Winners - Underwater Videography Contests
June 2019 Video Contest Winner and Review
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND RESIDENT UNDERWATER VIDEOGRAPHY EXPERT JEFF GOODMAN
Winner: Forgotten Islands Redux – Out of the Black & Into the Blue by Alex del Olmo
Forgotten Islands Redux – Out of the Black & Into the Blue
Winning Video:
I really don’t know what I am going to do this month. Usually as I watch film entries, I get a feeling for who I am going to choose as a winner. This month I haven’t a clue. Four magnificent videos all deserving of special mention. As usual I have commented on each individual film. Please read them as well as your own. It may help you in the future.
Bahamas shark dive by Serge Melesan
Watch Serge’s video here.
Amazing animals. What a thrilling dive. Music in a video is so important as it creates the mood and feel of the images. In this case you have gone for the powerful and slightly threatening, which works well. It’s worth noting that had you chosen soft and slow music the film would be entirely different. Very nicely shot with a good variety of image sizes and perspective which are all edited together to make a seamless and very watchable video. Well done. I would be interested to know about the overall colour choice. It’s not quite monochrome but very nearly. It looks as if you shot it in RAW and didn’t do the after processing. The effect is eye catching and with the music results in an excellent film.
Mermaid by Shotaro Inoue
Watch Shotaro’s video here.
Quite magical. Wonderful costume and what a excellent swimmer your model is. She certainly looks totally at home in the water. Beautifully filmed and edited and a perfect tempo to make the film enchanting. Loved the sunset ending which was truly inspirational.
Fakarava 300 sharks by Sylvain Camps
Watch Sylvain’s video here.
Really liked the open coast shots where you created a perfect mood for the rest of the film. Good music choice too. I did like the cutting back to land to eventuate the feeling of peace and tranquillity which was then again reflected back into the water. I was totally spellbound from beginning to end. The slow motion schooling fish were magnificent.
Forgotten Islands Redux – Out of the Black & Into the Blue by Alex del Olmo
Watch Alex’s video here.
Thanks for the written introduction. Makes a big difference to set the film up. Excellent opening with the image, the music and the graphics. What an amazing looking place. Really liked they way you established the reef area with a series of wide shots and the tempo of the music change cut straight in to wildlife close-ups. You then followed this with a stunning variety of reef shots in which the music continues to keep a steady pace to the film. Your lighting is very good and this particularly showed in the fantastic coral spawning shot as well as the batfish. I loved the building music crescendo to extenuate the mood and scene of the shoaling fishes.
And the Winner is….
Forgotten Islands Redux – Out of the Black & Into the Blue by Alex del Olmo
Well done Alex, and well done to everyone, some great videos last month. I can’t wait to see what you will share with us in July.
Scubaverse.com’s July 2019 Underwater Video Contest is now open! Enter as many as three of your underwater videos here.
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND RESIDENT UNDERWATER VIDEOGRAPHY EXPERT JEFF GOODMAN
Winner:
Winning Video:
Hi everyone. Happy Christmas and New Year. Just four videos this month. I felt the Maria Bereozka film ‘Jingle Fish’ had the edge over the others by way of carefully executed shots and editing, which gave a good steady pace to the video.
Looking forward to more films next year.
If you are keen to advance in your film making skills, don’t forget to look at my book and/or take my RAID Action Camera course.
A love story by Ronald Faber
Synthetic voice – Really!!! Didn’t know there was such software in existence. Should have know better really. Nice video though. I don’t get many entries with David doing the narration. Good story and well shot with great steady camera work and lighting. The editing was spot on as was the music choice. The David voice did give it a certain quality that no matter how good or poor the film actually was, the audience automatically assume it has to be professional and thus top quality. It’s a clever trick but not sure I like it.
Jingle Fish by Maria Bereozka
Nice thoughts and excellent images with great quality. All works really well. The video has a real good feel to it and I love the diver/animal shots.
Fish Dance by Maria Bereozka
Ah Maria, Once again it is your narration that lifts the film by 100%. although your camera work is very good with steady well lit shots.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Dives! by Maria Bereozka
Not sure about this one. Didn’t quite work for me. It seemed to be a collection of loose shots put together to the music.
The January competition is now open for entries. You can enter up to three videos by clicking here.
WINNER CHOSEN AND REVIEW BY SCUBAVERSE.COM’S EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND RESIDENT UNDERWATER VIDEOGRAPHY EXPERT JEFF GOODMAN
Winner: Sharkydelity by Fredi
Winning Video:
Such good films this month. It took me a while to decide on the winner. I had to watch them all twice. But in the end my choice was Sharkydelity by Fredi. You can seen my comments on this film as well as all the others below.
If you are keen to advance in your film making skills, don’t forget to look at my book https://www.divedup.com/shop/action-camera-underwater-video-basics-the-essential-guide-to-making-underwater-films/
Time to breath by Maria Bereozka
Yep! Love it. So relaxing to watch and I really feel a bond with Turtle. Good camerawork.
Sharkydelity by Fredi
Lovely written intro thanks. Adds so much to the actual film. It’s a great story and stunning images.
A perfect blend of aerial, land and underwater sequences. Your music choice was perfect as was your camera work and lighting which gave wonderful clear, steady, sharp, well exposed and beautiful framed images. I liked your creativity with the editing, especially where you made the most of the music phrases.
Point of view by Maria Bereozka
The written intro was obviously heart felt and moving. It is so good to set up a video in this way. Once again it is your narration combined with your artistic skills and imagination that make your videos so unique.
Underwater Red Sea paradise by Maria Bereozka
Nice feel to the video which was well complimented by the music. My only suggestion is that for general reef shots you try some way to hold the camera steady. It’s not so important with moving subjects like the ray but when there is just coral and background fish the camera must be as steady as possible.
Banda Sea, Seram Sea and Raja Ampat by Daniel French
Sounds like a fantastic trip from your write-up. The on-screen identification captions work really well. I like the slow motion throughout. The slow steady tracking shots and the slow animal movements. It creates a very peaceful feel and the music is perfect. Great camera work and lighting. I also like your camera angle perspective on subjects where you get below the animals.
Maldives Far North Expedition with MantaTrust by ondrejv
Good written intro thanks. I liked the personal on-screen introduction. Wonderful shots of the mantas. What amazing animals they are. Having gone this far though with the shooting and editing I would have loved to have had some information on what you learned about the Mantas especially as you were with the Manta Trust.
Calm Indian ocean by ondrejv
Stunning opening shot of the Sweetlips. Fabulously sharp and well lit. You have captured some excellent wildlife images and the music fits really well. Loved the turtle turning to look at you.
The December competition is now open for entries. You can enter up to three videos by clicking here.
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