Cannes do.

Sometimes you just have to go for it. Somethings happen only once a year.

They have a, now or never feel to them and so it is with the Cannes Film Festival.

So, with the great trailer for Shelf Life, in the can 😉 and tee-shirts, flyers, willing friends…off to Cannes I went.

First stop of course was lunch, overseen by Bruce Willis.

Fortified and just a little terrified, off we went.

I soon realised that having my gay best friend with me meant, we were both making eye contact with…men.

Plan B. I would target ( in a nice way) the females with the telltale badge/passes, dangling round their necks.

It wasn’t until someone actually asked what the flyer was for, that I realised, saying, it’s my scenario/screenplay would have the desired effect.

Not everyone recognised the QR code, which takes you straight to my website. Cool huh!

But the barcode certainly got attention. Here’s hoping…

That was last Wednesday. I went back again on Saturday and what a buzz.

The place really does have its own atmosphere.

Apart from the obvious glamorous outfits and shoes to keep future chiropractors  in business for years, the other attraction is the cars.

In fact I saw more people photographing a particularly space-age looking dark grey metallic Ferrari, than anything else.

Nope, sorry, no pic. Couldn’t get near it.

But this white Roller looked so chic and comfortable, you felt you could almost set up home in it…

 

I had printed sixty flyers.

They were identical to the message on my frontage.

I managed to hand out forty eight by Saturday afternoon and with a train strike, I needed to catch 3 buses and allow 3 hours to get home. (40 minutes by car…any car!)

So, by mid afternoon I had to decide. Leave now or stay all night. I might just meet the ‘right’ person on the beach at 2 a.m.

It was a lovely hot, dry day but as it turned out, the heavens opened just as I got home. Phew.

And then came Sunday. Another beautiful day and the last one of the festival. Another friend, complete with car (YAY!) said, let’s go to Cannes. So, off we went.

I found the Producer’s tent and left some flyers there. I asked permission first. I zoomed in on aficionados as they exited screenings, blinking in the bright sunlight. Nope, it’s not a free pizza, leaflet, I felt like saying…

Then, a ridiculously young *admits jealousy* group of film goers, spotted my barcoded chest.

OOH. What’s that? One young man said. He was all of 17 and wearing a tuxedo but sporting the coveted laminated pass.

Before I could reply, three more eager faces peered at me. OOH. barcode. Cool.

Where is it showing? Asked another. I was handing out flyers like the numbers for tomorrow’s lottery.

You can’t…yet. I replied. It’s my scenario.

Hah! replied the first one. That’s not cool. (He was French) As were the whole group.

He eyed me even more suspiciously. Is it in French or English? He asked, in English.

In English, I replied.

Bah! He offered. Only zee good films are in French.

Really. I quickly countered. I’ll tell Spielberg, next time I see him…

So far and it’s now Monday evening, I’ve had only 3 hits on the video but numerous visitors to my website.

Who knows but let’s hope the ‘right’ person did indeed pick up a flyer and was curious enough to find out more.

In the meantime…let’s see: And the Oscar for best original screenplay goes to…Sounds right to me.