majestic — 52-year-old Parisian — Groupe Barrière
Bruno Oger — 45-year-old former Majestic
François Chopinet—Carlton: Currently, the palace belongs to the Lebanese (under the fortune of Toufic Aboukhater).
Michel Chevillon — Croisette Beach
Pierre Bénard — director of Thales Alenia Space
Marie-Pâques — liqueur producer
Alain Fabre — Casino Barrière and Prince Croisette
Robert Van Kerkhove — Belgian entrepreneur, VDK Group, which boasts of owning 70% of the Croisette
Visualizing the genuine parts of the territory's SMEs from these 200 million is difficult.
If this also benefits small restaurateurs and hoteliers, it could be managed in a different, more responsible, more efficient way, both economically and socially. This amounts to a profound questioning of tourism and the events market – the economic model of an industry necessary for the national economy. However, the period and common sense invite us to this reflection. Is maintaining events like the "Cannes Festival" profitable and responsible?
Environmental Issues and Impact
Although the numbers presented here are accessible as simple calculations, they are the same as those in mathematics and physics, and specific so-called "complex" numbers are essential to the equation. What is the environmental impact of this concentration of people in figures?
What is the amount of CO2 generated by the plane journey of these professionals, who create the CO2 of one person in a few days in a year? Who has the right to pollute so much?
What is the security cost of such an event in a context of central geopolitical tension where the terrorist threat is omnipresent?
What is the figure for the generation of plastic from these events, and what is the actual figure for recycling this plastic? What happens to plastic that is not recycled? What is the impact on public health due to the CO2 generated by the event?
These are variable, complex figures that require more time and data, to be precise, but the estimates are violent, requiring imperative action. Considering these hidden figures, if the "Cannes Festival" is called into question here, an entire event and tourism logic are called into question. Of course, the event creates necessary economic value for the national economy. But more is needed to make up for our generation's challenges, requiring adaptation.
Possible Approaches
The Film Market, an event within an event, brings together more than 210 countries represented by small producers who invest significantly financially and whose dream is to find their place in this industry. The event generates more than a billion euros and is presented in a hybrid format. Partly online and partly in person. It is designed so everyone's addresses and information are easily accessible on the event platform. Live transmission by videoconference is already in place, and there is the possibility of networking as soon as contacts go online. So why keep it face-to-face?
Concerning the climb, it is already clear that the worlds do not mix. So, what is the point of continuing to transport artists who, beyond climbing stairs, have no interest in coming together? Great filmmakers also have modern ways to network with actors worldwide if they feel like it. The prestigious context is then only an interpretation of the truth.
I am pleading for an evolution of the events market, in this case, the Cannes Film Festival, towards a polycontinental event where all activities can develop similarly on different continents and be transmitted instantly, thanks to technology. This would keep its glamour and its performance quite the contrary. Setting up an event of this scale on a multi-continental basis would allow cinemas to once again establish themselves as a market carrying ideas, innovation and technological performance. This would make it possible to enrich the red carpet walks through geographical proximity to reduce the carbon impact and the social impact of the event, giving power back to the inhabitants of Cannes in their territory. This would also reduce the risks linked to terrorist attacks. By lowering event costs, we could allocate the budget of the Ministry of Culture, currently intended for the event, to causes necessary for the culture of new generations in priority neighbourhoods. Live transmission of the event would make it possible to democratize access without extinguishing its glamour. Direct transmission to cinemas would invite people to return to the cinema for a pleasure outing during the 12 days of the ceremony, giving access to this event to young people disinterested in art, for whom the Cannes Film Festival is only 'an event heard one day.
All these social, environmental and security advantages should be weighed when deciding the event's continuation. The cinema market needs a significant adaptation. To adapt, as Emmanuel Durant would say, "is to enter a hybrid era", that of the public practices of audiences, that of a new cinephilia, in a digital environment which calls into question the industry and the film since its creation through to its production and its distribution and broadcast circuits. Cinema is not at its best, and the various risks facing the industry (including social media and platforms like Netflix) invite a timely rethinking. It's the same for the events market as a whole.
The innovations brought by immersive technologies have the potential to provide the cinema sector with a strongly differentiating positioning about the new uses of audiences in the context of the development of the platform offering. This is a promising perspective that certainly explains the presence of extended reality within the most influential film markets. XR (Extended Reality) and the immersive technology market present themselves as an opportunity for this change. The possibility of creating a festival to which people do not need to travel is an unparalleled opportunity. With its great economic potential, the film market does not need to be abolished, but its mode of realization can be reconstructed differently. Through virtual rooms — this is already the case. So, let's democratize it.
Suppose the broadest definition of the market can present it as a place of exchange. In that case, the economic and sociological approaches project different transactional and relational perspectives. From the point of view of economics, the market is a meeting point between supply and demand, which allows for the formation of a price within the framework of a transaction (purchase/sale). This place can be created in parallel on different continents with less impact. Moreover, this new event model could benefit the general public more, like the art market, which functions around actors such as galleries, critics, auctioneers, curators, collectors, and teachers of art schools. This would create more economic and social value at a lower cost. Even if this is not real at the technological level, it can develop. We have brilliant engineers who would be delighted to work on a project of this scale if the political will supports it.
Today, faced with competition from platforms that offer instant content consumption, accessible at any time on a tablet, smartphone, computer or television screen, the challenge is to make the theatrical release an experience strong and memorable using all the technological innovations available. In this sense, a polycontinental and immersive Cannes Festival has an undeniable appeal for offering a truly differentiated offer from current high-impact consumption.
From a public policy approach, additional questions could arise, such as: what to do with hotel revenues? Or are intermittent entertainment workers active in these events? Or are even companies involved? Let's answer partly, but let's not be fooled: companies are often the same. The markets move very little. Concerning intermittent entertainment workers, the state will have to mobilize for this category, which has been crying for help for a long time, with aid coming from a larger budget that should intervene within the framework of the national green policy. As for hotels, this should also be part of the logic of a new global tourism policy, aiming to transform modes of travel and, therefore, have an overall social and environmental impact, for example, allowing departures throughout the year and removing hotels from seasonal logic in order to keep their employees all year round and have more balanced prices for their customers. Holiday vouchers which encourage travel to France. This would come within a new tourism logic supported by companies (which could release their employees at any time of the year thanks to 60 days' notice - for example) and also by National Education, which would put in place means for students to be able to leave during the year. COVID has taught us more. We must apply this learning in a new approach to a fairer and more balanced society.
A new event model is imperative; cinema could lead this project.
Auteur : Julia AGARD©
Sources:
Voyages d'affaires, Le Palais des Festivals et le Congrès, un acteur clé pour Cannes - Par Stephane Jaladis le 15 mai 2024
Le journal du Quebec - Le 11 Mai 2024
Un espace "Cannes XR3 au Marché du Film : Quels enjeux pour l'industrie du cinema? Par Hélène Laurichesse
France Inter : Cannes - Combien ça coute et combien ça rapporte?
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