And the Winner of UWOL #13 is...

[Brandon Ersoz]

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.

[Chris Barcellos]

Congrats to all who participated and the winners. And thanks again to Meryem, and others involved in managing this, and our judge Brandon Ersoz. And thank you Judge Ersoz for your kind comments about my film.

[Mike Beckett]

Cor!

And again "Cor!"

Imagine what I could achieve if I got the saturation right and spent a bit more time on the filming! Thank you for the kind words, Brandon.

Brandon and Mereym, thank you very much for making the contest a pleasure. I'm surprised, flattered, and not a little embarrased that I won.

Special mention to Kevin and Per Johan too, and Chris - I am humbled to be on the same shortlist as winners podium with such greats. Heck, you're all lovely (and talented) people. I don't envy the judge's job in choosing.

I can't wait for the check to arrive in the post...(!)

[Marj Atkins]

First and foremost - Brandon welcome to the UWOL Challenge and welcome as judge for this round!
Congratulations to three very deserving winners - all were very inspiring films for sure.
Mike - it had to come sooner or later!

[Per Johan Naesje]

Congrats to you Mike! You was one of my favorites and deserved very well to win!

And congrats to Kevin and Chris too, definitive top level films both of you delivered! Many thanks to the judge Brandon for picking my entry for the 2nd runner up and your comments to my entry!

And a big congrats to all of you who managed to make an entry for this round of the uwol-challenge. This is a great community to be a part of!

[Mike Beckett]

Thanks guys!

At last, Ireland has been added to the list of countries that have won UWOL.

Per Johan - you'll have to re-think your dress code next time if you want to beat "The Man With The $10 Hat and Sunburnt Arms"!

Marj - I won for persistence (even if I've missed too many UWOLs). If do you ever get your trip to Ireland, I'll take you on a tour of our majestic rain-swept coastline!

[Kevin Railsback]

Congrats Mike! A well deserved win!

Congrats as well to everyone else that finished a film. I know all to well how life can interrupt the best made plans.

Look forward to the next challenge! Bring it on! :)

[Paul Cascio]

Are there any links so we can see these winning videos?

[Mike Sims]

Way to go Mike! Congratulations also to Kevin, Per Johan, and Chris.

[Kevin Railsback]

Paul,

You can check the current challenge films as well as every film submitted at The UWOL Challenge - Wildlife & Outdoor based film competition

[Meryem Ersoz]

Fantastic win, Mike, nice to see Ireland in the top spot.

Congrats to Kevin and Per and also to Chris, for getting a special mention.

Thanks to the players for your excellent efforts and for your patience.

[Trond Saetre]

Welcome to the uwol family Brandon!

Congratulations to Mike and the runner ups!
You all made great videos.

[Catherine Russell]

Kudos you guys! The filming just keeps getting better and better! Hmm, perhaps that's the point, eh Meryem?

Hope you are recovered now, Meryem?

Well done UWOL 13 challengers!

Cat

[Finn-Erik Faale]

Sorry for being late with my congratulations.
I have been out of town for some weeks.

Congrats to Mike, Kevin, Per and Chris for impressing videos.

Finn-Erik

[Mike Beckett]

Thanks, Finn-Erik. The number 13 was lucky for me this time!