Video Prize Patrol: The 1999 Videomaker/Panasonic Tape Contest Winners

It was a banner year for the Videomaker/Panasonic Video Contest. With nearly 200 entries from over 25 states, Canada and Puerto Rico, this year marked the most participants ever. Our judges viewed action adventures, dramatic features, public service announcements, documentaries, training videos, animation and music videos. The quality of this year’s entries was exceptional, due likely to the growing use of digital camcorders and nonlinear editing equipment. As always, the entries showed a great deal of creativity. The judges had a difficult task indeed. When the dust settled, our judges presented their decisions based on the videographer’s proficiency in lighting, audio, editing, shot selection and innovation.
As we prepare to herald this year’s winners, we would like to extend a hearty thank you to each participant, and an invitation for all of our readers to submit tapes for next year’s contest. And now, we go live to the Videomaker prize wagon as it nears the home of the first of our winners.

Young Videomaker Bonus Prize
The Coffee Shop
Pinnacle Studio 400
Eric Matsumoto
Indianapolis, IN

One of the most competitive categories in this year’s contest was for the Young Videomaker Bonus. Three of this year’s eight winners were under 20 years old, and the number of entries by young Videomakers amounted to nearly one-third of our total. Five of them belonged to Eric Matsumoto, who displayed an expertise over the medium that left the judges rightfully impressed.
In The Coffee Shop, a young server reflects on the personal interactions she has with her customers and comes to philosophical conclusions about life and human relationships. Matsumoto’s creative use of shots, excellent lighting skills and command over narrative audio set this entry apart from the crowd.
The list of equipment used to produce The Coffee Shop included a Sony DCR-VX1000 Mini DV camcorder, a Glidecam 1000 Pro, an Audio-Technica shotgun microphone, a Bogen tripod and an Apple G3 running Adobe Premiere.
When asked about his ability to maintain exposure from indoor to outdoor shots, Matsumoto explained that he always shoots in manual mode, "That way, the picture quality stays consistent."
A true hobbyist, Matsumoto makes video in his spare time. He attends UCLA as an undeclared major. We wish Eric success in all he does and hope to see more of his work in the future.