Calvin Klein has been a big supporter of film and for several years maintained a presence at the Cannes Film Festival. There they host exclusive soirées at grand hillside villas overlooking the French Riviera. It’s always a star-studded event and for the past several years we’ve been fortunate enough to tag along and capture it all.
Our first day of shooting typically involves capturing beauty and atmosphere of Cannes, the French Riviera, and the Croisette fully decked out in Cannes Film Festival adornment.
Our second shoot day is focused on covering the red carpet and party, interviewing celebrities, and capturing the musical performance. Following the event we edit down the footage to create a media package that must be delivered to networks, shows, and outlets early the next morning for them to run on their shows that day. As you can imagine, it ends up being a very long night. But the adrenaline of being in Cannes during one of the most exciting events of the year is enough to power you through to the wee hours of morning, with the sun peaking over the French Riviera and lighting up the hills and boulevards.
A pro-tip for anyone covering this type of event - have some type of mobile wifi hotspot. We usually end up with a 10 minute package that clocks in somewhere around 800mb, and trying to get that thing online at 5 am on hotel wifi or event space wifi can be a daunting task.
Cannes is a beautiful place and so are the stars that come out for the film festival and it’s been a lot of fun to be a part of the experience.