Face to Face with... Francisco Condorelli

After three successful years in Buenos Aires, this year Ciclope, the only festival fully devoted to craft in advertising, moves to Europe in 2013 with an event taking place in Berlin from 6-8 November.

Presenting a line-up of industry professionals, speakers and jurors, the festival will build on the success of its spin-off sister event, Craften, which took place earlier this year in Amsterdam. This Friday (27 September) is the deadline for submissions to Ciclope Berlin and here festival director, Francisco Condorelli, tells us why he decided to move the event to a new territory, what’s changed since he launched it three years ago and what delegates can expect this time round.

Why did you decide to move Ciclope to Europe and what appealed about Berlin in particular?

“Moving” is in our DNA, and there is a tight relationship between movement and energy. As a festival we have to deliver a totally different experience every year, so to move recycles the energy permanently.

Then, what can we say about Berlin that hasn´t been said yet? It´s full of history, it is hip, and it has amazing vibes… I can´t explain it, it´s just happened… we said, “what´s next”, and Berlin just came up from somewhere.

Was it always part of the plan to move the festival eventually and will Ciclope remain in Berlin or will it continue to move around?

Yes, it was always part of the plan to move around from the beginning and we will continue with that philosophy. Although, we have no idea where the next city will be.

What did you learn from the success of Craften in Amsterdam and has that helped with the planning for Ciclope Berlin?

I think the most important thing is that there is a huge interest in understanding how to deal with the new production model that the digital revolution is demanding, and especially, the fact that agencies really needs a production partner with much more skills than shooting a script. I think that´s changing the production business model, and those who understand this quickly, and make it happen, will succeed.

What can we expect from this year’s Festival?

You can expect an unforgettable professional and personal experience. Or you´ll get your money back.

And has it been difficult in terms of logistics to move the event from one continent to another?

We haven´t felt that it´s a problem so far... but ask me again after the event, maybe…

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of attending in BA, has much changed in terms of the format?  

The structure of the competition has changed, because there is a big difference in terms of production budget between the different regions, so starting this year it will be divided into three zones: US+Europe, LatinAmerica and Asia Pacific, but this decision is not related to the new city at all.

Then, in terms of the event itself, we´ll keep the same format: three days, talks, case studies an awards ceremony at the end, and more parties!

How do you think film craft has evolved since the festival began three years ago?

I don´t think there’s been a remarkable evolution in the last three years in terms of film craft. Maybe there are some technical aspects that have changed, but I´m not familiar with them. Although, I think there has been a big change on the “frame”; on the relationship between agencies and production companies. That is something to pay attention to…

And what do you hope to bring to Europe by hosting the festival in Berlin?

Well, it will definitely make things easier for Europe-based companies; they don´t need to travel 14 hours anymore. Then, we´ll bring a lot of content from Latin America, which is very interesting, I think, especially with the upcoming Olympics and World Cup in Brazil.

Lastly, I think it will be very important for Germany. I´m convinced that the fact of having an international event is something very healthy for any market (especially for a strong one like this) because it brings new people and a different perspective on the business. Again, it´s about energy, movement and recycling – always a good thing.

And tell us a bit about the new Freshmarket initiative this year and how delegates will benefit?

The lack of time is the worst enemy for production companies who want to show what they can do to potential clients, and also for agency producers or creatives who want to discover new production partners. It seems that in this social world everyone can share everything, but nobody has enough time to watch it all, so we thought that it would be a good idea to connect people in an activity like this, with not much romanticism but a lot of practicality. You get 15 minutes, face to face, with people that it would be very difficult to meet elsewhere.

You have a healthy mix of speakers from the creative, production and client side this time round. How important is that for a craft festival?

Firstly, I think it´s very important for production companies to educate both the client and the agency regarding the production process, to make them understand what the limitations are, what the value of a good production is, and why they should spend the money they ask them to spend. But then, it’s also very important for production companies to understand the client´s needs and the agency’s limitations, because at the end of the day, that´s what will drive their business in the early future.

And what are you personally hoping to take away from the festival this year?

It is a huge personal challenge to bring the festival to Europe, and especially to Berlin. I´m really looking forward to keeping that cosiness and intimate atmosphere we’ve always had, and especially to gather people who really want to “leave” something… we´re looking for love!

Ciclope 2013's call for entries caign consists of three spots shot by Laundry! for Landia. Check out Scarlet below and click here to see Alexa and Arriana.