Jo de Fina’s Spikes Asia Diary #1
The OTTO Empire founder and executive producer is jury president on Film Craft at Spikes Asia in Singapore. de Fina writes exclusively for Campaign Brief.
Steamy Singapore…..
I’m a Spikes Virgin, so let’s hope this week is gentle with me. But as a Cannes veteran, I’m probably well equipped to dive headfirst into Singapore and a very slick and well put together Awards Festival. I’m hoping the Singapore drinks prices aren’t similar to the French Riviera, and I swear to you all right here and now that one single drop of rose shall not pass my lips.
Before landing in Singapore, the Film Craft Jury has spent weeks reviewing hundreds of pieces of work across 10 different categories, whittling it down so we can squeeze judging into 2 days.
Day 1, Monday, is a relaxing day filled with a President’s Briefing and a welcome dinner and cocktail party. We’re based at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, with a view over the Marina Bay Sands. You know, the big boat thing on the top of a building. That’s what it looks like anyway. Not a bad setting for the week…….
There was talk of venturing over there and re-enacting Titanic; ‘I’m King of the World’. Watch this space….. You are now all my witnesses; that is my goal for the week.
There’s a big Aussie/NZ contingent this year, as always. We’re strongly represented not only in entries, but jury presidents and members, and participants in the actual festival which
opens tomorrow.
Before the welcome dinner, Chairman Terry Savage addresses us all about the week.
In this day and age of Awards bashing, Terry asks whether Awards are about simply winning some metal, or rewarding creativity as a whole. For without Creativity, we don’t have an industry.
“If you don’t know what great work is, you’ll never be able to do great work.”
When we set the benchmark, the industry can rise to create inspiring, and creative work.
We’re also advised of Spikes views on the objectification of women, and that we should keep this in mind when reviewing the work. Nice one for taking a stand Spikes. If we don’t reward work that sends a bad message, and sets a bad example, then maybe the creative will be smarter in the first instance…… It’s a good move and something I back wholeheartedly.
Day 1 of Judging and I’ve just spent almost 13 hours in a room with my 6 fellow Jurors.
Coming up with a shortlist is a long process. As Jury President, I remind the Jury that we need to make sure we’re comfortable with the work we’ve shortlisted, as we’re putting our names to it. By the time you’re all reading this, that shortlist will have been announced.
There’s some debate, about some of the work, which is good. We want a Jury who discusses and has an opinion. We’re here to do a job and I remind everyone that we need to take the responsibility seriously. It’s not all chilli crab and cocktails. I tend to be that person on a jury who reminds everyone we need to uphold the standard of the award, maintain its value and be proud to have our names and reputations associated with the work we shortlist, and subsequently award.
There are a LOT of entries hundreds and hundreds of them…… Some countries are more represented than others.
I notice trends and fashions in styles of work from the different countries. The Japanese are technical, man are they technical! The Indians seem to have a trend toward female empowerment and very emotive pieces, and the Chinese work has BIG production going on. The cultural differences become more obvious as we watch the work over and over again. Our Jury has members from India, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam and Singapore, and of course, Australia….. This balance is important where cultural differences and nuances might need to be explained in the context of the work.
We have a conversation about the difference between Film, a separate category we are not judging, and Film Craft. Some pieces of work would have done better in the Film category than Film Craft. Something to be aware of when entering your own work. Make sure you’re entering it into the most appropriate category. And sub category. I saw some work entered into VFX which had made a point of saying in their synopsis that the entire project was captured in camera with no post enhancement or manipulation. Still can’t work out where the VFX was in that particular spot…..
The accompanying synopsis or backstory is often a useful resource to refer to when judging, so do include it in your entry if there’s relevant information that will help the jury.
I’ve been here since Sunday and haven’t yet left the compound that is the hotel.
We had a break before coming back in to discuss the shortlist, and due to technical difficulties back in the jury room, we had over an hour by the pool; the gathering place for light starved jury members. Like caged animals being released, it takes a while to adjust to the daylight before we’re summoned back inside again.
I encouraged my Jury to have a drink – we deserved it, I said! And I figured it would make our conversations a little more animated once we finally got back into the judging room. We were suitably warmed up by the time we got back in to deliberate. And I got to spend a whole hour outside looking over to the big boat thingie…… One day! One day soon I shall sail on that ship!
Tomorrow we award metal. Then I will be set free to leave the hotel and venture out into Singapore for the first time. Will I make it over to the boat thingie, or will the Campaign Brief Asia party devour me……? If Kim Shaw, Fin Design and Songzu have anything to do with it, I doubt I’ll be sailing any further than Chinatown Singapore tomorrow night……