Ben Stiller, Jeff Goodby and Yahoo’s Elisa Steele debate the future of digital at Cannes 2010
Ben Stiller, comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer,brought a packed house down with a running dialogue of barbs, quips andtongue-in-cheek and real observations about the digital state-of-play,in Yahoo!’s seminar featuring Jeff Goodby of Goodby Silverstein &Partners and Elisa Steele, chief marketing officer for Yahoo!, reports the Lions Daily News. In the seminar, Laugh, Connect And Debate, Stiller confessed that whenit came to digital, “I’m honestly just beginning to understand it all”,although he added that his production company in LA did have a digitalarm, and is working on projects, one with Paramount.
Stiller added that he didn’t think digital made a difference when itcame to storytelling. “Storytelling is storytelling,” he said. Themulti-talented actor is busy on several projects for his charitywww.stillerstrong.org, which is building a school in Haiti. “Ourmotto,” said Stiller, is ‘We steal great ideas for charities’.”
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners’ Jeff Goodby said he thought it was”really great to have events, and to receive people’s reflections onthose events at the same time”. He said one could still capture heartsand minds with digital, but added, “It does make it a bit morecomplicated.”
Stiller said that digital was making a huge difference in the creativeprocess. “Movies are a long process. What I’m seeing is there are a lotof people out there just making movies with digital equipment — filmsthat wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for digital.”
To a question from the audience about what he thought of 3D, Stillersaid: “I don’t know if there is research on whether comedy is better in3D, but it’s certainly making a lot of money for the movie industry.”