The imagi8tion project taps Ron Howard and his daughter for creative experiment

Imagine taking eight very different photographs and turning them into a scripted film. That's the idea behind Canon's imagi8tion project produced by Ron Howard and directed by his daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard. Their 23-minute movie, "When You Find Me," screened during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah to a select audience. The plot line revolves around two sisters who grow apart over the years after the death of their mother, but reunite as adults. One of the winning photos that made it into the movie was of a cemetery entrance. It was based on the eight cinematic themes of project imagin8ion, setting, time, character, mood, relationship, goal, obstacle and the unknown.

The elder Howard, who has won two Oscars, says he signed on to the project after being assured by Canon it was an honest creative undertaking. "I just thought it was kind of a creative hotwire act and a really interesting experiment. It reminded me of that game I would always play with my kids where you start with a couple of lines on a piece of paper. Then hand it around at the dinner table and people keep adding to the lines and you end with some kind of a picture. I wondered what this experiment would lead to."

For Canon, it was a branding opportunity like no other, says marketing manager Rob Altman. "The idea that the public would be inspiring an iconic filmmaker to make a film" that was also shot with a professional Canon camera. For the project, Canon invited photographers to submit their "most imaginative" pictures based on the eight movie themes. In the end, more than 9,600 submissions went up on the Long Live Imagination website. The public got a chance to vote on their favorites, which had been whittled down by Canon.

Altman says, "We really didn't know what to expect, but we definitely were overwhelmed and pleased with the numbers that came in, it surpassed any kind of contest we've ever done before." While the project was up on the website people swapped photo tips and commented on the various aspects of the work. Altman says that was part of the plan, to get the conversation flowing.

For filmmakers, Sundance represents independence. For marketing whizzes, the word is interdependence. Each January, brand managers team up to rent out the empty shop fronts in Park City, Utah, and convert them into mini brand-activation festivals.

This year, T-Mobile's Village at the Lift provided space for Puma, the Hollywood Reporter and Sabra to show off their wares, along with a 5,000-square-foot nightclub. The Eco-Hideaway featured a selection of sustainable luxury brands. The Sky Lodge served Bertolli Soups and Patron tequila, and showcased Burt's Bees cosmetics, Fiat and Triple Goose Down jackets. Thule bike racks, AXE Hair, Monster energy drinks and Stella Artois beer were the featured products at the LIVEstyle Film Lounge.

The main events: the gifting lounges, where celebs show up empty-handed and walk away with a new set of clothes and an armful of cosmetics and electronics. In addition, the brands present panel discussions, cocktail parties, private dinners and late-night soirees celebrating the festival premieres.

Why would brands schlep out to Park City, Utah in the middle of winter? For one, the hype: Paparazzi await outside the velvet ropes; official photographers snap pictures as starlets and hip-hop stars try out the products. But marketing execs recognize Sundance as a superb networking site.

"There is such a targeted and influential audience at Sundance," said Chris Roubichaud, the CEO of leading PR agency PMK*BNC, and one of the creators of the Village at the Lift ten years ago. "The brands know exactly who will be here, including a lot of decision-makers in the film and entertainment. You can't help but run into someone who you can partner with or meet new people."

Also in attendance: several hundred media outlets, from full network news crews to one-person blogs. Sundance is a major entertainment megaphone. And the brands love connecting with the Sundance vibe of authenticity—the event's favorite buzzword—that emerges from the DIY and gritty films that the festival presents.

According to Roubichard, it's not uncommon for brands to meet young filmmakers who later direct commercials for them, helping subsidizing the next project. "At Sundance, the brands feel directly a part of things," he said. "Park City is so small and friendly. Everything's accessible."

Natrol Inc., MRI and PROLAB

Name: Lisa Sheppard, Senior Director, Marketing
Years working Sundance: 1
Why Sundance? Filmmakers and celebrities from all over the U.S. and the world attend
Goal: To bring a healthy way to "Enhance your Sundance" to the festival. There are parties and screenings going on until 1 or 3 a.m. Combined with the altitude and weather elements, Natrol offers a wide array of supplements to keep not only keep you healthy but to keep you energized. The goal is to reach thousands of industry insiders.
Film seen: None. Natrol has presence at both daytime and nighttime events.
Average amount of sleep per night: I'm averaging a good eight hours, thanks to Natrol's Melatonin!
Worst moment: The blizzard-like conditions on Saturday were not too fun.
Best moment: When mentioning B-12, guests were excited that we had some to help them get through the festival.
Brush with fame: We sighted Jason Mraz across the way and asked him to come into our gifting lounge. He couldn't have been nicer. That was a cool rockstar moment for me!

