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Not using footage to promote a show or event is a double-edged sword. On one hand, producers have absolute freedom to create whatever spot they want to create, allowing for some true innovation and resourcefulness to shine through. On the other hand, they have absolute freedom to create whatever spot they want to create, giving them a potentially bewildering array of infinite possibilities without infinite time or resources. 

RELATED: Finalist Friday: Motion Graphics

The following six spots – all finalists in the “spot not using programme footage” category at the 2024 GEM Awards TV/Streaming Europe – reveal what comes back when great producers are allowed to let their minds wander a little.

‍TV2 Denmark’s “Euro Qualifiers: It’s Time to Move On”

A Danish farmer is having a hard time letting go of his team’s loss to rival nation Finland in this spot by TV2 Denmark. After hearing Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” on the radio and seeing his loyal pup beg him to play, the farmer rushes out to his muddy field to reclaim his favorite jersey from the scarecrow he ceded it to after the team’s disappointing loss in the 2020 UEFA Euro qualifiers. 

‍Alpha TV’s Murders at the Bell Tower

When a male corpse is found in the pantry of their monastery, six nuns and two detectives are set loose to figure out whodunit in Alpha TV’s Murders at the Bell Tower.

The below main-title sequence is a nod to fun animated opening titles of the 60s and 70s and was produced for Greece’s Alpha TV by Athens-based Mellow Studio under the leadership of agency co-founder and creative director Constantinos Kilaris.

‍TV2 Denmark’s X Factor

A young woman enlists her family to help her prepare to audition for talent-competition series X Factor Denmark in the below spot by TV2 Denmark. As she struggles – and momentarily succeeds – to belt out Lady Gaga’s part in A Star Is Born’s “Shallow,” her family struggles to remain patient with the aspiring songstress. 

‍Netflix Creative Studios’ Berlin (Money Heist) – Date Announce

Netflix uses an elaborate model of a bank to reveal when Berlin, the anticipated spin-off of popular series, Money Heist, will finally drop. 

‍Warner Bros. Discovery’s Spy/Master Character Spot

Victor Godeanu (Alec Secăreanu) is living a double life in HBO Max’s Hungarian and Romanian original Cold War series, Spy/Master. Publicly, Godeanu is the right-hand man to Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, while privately he’s a KGB agent who is trying to defect to America. 

The below spot stylishly reveals Godeanu trying to navigate through this tricky situation without risking the lives of anyone he loves. 

‍Paramount Creative UK’s The Toy Hospital

Set to Tom Odell’s “Grow Old With Me,” Paramount Creative UK pulls at the viewer’s heartstrings as they watch a much-loved stuffed bear become more threadbare over time. But fear not, The Toy Hospital is here to save the day and stitch that bear back up again. 

Join The Global Entertainment Marketing Association of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.) at Amsterdam's Yellow House on Wednesday, June 5, to celebrate all the finalists and winners of the inaugural GEM Awards TV/Streaming Europe. Register today!