Video Production at Cannes Lions Festival 2025 – Panels, Podcasts & Photography
How We Filmed Cannes Lions 2025 Side Events with Culture3 – A Brand Content Approach
The light, the noise, the density of talent and ambition packed into just a few streets.
One minute you’re walking past the
Palais des Festivals,
the next you’re stepping into a side event where a CMO is casually sharing something that will shape next quarter’s strategy.It’s not staged. It’s not polished. It’s real – and it moves quickly.Last year, we worked on the ground with Culture3,
capturing side events that many brands don’t fully plan for until it’s too late –
the panels, the conversations, and the moments that only happen once and then disappear.
That experience shaped a clear belief for 2025: Video production at Cannes Lions Festival 2025 is no longer just about a recap film.
For established brands, it’s an opportunity to build a content engine in real time –
one that produces assets with value far beyond the week itself.
- Panel recordings that preserve real insight and context
- Podcast conversations that give leaders a credible, human voice
- Event photography that signals presence, credibility, and intent
Done well, this content powers owned channels for weeks – and positions a brand as a serious voice in the industry.
Cannes Lions 2025 is a global attention magnet – and brands compete inside it
Cannes Lions is where the advertising and communications industry gathers to learn, network,
and set the benchmark for the year ahead. The scale of the festival makes that clear:
- 12,000+ attendees
- 97 countries represented
- 57% of delegates in senior roles
- 350+ brands and 550+ agencies in town
At that level, brands aren’t only competing for awards or invitations – they’re competing for attention.
And attention follows content that feels immediate, human, and credible.
On the awards side alone, Cannes Lions confirmed
26,900 submissions for 2025.
That’s the creative backdrop your brand is stepping into –
and why the content you capture in Cannes needs to be as intentional as your presence there.
Why side events matter more than most brands expect
The main programme is iconic, but Cannes is also a city-wide network of brand activations,
partner stages, invite-only sessions, and beach setups.
This is where relationships form quickly – and where brands often capture their strongest moments.
Working with
Culture3
on side events, we saw how powerful these formats become when they’re captured with intent.
- Panel recordings that preserve nuance and full context – not just soundbites
- Podcast recordings that feel intimate, credible, and worth listening to
- Photography that communicates atmosphere, presence, and trust – not staged smiles
Side events are where brands can look and sound like leaders –
but only if those moments are captured with intention and care.
The shift in 2025: Cannes content is now a distribution strategy
For brands attending Cannes Lions Festival 2025, the question isn’t “Should we film?”
It’s:
What do we want to own after Cannes?
1) Podcast-style conversations (recorded live, published later)
A Cannes podcast doesn’t need to be heavy or overproduced.
It needs to be well-recorded, well-lit, and edited with care.
With the right setup, brands can capture:
- Leadership reflections on key themes of the week
- Partner conversations that signal alignment and credibility
- Short recurring formats that continue releasing long after Cannes
The value is longevity – podcast episodes remain relevant far longer than a recap reel
and give your brand a voice people remember.
2) Panel recordings that become evergreen thought leadership
Panels are expensive to stage and impossible to recreate.
Recording them properly turns a single moment into long-term value.
- Short executive clips for LinkedIn
- Full YouTube uploads for search and credibility
- Internal comms for teams who weren’t on site
3) Photography that supports PR, social, and brand identity
At Cannes, photography does more than document.
It signals presence. It says: we belong here.
A strong photo set becomes a shared visual library for PR, partnerships,
leadership communication, and recruitment long after the festival ends.
4) A highlight film – built for strategy, not vanity
The strongest highlight films in 2025 are short, focused, and built for social-first distribution.
They communicate what your brand stood for – not just where you were.
- 15–60 second formats
- Clear narrative and point of view
- Designed to work alongside supporting assets
5) A different kind of highlight: activations that feel human
A standout example was Disrupt’s Padel Shack – an activation that worked because it felt human, not corporate.
These experiences cut through because they create real reactions,
stronger stories, and dynamic visuals that perform naturally on social.
Why experience on the ground changes everything
Cannes moves fast. Schedules shift. Locations change.
Teams who’ve done it before know how to adapt, stay calm,
and still deliver premium output when conditions aren’t perfect.
That experience is often the difference between content that feels reactive
and content that feels intentional.
Conclusion
Cannes Lions Festival 2025 brings together senior decision-makers from 97 countries.
In a week like that, brands don’t need more noise – they need a clear voice, captured with quality and distributed with purpose.
Ready to capture Cannes with intent?
If you’re planning Cannes Lions Festival 2025,
5 ALIVE MEDIA supports brands with panel recordings,
podcast setups, event photography, and social-first video production.
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