Carvspianoan independent magazine about media, advertising and viral experiments

An independent magazine about media and advertising. This is not the website of any brand, agency or advertising campaign that may previously have used this domain.

Breakdowns

Breakdowns

Breaking down a campaign means trying to understand what the video wanted to say, how it said it and on what grounds we believe what we see. This skill is useful not only for people who work in advertising: it helps you take a calmer view of any video that "broke the internet". Below are six breakdown steps, a table of signs that a video is staged and an important warning about stunts.

Asking "did this really happen?" is not a sign of distrust but of respect for the people who made the shot.

— From the editors

How to break down a campaign

  1. Find the original source

    Determine where the video was first published: on the brand's official channel, by the creator or in a news story. Re-uploads and clips often lose captions and context.

  2. Check the date and the author

    Compare the publication date with how the video is being presented now. See who is credited as the author, rights holder or client.

    If a video is presented as being from "yesterday" but was first published several years earlier, you are looking at a second wave, not a new event.

  3. Identify the objective

    Sum up in one sentence what the viewer is supposed to remember after watching. In advertising, spectacle is almost always subordinate to that message.

  4. Analyse the technique

    What holds your attention: surprise, scale, humour, suspense? How is the spectacular moment connected to the product or the idea?

  5. Look for making-of material

    Behind-the-scenes footage, production interviews and published credits help you understand how the effect was achieved and who is behind it.

    If the making-of footage shows barriers, safety rigs and several cameras, the scene was prepared in advance.

  6. Separate facts from hearsay

    Check view counts, award stories and production "secrets" against original sources. If there is no confirmation, don't repeat them as fact.

Staged or documentary

SignStaged videoDocumentary footage
Camera anglesSeveral cameras, well-chosen angles, the event perfectly in frameUsually a single camera; the shot may be accidental or shaky
Sound and lightingClean sound, deliberate lighting, musicBackground noise, natural light, the reaction of the person filming
Captions"Ad" or "staged" labels, a logo, creditsPlace and time stated, a reference to an eyewitness or a news outlet
Making-of materialPreparation footage and crew credits often existUsually none: the event was not prepared in advance
SafetyThe set is cordoned off, the participants are professionalsNo safety measures in place; real risk is possible
  • People and credits

    The roles behind an advertising video and how to read a campaign's credits.

  • Articles

    Magazine topics: spectacle advertising, on-camera experiments, media literacy, festivals, professions and history. Plus the article catalogue.

  • History

    A timeline from the first paid film screenings of 1895 to video platforms and viral videos.

Sources

  • Encyclopedic sources on media history
  • Cannes Lions — official festival history

Historical information is based on publicly available official and encyclopedic sources. Festival rules, categories and entry conditions change — check them on the organisers' official websites.