As the dust settles in the South of France following the 77th Cannes Festival, creatives the world over are still discussing the ultimate winners of the revered Lions. As the industry’s most prestigious awards, each piece of work that makes it to the shortlist are deeply scrutinised, with the world’s creative leaders taking stock of what has been deemed the world’s finest work.
In Australia, Composer Adam Moses has been naturally evaluating what made waves in the sound and music categories of the festival. As a co-founder and partner at Sydney-based Mosaic Music and Sound, Adam is no stranger to what makes award-winning work, having won numerous local and international awards, including a Music + Sound Award, Multiple APRA Screen Music Awards and AWARD pencils, and the Gold Lion-winning “Tide – Bradshaw Stain” Superbowl spot featuring Terry Bradshaw and Jeffrey Tambor.
In this op-ed, Moses examines the stand-out work, trends that emerged in the music and sound categories, and his hopes for the 78th Festival next year.
What work stood out this year?
Claiming three Lions from an impressive five nominations, the centenary anthem of RC Celta ‘Oliveira dos Cen Anos’ caught my attention this year. While there wasn’t a great deal of original composition among the shortlist and winners – that wasn’t the case with this spot. The work is a combination of an eclectic blend of football chants, modern track and a beautiful use of production – which is hard to achieve with chants as everyone is singing out of tune and sometimes out of tempo. ‘Oliveira dos Cen Anos’ is remarkably well constructed and non-linear; This was quite simply a stand out piece of film, music and sound design.
Another thing that caught my attention was ‘ASB x Youthline Bagels’ by BENEE from The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song. It’s a great track that utilises modern production techniques and sounds like a genuine hit, backed by some interesting and effective science.
Use of Music
This year, great use of music and tracks that support the point of the spot have been winning, using music artists as a way to connect with audiences. We saw a lot of brand interactions with stars, using music artists to sell something; for example, Verizon’s ‘Can’t B Broken’ by Ogilvy New York, which won Gold in the Entertainment-Brand or Product Integration into Music Content category. Another stand out was Golin London’s use of Rick Astley in Specsavers ‘The Misheard Version’, which took home the Grand Prix for Audio & Radio. Simply being able to get him into a studio for the spot was impressive, and for him to have the great sense of humour to accept being a part of it, was really enjoyable to see; a good and effective use of music and interaction with customers and the audience.
Long Form Content
Something that I found interesting this year was the prominence of long-form content – it’s almost the antithesis to tiktokification – these longer pieces are having a lot more impact. Whether it’s ‘Can’t B Broken’ or ‘Oliveira dos Cen Anos’ that I’ve already mentioned, these longer pieces are allowing the sound and music to breathe and create a deeper connection – some of these are five or six minutes long. Another great example of this long-form content is ‘Play it Safe’ for Sydney Opera House’s 50th Anniversary marking five decades of brave creativity via The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song. It’s a full pop song, three and a half minutes in length.
Overall Thoughts
In summary, we didn’t see a lot of original composition winning awards – scores are not necessarily bringing home Lions right now, or being nominated. What we were seeing was a lot of partnerships and brand interaction, as well as a bunch of social content that was taking home Lions. Next year, I hope we will see more original compositions that guide emotions on screen, contribute to brand identity, and provide a premium, stand-out sonic score that empowers and strengthens the brand.
