Covering Cannes | On Assignment

Key Concepts

• Cannes Film Festival: An international film festival serving as a global industry hub for film distribution, financing, and promotion.
• The Palais: The central venue of the festival, housing both screening rooms and a massive marketplace for industry professionals.
• The Croisette: The iconic boulevard in Cannes where major hotels and festival venues are located.
• Accreditation: The essential credentialing system required for journalists to access screenings, press conferences, and red carpets.
• Junket: A press event where filmmakers and actors participate in a series of back-to-back interviews with journalists to promote a film.
• Distribution: The process of acquiring rights to show a film to the general public; a primary goal for many films screened at Cannes.

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1. The Dual Nature of Cannes

While the public perceives Cannes through the lens of red-carpet glamour, high-fashion gowns, and celebrity appearances, the reality behind the scenes is a high-pressure business environment. The festival functions as a "pressure cooker" and a marketplace where the commercial fate of films is decided. Thousands of industry professionals—producers, distributors, and financiers—utilize the festival to secure funding or distribution deals.

2. The Life of a Showbiz Reporter

Covering Cannes is described as "blood, sweat, and tears" rather than a luxury experience.

• Logistics: The festival is geographically spread out, requiring constant travel between the Palais and various hotels along the Croisette.
• Workload: Reporters often work until 2:00 AM, managing tight schedules, last-minute credentialing, and the physical exhaustion of a two-week, non-stop event.
• Access: Reporters must navigate strict security and often "batter down the doors" of publicists to secure interviews.

3. Rules, Etiquette, and "The Look"

Cannes maintains a rigid, iconic aesthetic that is strictly enforced:

• Dress Code: Tuxedos are mandatory for red carpet events. Failure to adhere to these rules can result in being barred from the carpet.
• The "Look": The festival prioritizes a specific visual identity. Even minor deviations, such as wearing a navy blue suit instead of black, can lead to ejection from the press box.
• Rebellion: There have been notable moments of pushback against strict norms, such as Kristen Stewart walking the red carpet barefoot to protest rules regarding high-heeled shoes.

4. Media-Star Dynamics

The relationship between the press and celebrities has evolved significantly:

• Historical Context: Previously, the environment was more informal, with parties designed to encourage stars to mingle and potentially provide "drunken quotes" that would generate headlines.
• Modern Constraints: Today, stars are heavily managed. They typically stay at public events for only 30 minutes before being whisked away to private functions to avoid potential PR disasters.
• Interview Techniques: To stand out during 5-minute junket slots, reporters use specific tactics:
  • Questioning: Asking unique questions to force celebrities to think rather than recite rehearsed answers.
  • Body Language: Observing eye movement (looking left indicates active thought) and using physical cues (like crossing legs) to signal when an interview should conclude.
  • Relationship Building: Establishing rapport with publicists is crucial for securing access to talent.

5. The Business of Film Distribution

Cannes is a critical venue for films seeking distribution. Many films in competition arrive without a distributor. Studios and streaming services (e.g., Netflix) attend specifically to acquire projects.

• The "Cannes Risk": Bringing a film to Cannes is a double-edged sword. Because the festival hosts some of the world’s most critical reviewers, a poor reception can negatively impact a film's future box office performance.
• Reviewer Consensus: Publicists sometimes attempt to separate critics after a screening to prevent them from forming a collective negative consensus.

6. Notable Anecdotes

• Mick Jagger: Rollo Ross recounted a last-minute scramble to interview Mick Jagger for a documentary, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the beat.
• John Waters: In a "sitcom-worthy" moment, Ross accidentally insulted the film Cecil B. Demented to the director himself while sharing an elevator, only to realize his mistake moments later during the official interview.
• Elizabeth Taylor: Ross noted that interviewing legends like Taylor was less about a traditional Q&A and more about listening to the star dictate their own narrative.

Synthesis

The Cannes Film Festival is a complex machine that balances extreme aesthetic glamour with intense commercial stakes. For the media, it is a grueling, high-stakes environment where success depends on navigating strict protocols, managing relationships with publicists, and employing psychological techniques to extract meaningful content from highly-trained celebrities. Ultimately, the festival serves as the "heartbeat of the film industry," where the artistic and financial futures of global cinema are determined.