Brandon Ersoz
June 19th, 2009, 10:51 AM
Hello to all and thanks for allowing me to be your judge this month. I apologize for the tardiness of this review, but I suppose a little chaos is forgivable given this month’s theme. Let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed screening these films. There were some particularly inspired examples of filmmaking among the bunch. I personally gleaned a number of ideas for my own shooting in the future.
There were a lot of great films to choose from and it wasn’t easy picking a winner. These entries exhibited an impressive level of craftsmanship. Its clear that a great deal of love went into each piece. Each film was unique, and I had a difficult time deciding on a winner. Ultimately, I was forced to narrow the field based on the criteria of order, chaos, or order/chaos. I felt that the following films best captured this rather abstract theme.
Mike Beckett- Order on a Gigantic Scale- 1st place
Although it was a difficult decision, I thought that this film represented the best all around package. Mike picked an amazing location and his footage really does this natural beauty justice. I really enjoyed the contrast he drew between natural order and human chaos. I particularly liked the broad range of techniques. The pans and tilts are skillful and smooth. The timelapes sequence of the tourists fit nicely with the film’s message. I enjoyed the music and thought it set a very appropriate mood. The narration tied the piece together nicely and proved as educational as it was entertaining.
Kevin Railsback- A Natural Order- 1st Runner Up
Kevin’s piece was my favorite of the order themed films. This film exhibits a high level of technical proficiency. The pans and tilts were exceptionally smooth. The rotating canopy shot was powerful and very well executed. Kevin caught some great running water footage with some very interesting lighting and reflections. I also personally enjoyed the tadpoles. The narration nicely tied the footage together with the theme of natural order. The music was well chosen and set the mood nicely. Some shots of birds or other animal life would have made a nice addition. Overall a well put together piece of work.
Per Johan Naesje- Velocity- 2nd Runner Up
I felt that Per’s film was the best of the chaos-themed films and I thought his approach was very unique. The time that must have been invested in getting this many timelapse shots is intimidating. Per clearly put a lot of patience and effort into this film and it paid off. I particularly loved the shots of clouds, the time intervals for these shots were perfect. Also that’s a great angle on the “swan” shot. The zoom effect in the final shot was unique, effective, and was really nicely synchronized with the sound. I would have preferred a simpler intro and could have done without the rotating picture of the camera. In recognition of the sheer amount of time invested in this film I had to place it in the top three. Plus, who doesn’t love good timelapse?
Alas, there is only room for three on the podium, but I couldn’t end without mentioning Chris’ film, which I believe deserves some recognition.
Chris Barcellos- Patterns in Green
Chris has provided a great example of really high quality shooting. The pans and tilts were seamless and his use of depth was top-notch. The depth effects were extremely well executed. The production quality was very high and the picture clean. The music worked brilliantly and really emphasized the simple majesty of tiny plant life. I might suggest using a different a different colored script, I felt the green font tended to get lost amidst the green background. Overall this film exhibited a very high level of skill.
Thanks again for allowing me the privilege of being your judge and thank you for welcoming me into your community. All of the films were great and I’ll post comments on all the other entries in their respective threads. I look forward to hearing criticism of my own work in the near future. Until then, good shooting.
There were a lot of great films to choose from and it wasn’t easy picking a winner. These entries exhibited an impressive level of craftsmanship. Its clear that a great deal of love went into each piece. Each film was unique, and I had a difficult time deciding on a winner. Ultimately, I was forced to narrow the field based on the criteria of order, chaos, or order/chaos. I felt that the following films best captured this rather abstract theme.
Mike Beckett- Order on a Gigantic Scale- 1st place
Although it was a difficult decision, I thought that this film represented the best all around package. Mike picked an amazing location and his footage really does this natural beauty justice. I really enjoyed the contrast he drew between natural order and human chaos. I particularly liked the broad range of techniques. The pans and tilts are skillful and smooth. The timelapes sequence of the tourists fit nicely with the film’s message. I enjoyed the music and thought it set a very appropriate mood. The narration tied the piece together nicely and proved as educational as it was entertaining.
Kevin Railsback- A Natural Order- 1st Runner Up
Kevin’s piece was my favorite of the order themed films. This film exhibits a high level of technical proficiency. The pans and tilts were exceptionally smooth. The rotating canopy shot was powerful and very well executed. Kevin caught some great running water footage with some very interesting lighting and reflections. I also personally enjoyed the tadpoles. The narration nicely tied the footage together with the theme of natural order. The music was well chosen and set the mood nicely. Some shots of birds or other animal life would have made a nice addition. Overall a well put together piece of work.
Per Johan Naesje- Velocity- 2nd Runner Up
I felt that Per’s film was the best of the chaos-themed films and I thought his approach was very unique. The time that must have been invested in getting this many timelapse shots is intimidating. Per clearly put a lot of patience and effort into this film and it paid off. I particularly loved the shots of clouds, the time intervals for these shots were perfect. Also that’s a great angle on the “swan” shot. The zoom effect in the final shot was unique, effective, and was really nicely synchronized with the sound. I would have preferred a simpler intro and could have done without the rotating picture of the camera. In recognition of the sheer amount of time invested in this film I had to place it in the top three. Plus, who doesn’t love good timelapse?
Alas, there is only room for three on the podium, but I couldn’t end without mentioning Chris’ film, which I believe deserves some recognition.
Chris Barcellos- Patterns in Green
Chris has provided a great example of really high quality shooting. The pans and tilts were seamless and his use of depth was top-notch. The depth effects were extremely well executed. The production quality was very high and the picture clean. The music worked brilliantly and really emphasized the simple majesty of tiny plant life. I might suggest using a different a different colored script, I felt the green font tended to get lost amidst the green background. Overall this film exhibited a very high level of skill.
Thanks again for allowing me the privilege of being your judge and thank you for welcoming me into your community. All of the films were great and I’ll post comments on all the other entries in their respective threads. I look forward to hearing criticism of my own work in the near future. Until then, good shooting.