Face to Face with... François Chilot

The 2011 CFP-E/shots Young Director Award is open for entries and François Chilot, president of the Commercial Film Producers of Europe, talks to shots.net about the competition, its aim and its continual championing of new directing talent.

What is the overall aim of the CFP-E/shots YDA?

The CFP-E is not a union, nor does it seek to take the place of a union. Each country is different, culturally and politically speaking and we are not trying to create another ‘Europe’ on a professional level. It would be futile to even try.

CFP-E is more of a think-tank where a flow of information funnels in from our fifteen countries. Each member is a key actor in our business in their own country and together we try to feel the trends, creatively speaking; we analyze the media revolution, we try to assess the future of our business. 

When I became president of the CFP-E, I wanted to magnify the exposure of our organization.  The world is evolving and we need to be one-step ahead of the changes. Creating the Young Director Award was one way to do this.

On one hand, we give a better chance to new talents and on the other we remind the members of our profession and our clients (the advertisers and agencies) that one of our primary roles is to discover, nurture and promote up-and-coming artists. This could not have been achieved without shots who became our partner right from the start.

The YDA has been running for more than a decade now, do you think the quality of work entered in that time has changed?

The CFPE’s Young Director Award is our main event and we are very proud of it. It was indeed created 13 years ago with the intent of promoting fledgling directors. Each year I look forward to YDA with great expectations.

Each year I am excited by the idea of watching the films of the new up-and-coming directors and each year I hope that I am going to be surprised because I must admit that each year I discover new, exceptional and visionary talents. In that sense we can say that the quality and professionalism of the work has improved year after year.

Do you think it’s more, or less difficult now for directors to get their work noticed?

Each year it is becoming more and more difficult for fledgling directors to stand out from the crowd. The globalisation together with the never ceasing development of new technologies gives agencies and producers easier access to worldwide talents, thus, making the competition for these talents more and more fierce.

Furthermore, over the last 15 years, advertisers and agencies have become more cautious and with budget restrictions, less adventurous. We have entered the ‘no-risk zone’ and therefore fewer possibilities for beginners to prove themselves.

The YDA was created to help absolute beginners and I feel that it is what we have done and will continue to do as long as those who enter send us films which are visionary, displaying their exceptional talents. 

How important are events such as the YDA for nurturing and encouraging new directing talent?

The YDA is the only award in the world which is dedicated to new and upcoming directors. To enter the award, the director must have done his first films the year preceding the award. YDA is also the only award which is fully sponsored. Kodak is our main sponsor.

When we created this award, we didn't want to make a business out of it. We are helping beginners to step into a very competitive market and as I was saying earlier, this is the core of our profession.

The award ceremony takes place in Cannes during the Cannes Festival of Creativity week. The winners get a lot of exposure. Nine hundred professionals come to the ceremony and have the opportunity to meet and talk to the winners at the cocktail party which takes place afterwards.

Moreover, their films are shown on shots’ DVD and their profiles appear in shots magazine and also very often in professional magazines in various countries.

Are the judges of the YDA generally in agreement about a piece of work or can there be divided opinions?

There are two steps in the judging sequence. First, the films are sent to each of the 15 European associations. Each is represented by several producers. This a very important stage as it is the first exposure of the young directors to the eyes of professionals. The shortlist comes out of this first round of judging.

The final step takes place the day before the award ceremony when 15 producers representing the 15 European associations vote for the winners out of this shortlist. It is an interesting moment as it is really the time when we can actually discuss and, if necessary, argue.

There are, of course, divided opinions as we are also in a very subjective world. But that is what makes this award very interesting for us producers, and also for our clients - the agencies and the advertisers. It is exactly because, we, as producers, don’t all have the same visions that we can offer a wide and attractive choice to our clients. 

However, when it comes to voting for the Special Jury Award, the jury is always unanimous. Over the last 13 years, we have delivered only four of them.

Do you have any advice for directors thinking of entering the awards?

It is very difficult to make a good film out of a mediocre idea. So, I would encourage young directors to make sure that they work on a very good script or do their utmost to improve it. If they write it themselves, maybe they should work at this stage with a good creative team. In my experience of judging, I have seen too many films with mediocre or bad ideas. 

Where can people find out more information about the event and entering?

They should go to our website and blog.