If you are a faithful reader of these articles, you know that we are huge movie fans here at SlideMagnet. We always get extra excited around this time of year as the Cannes Film Festival gives us a sneak peek at some of the best films that will be coming our way in the next 12 months.
The biggest film festival in the world, Cannes is the most anticipated cinema event of the year, not only for its movies, but also for its A-list stars, genius directors, glamorous red-carpet events, after-hours parties and its setting in sunny, sexy, southern France. However, beneath the glamor and glitz, Cannes is a competition, and the global movie industry that attends the event often arrives with winner-take-all intentions.
There are about 60 total films showing at the festival with 20 in competition for the top prize. Along with the coveted Golden Palm, these films are also vying for the attention of 10,000 film industry professionals who are attending the fest from 97 countries. These are the folks who will decide which films will be bought for national and international distribution, perhaps the most important prize at the festival.
With this kind of competition in mind, its easy to see why a studio – or a star – might be willing to take things to the next level in order to garner a bit of attention for a pet project. When we are preparing for a presentation at a conference, we might ask ourselves some of the same questions. How far out of the box is too far? Will some kind of stunt make my presentation stand out or cave in? If people remember a presentation – even for the wrong reasons – isn’t that a good thing?
Here at SlideMagnet, we believe that a presentation is a story, one that is limited only by your capacity to make your audience believe it. Who better to turn to than the best and brightest in movie making for tips to help you rise above the crowd without going too far over the top?
Theme
If you are telling a great story through your PowerPoint presentation, you should have a great theme running through it. Is there a way for you to pull off a stunt that could reinforce this theme for your audience? The red carpet was sprinkled with tons of powder and the festival grounds were covered with mounds of white fluff for the premiere of Jim Carrey’s new production of A Christmas Carol. How could this kind of stunt relate to your next presentation? Is there a way in which you could have your audience literally walk into it?
Shameless Self Promotion
To promote his new film The Misfortunates, Belgian director Felix van Groeningen and four of the film’s actors went for a nude bicycle ride along the sea shore at the Festival. Reenacting a scene from his comedy, the director has created a lot of buzz with the stunt, unfortunately, some have taken the good natured prank negatively and it could ultimately hurt the film’s reputation. Taking chances is a great idea, but don’t forget about the possible blow-back. If you have a stunt in mind, do a mindful risk-assessment. If the rewards seem to outweigh the risks, go for it! But don’t forget your sunscreen!
Panda to Your Strengths
As with every other aspect of your presentation, any stunt you may consider should always be one that puts your natural talents to best use. When Kung Fu Panda premiered at Cannes last year, Jack Black – the film’s star – played drum major to an entire horde of giant costumed Pandas, parading them down the red carpet with characteristic bombast and silliness. What are your natural talents as a presenter? How can you spotlight these to insure your success once you take your PowerPoint presentation out of the box?
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