Uwol #2 - And The Winner Is...
 

First, let me say that you are all winners in my book because you actually got out there and put something creative together. It was fascinating to see the variety of interpretations for the theme of recreation.

Mat Thompson's "The Fisher King" demonstrated knowledge of composition and storytelling and, while it stayed inside the theme of the competition, it also conveyed the microcosm of the moment and the macrocosm of nature at large.

By juxtaposing the fisherman and the kingfisher, he showed the extremes of fishing for recreation versus fishing for survival.

I also enjoyed the subtle playfulness in the editing with choice shots of animal and man both coexisting and competing. The music worked seamlessly and helped to pull the film together quite well.

Very nice job, Mat, and you deserve the winning vote for the second DVINFO.NET UWOL Challenge!

First Runner Up: "Time Flies", by Ken Diewert. A nice intimate story of family and memories and the activities that bond all of us. The camera work mirrored the proximity of the story very well. Nicely done.

Second Runner Up: "Geocaching", by Kevin J. Railsback. I liked the sense of humor in the opening titles although I expected it to run through the film. Compositions were thoughtful and conveyed the beauty of nature very well. Good work.

Third Runner Up: "Urban Recreation", by Bob Safay. An interesting study of a day in the life of a park. I thought it was interesting to see the sheer variety of activities and people and the way the light changed the atmosphere over the course of time.

Honorary Mention: "Corvus Corax" by Per Johan Naesje. This film had some really beautiful shots and I loved the narrative portrait it painted of one of my favorite birds. I could not, however, include it in the winner's list because, for me, it did not fit the criteria of "recreation" but it was an excellent piece nonetheless.

I'm honored to be asked to judge this competition and, while there were many other outstanding submissions, some incorporated the theme less effectively for me.

Last but definitely not least, a big thank you to Meryem Ersoz for keeping this great idea alive.

I hope you are all encouraged to get out there again and shoot some more great stuff for UWOL #3

Yeah Mat!!!

See, I told you! :)

Congratulations!!! Well deserved. Can't wait for UWOL #3!!!

Congrats Mat !!
 

Mat:

Well deserved !! And thanks to Steven Dempsey for the judging and the explanation. Will help all of us develop our next one.

Congrats to you Mat!
It was a stunning video as I commented to you earlier and it deserved to win!

Also a big cheer to all the runners up, nicely done to all!

Looking forward to UWOL-3

Excellent choice. Congratulations Matt. You story was well told and the Kingfisher scenes set the bar extra high for the me. Great job!!!

congratulations to mat and also to ken, kevin, bob, and per for submitting some terrific movies. and big thanks to all of the players. i knew the theme would stretch a few of you in a different direction (yes, mat?) than you might have expected.

y'all (UWOL) inspire me.

Matt...Matt...Matt, what can I say but awesome absolutely awesome.

Congratulations.... a well deserved trip to the winners circle..you da man.

Brian

Very nice work. One of my favorite European birds and you captured a lot of it's unique character in just a few short shots. Well done.

Rick

Nice job Mat. Congratulations. And many thanks to Steven Dempsey for taking the time to judge and explain his thought process. Above and beyond the call of duty.

Congrats!
 

Way to go Mat.

Great job.

Oops. double post.

Great job Matt.

Congratulations Mat:

You put together a beautifully superb film and deserve this honor. Thank you for sharing it with us and inspiring us all to dream of the excellence that is within the realm of possibility.

Sincerely,

Cat Russell

My congratulations to all the winners! As in the first challenge you folks set the bars pretty high and the works you produced were a distinct pleasure to watch.

Bruce Foreman

Congrats Mat, Ken, Kevin, Bob and Per! Your guys films were amazing!

And congratulations to everyone who entered a film!

I am looking forward to the next one!
~Gabriel