The American carmaker fuels its electric story with Hollywood tastemakers

Carmaker Ford is attending the Sundance Film Festival for the first time this year, co-hosting a lounge with the W Hotel in Los Angeles as well as the eco platform Shift and other partners. Ford joins an increasing number of brands connecting their brand message with Sundance, including Bertolli, AT & T, Solstice Sunglasses and Puma.

With a growing number of electric cars in the market (more than any other carmaker), Ford representatives said Wednesday that the company is using Sundance to connect with a new type of customer and to reach out to Hollywood celebrities interested in green causes. Celebrities endorsing products can make such a difference to a brand's success," said Wes Sherwood, communications manager for Ford Electrified Vehicles.

Thanks to SOREL you don't have to be at Sundance to experience Main Street

Every year, more and more brands vie for consumer attention among the crowded Sundance festival. The mix of celebrities, influencers and the entertainment industry is a strong draw for companies looking to get their products in the hands of these tastemakers. Brands try many tactics to lure attendees to their corner of Park City, whether it's throwing a party at a pop-up club, street teams handing out samples or VIP gifting suites. However, most of these branded experiences only extend to festival-goers and lack relevance to brand advocates not able to attend Sundance. 

One brand is bucking this trend: Portland, Oregon shoemaker SOREL. Through Twitter and Facebook, the brand is giving their devoted fan base a taste of the Park City action. The brand's activations at Sundance are targeted to fans who aren't able to attend the festival feel like they're walking down Main Street. This includes updates about people rocking SORELs at the festival, #SORELchic outfits, and updates about VIP sightings.

SOREL is also actively seeking input from their fans through two new Facebook initiatives. The first is called "Decked Out and Laced Up." People submit custom messages, up to 20 characters, and SOREL makes them into lace plates at their Laser Bar. The first 50 users each day will be sent their lace plate and SOREL is even giving a free pair of boots to the top 5 submissions every day. That means 55 lucky fans will walk away with merchandise at the end of the festival.

Three additional filmmakers share final insights for marketers

To be a successful marketer, you have to master the art of storytelling. And in today's fragmented, social media fueled marketplace, you have to develop a brand story that can be told across channels, authentically and in real-time. No pressure.

We think brands can learn a lot from filmmakers about weaving together a powerful story. That's why we sat down with all nine of our talented Yahoo! Audience Award short film finalists. In this three-part series, we share their approach to the creative process and unearth keyu storytelling tips to help you connect with audiences in richer ways in 2012.

Tip #1: Look beyond the obvious to find the counterintuitive nuances of a story.
From Maria White, "Debutante Hunters"

YAS: What inspired you to become a filmmaker? 

I was raised by artists so creative expression was always encouraged. Dad was a painter and graphic designer and my mother was a costume designer, painter, jack of all trades kind of lady. I was exposed to movies early on by my parents. A lot of the classics---that's where my love of film was born. But it wasn't until later on, in college, that I started getting into watching documentaries and more independent works.

I never went to film school but that fateful winter of 2001, my boyfriend (now husband) and I, after discovering our mutual love of film, decided to apply to the Sundance Film Festival as volunteers. That winter changed both of our lives and paths.

We knew after leaving the festival and being exposed to such an incredible range of films---so many genres and so well executed from all over the world---we were both inspired. We just knew we had to contribute to this art form in some way. 10 years later. We are back with a film of our very own (he is a producer on "The Debutante Hunters"). I couldn't be more ecstatic!

YAS: Tell us about your short film---why are you passionate about the story? 

My short is about a group of lady hunters from South Carolina. They've all been hunting since they were about 5 years old and are very passionate about the sport and being out in the wild. They are also very much real women---mothers, workers, feminine, sensitive, beautiful while being truly bold and possess skills, discipline and live in a culture that I find fascinating.

