‘Time’ Designed and created by The Mill, delivered by Beam.

This year at Cannes Beam worked with The Mill to create something new that best demonstrates The Mill and Beam’s capabilities. The guys at The Mill wanted something surprising as well as entertaining and useful! We decided to look for a connection between the event in Cannes, The Mill, Beam and what we all do.

The Mill’s various creative teams’ came up with ‘Time’, literally… ‘Time’!

The inspiration behind the project by The Mill’s Design, Motion Graphics, and Digital teams was to create a hybrid cross media platform piece of work which represents The Mill’s digital offering, and also focuses on our ability to create outstanding design, motion graphics and VFX-work aptly showcased on the Beam Retail system.

So ‘Time’ explores and references actual time as a concept over four screens throughout the duration of the Festival. The clock-like elements and graphical representations of time are interwoven with abstract clips and actual clocks where one animation can trigger the next one. Some of the clocks are easily recognisable, others… you’ll need to stare at them for a while!

The time-based aspect of the project creates a grid - clockwork - in which the content will play out. The clock runs over all 4 screens with each panel representing a different aspect of time, dividing it into days, hours, minutes and seconds, centiseconds or milliseconds.

Nils Kloth, Head of After Effects at The Mill said: “We made use of Beam’s incredible scheduling system, which was designed to distribute video content worldwide and built a flash-based application for the real time clock functionality. The system now cuts back between more abstract video content and the flash-clock at regular intervals. It was a great experience with a lot of talented people contributing.”

John Quesnell, Technical Account Manager, explains “We had to create, test and deliver over 45 different clocks; a variation of abstract and representational, so we coordinated the system and screens to be installed, setting up at The Mill for testing and then dismantling and sending on to Cannes a week later.

“At Cannes we set the screens back up, loaded any new content and retested everything.” The Beam retail system creates complete and bespoke in-store/outdoor screen solutions, from touch screens, interactive displays and point of sale brand content and this joint project with The Mill is a perfect platform to demonstrate our capabilities.

We are really happy with the end result and a great joint venture and collaboration between The Mill and Beam.”

If you are in Cannes why not ‘make time’ and check out the installation in the entrance of the Palais!

For an exclusive sneak preview you can see the screens in all their glory here and check out a selection of the clocks on show.

Photo courtesy of Eduardo Lopes.