As in years past, some of our readers shared their video production talents with us. Our initial impression: wow. The quality of the video that we received this year absolutely blew us away. We had a difficult (but enjoyable) time picking out this year's winners. So without further ado, here are the winners of the 2005 Videomaker/Digital Juice Short Video Contest.
Best Expermental Videos – Working Nightmare
Levi Taylor
Anchorage, AK
Camcorder: Sony 8mm
Editing software: Adobe Premiere 6.0
Prize: Roadwired Skooba Satchel ($100)
A bleak look at the life of a working stiff. If you've ever felt like your weeks go by faster and faster as you get busier and busier, you will definitely sympathize with Taylor's character in Working Nightmare.
Best Young Videographer – Sorry
Hodges Usry
Augusta, GA
Camcorder: Panasonic AG-DVX100
Editing software: Sony Vegas 5.0
Prize: Ulead DVD Workshop 2 ($395)
A disadvantaged boy is pushed too far in this tragic video. Hodges filled all of the crew positions by himself over two days of shooting. He used local talent, including fourteen kids as extras on a school bus, and his own father played the father in this video.
Best Commercial/PSA – Tallberg-Respect
Richard Hartwell and Mike Harrington
Petoskey, MI
Camcorder: Canon GL1
Editing software: Adobe Premiere 6.5
Prize: Music 2 Hues – 4 Flagship Collection Music Library CDs ($125)
This commercial was both shot and edited by Hartwell, who used his friends and family as talent. One zoom effect was facilitated with a remote lens control, and the audio was provided by a local audio producer. The :30 spot appeared on local cable in northern Michigan.
Best Documentary – AKA Donut Dollies
Jack Schell
Gun Barrel City, TX
Scanner: Microtek 900
Editing software: Sony Vegas+DVD 6
Prize: Bogen Manfrotto 745B Tripod with 701RC2 Head ($408)
A tribute to the Donut Dollies, a corps of female Red Cross volunteers who served in Vietnam. The documentary consisted of many still images, which were touched up using Corel PhotoPaint. The project took about three full weeks of scanning, photo editing, video editing and compositing.
Best Training Video – Theatrical Lighting Basics
Kade Mendelowitz
Fairbanks, AK
Camcorder: Sony DSR-PD150
Editing software: Adobe Premiere 6.5
Prize: Tenba TriPak Case for Tripods and Light Stands ($185)
A well-executed training video that concisely illustrates the best way to set up lighting for theatrical productions. The use of picture-in-picture closeups clearly shows the procedures to use to get the lighting effects you need.
Best Drama/Action Video – Unplanned
Stephen Strosin
Los Angeles, CA
Camcorder: Canon XL2
Editing software: Apple Final Cut Pro 3
Prize: Lite-On LVW 5045 DVD Recorder ($449)
Unplanned is a tragic, cautionary tale of what happens when someone is too quick to judge what is really going on. The shooting took place over a day and a half.
Best Comedy – Baby Max Beer Hunter
Ron Bullock
Oshkosh, WI
Camcorder: Panasonic AG-DVX100
Editing system: MacroSystem Casablanca Solitaire
Prize: PixelPops PopDrops DVD Menu and Packaging Templates ($230)
A very funny story about hunting in the upper Midwest, complete with a Conan O'Brien-style superimposed mouth on Baby Max.
Best Sports Video – Fastpitch Fever
James Urban
Wheaton, IL
Camcorder: Canon XL2
Editing software: Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5
Prize: Azden 100LTH Wireless Microphone ($450)
A well-executed sports video documenting a fastpitch softball team. Urban used a wide open aperture of his XL2’s lens, popped in the ND filters and used fast shutter speeds to achieve a very smooth film-like look.
Best Senior Videographer – Let's Dance
Wendy Evans
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Camcorder: Sony DCR-TRV20E
Editing software: Adobe Premiere 6.5
Prize: Ulead DVD Workshop 2 ($395)
A native dance contest in the Pacific Islands is documented in this video.
Best Classroom Video – SharpFocus XS
Jason Hall
Sewell, NJ
Camcorder: Canon GL2
Editing software: Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5
Prize: Serious Magic Visual Communicator Studio ($490)
SharpFocus XS is a clever parody on a drug commercial that features a guy in a gorilla suit. All of Hall's footage was acquired over the course of one-day shoot.
Best Music Video – Rearview
Scott Seraydarian
Doylestown, PA
Camcorder: Sony DCR-VX2000
Editing software: Apple Final Cut Pro 4.5
Prize: Trilab Digital Hotcakes Grand Slam ($579)
An abandoned train car is the backdrop for this story of lost love set to music.
4th Prize – Spor-"Vision"
Brian Taylor
Toledo, OH
Camcorder: Canon XL1S
Editing software: Apple Final Cut Pro
Prize: Sony Media Software Vegas+DVD Production Suite ($900)
A very well-produced video for the Toledo, Ohio-based band Spor included some interesting public domain footage from the Prelinger Archives.
3rd Prize – Speed
Jason Adair and Jon Guthrie
Savannah, GA
Camcorder: Panasonic AG-DVC15
Editing software: Adobe Premiere Pro
Prize: VariZoom DV Sportster Combo Kit ($1,800)
Adair and Guthrie produced Speed as a school project. Shooting took 2½ days. Color correction was performed with Adobe After Effects, and the music was composed with Apple Soundtrack.
2nd Prize – Le Combat du Samourai
Keith Feeney
Perrysburg, OH
Animation software: Macromedia Flash MX
Editing software: Nova Video Explosion Deluxe
Prize: JonyJib JonyPrompter ($1,995)
A Flash animation ports to video nicely in this samurai warrior fight with brilliant, saturated colors.
1st Prize – Beijing Golf Video-2005 Polar Classic
Mark Wickham
Mendham, NJ
Camera: Nikon D100 SLR
Editing software: Adobe Premiere Pro
Prize: NewTek VT [4] ($3,995)
A smoothly-animated composition of high-resolution still images taken at a golf tournament comes together very well.
Grand Prize – Carbon Nation
Riley Harmon
Shawnee, OK
Camcorder: Panasonic PV-DV953
Editing software: Adobe Premiere
Prize: Digital Juice-Graphics/music/footage Mega-Pack: 27 Volumes of Jump Backs Animated Backgrounds, 10 Volumes of StackTraxx Production Music, 6 Volumes of Editor's Toolkits Animated Graphic Sets, 3 Volumes of VideoTraxx Stock Footage Library ($7,854)
Grand Prizewinner Riley Harmon produced Carbon Nation's classroom full of identical children with some self-taught After Effects skills. The video was edited together over five days, and was shot in about eight hours.We also want to give recognition to Riley for Media Control PSA, a separate :30 spot that he submitted on the theme of being overloaded by the media.
Congratulations to all of our winners, and hats off to all of our entrants on a job well done. We are anxious to see what next year's videos will look like. Look for the next Call for Entries to appear in the July and August 2006 issues of Videomaker.