I'm interested in this subject because we are living in a world where we are becoming more and more aware about where our food comes from, what we eat. In my film, we get to know these women who literally hunt, kill and cook their own food---this is a very rare practice in many parts of our country as people migrate towards more urban areas.

Three more filmmakers share insights for marketers

To be a successful marketer, you have to master the art of storytelling. And in today's fragmented, social media fueled marketplace, you have to develop a brand story that can be told across channels, authentically and in real-time. No pressure.

We think brands can learn a lot from filmmakers about weaving together a powerful story. That's why we sat down with all nine of our talented Yahoo! Audience Award short film finalists. In this three-part series, we share their approach to the creative process and unearth keyu storytelling tips to help you connect with audiences in richer ways in 2012.

Tip #1: Be observant.  
From Alex Lora, Odysseus' Gambit 

YAS: What inspired you to become a filmmaker? 

AL: I've always had delicate health. I couldn't play too many street ball games with my classmates so I spent half of my childhood watching movies, playing a tiny Casio keyboard and trying to convince my parents to buy me a tuba (that never happened). My mother was also very protective so I was always trying to find ways to have fun safely. That meant using your imagination rather than your body, I guess.

The year that changed everything though was the one that my parents bought a video8 handycam. I was around 9 years old and I discovered a lot of things that summer, observing silently through that camera.

Liz Coughlin talks advertising, Golden Globes and why Yahoo! is #1 in entertainment news

The team behind omg! from Yahoo! takes celebrity news seriously. During last week's Golden Globes, they were in the office from early Sunday into the wee hours of Monday morning, cranking out fashion and news coverage with a unique editorial voice, in real time. All their hard work didn't go unnoticed by Yahoo! users who love their celebs.

Yahoo!'s Golden Globes 2012 microsite saw record-breaking numbers. During the day of the Globes telecast and the day after, more than 10 million unique visitors visited the site, logging more than 284 million page views. That's a 60% annual increase in users consuming Golden Globe content on Yahoo!  users .

As her team prepared to cover the celebrity happenings at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Liz Coughlin, Senior Director of omg!, sat down with us to discuss why her team's editorial approach and unique partnerships make Yahoo! the #1 destination for entertainment news on the Web.

Yahoo! Advertising Solutions: Tell us about your background and what brought you to Yahoo!.

Liz Coughlin: I've been at Yahoo! for nearly a decade, and in the digital space pretty much since the Web began. I started my career at Digitas working on projects like American Express and Dell. We built Dell.com and helped them optimize a lot of their e-commerce.

Originally, I was brought in at Yahoo! for product marketing. I was an e-commerce geek and was a specialist at that here. Eventually, I was moved down to Santa Monica---kind of against my will, funny enough. That's how I got into the media side of things.

For me, I grew up reading People magazine. From the age of 10 on, I have always been a celebrity nut and entertainment freak. So when Yahoo! moved me down to Los Angeles, it was actually such a blessing in disguise, because I'm so personally passionate about this type of content.

YAS: What is Yahoo!'s editorial approach with omg!?

LC: From the beginning, Yahoo! did something really wise with omg!'s editorial approach. When we launched, there were only two main players in the digital side of celebrity news, and their take was mean and nasty. It was Perez Hilton and TMZ. Both positioned themselves as either breaking news or having a tone and an edge that consumers might be interested in, but advertisers weren't.

Tonight's A-list party offers marketers food for thought...and vodka

It's a provocative concept: Bring together two visionaries for a few hours or a day. Start them talking. Roll camera.

Iconoclasts, a Sundance Channel series finishing its fifth season, has paired Steve Nash and Ron Howard, Desmond Tutu with Richard Branson, Mike Myers with Deepak Chopra, Samuel Jackson with Bill Russell and Madeline Albright with Ashley Judd. But the series also has another innovative wrinkle. The producers include Grey Goose Entertainment, a branded content project created by Bacardi and Grey Goose, its high-end vodka.

Grey Goose celebrates the greenlighting of the sixth season of Iconoclasts, scheduled for launch in summer 2012, at the Sundance Film Festival tonight. The festivities include a panel discussion featuring Season 2 iconoclast Paul Simon, Sundance Channel's Sarah Barnett and filmmaker Joe Berlinger (an Iconoclast producer and the director of documentaries including Metallica: Some Kind