Aaron Hughes, Caledonia, ON, Canada
Camcorder: Canon GL2
Editing Software: Apple Final Cut Pro
Prize: Hitachi DZHS300A DVD Camcorder
A well-shot piece with good camera angles and tight editing. Aaron uses sound effects and music quite well, changing the sounds as the mood of the video changes.
Created by Wright Rickman and produced by Chris Davidson, Ithaca, NY
Animation Software: Adobe Flash
Prize: Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 11
A funny animation about a piece of bacon fighting other breakfast foods. Hey, you can’t go wrong with bacon.
Perham Dixon, Houston, TX
Camcorder: Panasonic AG-HVX200
Editing Software: Adobe Premiere Pro CS3
Prize: Photoflex Starlite Octodome NXT Location Kit
A classic use of sound effects, smoke, low-key lighting and suspenseful music makes this young video our pick for best drama, complete with a well-choreographed fight scene.
Steve Crutchfield, Oakhurst, CA
Camcorder: Sony DCR-TRV730
Editing Software: Apple Final Cut Pro 3
Prize: Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro HDMI capture/output card
Steve’s video of a Yosemite photographer expresses the patience photogs must have to get “just that right shot”, and the work and time it takes to achieve it.
Jean-Pierre Serra, Montreal, QC, Canada
Camcorder: Panasonic AG-HVX200
Editing Software: Avid Xpress Pro
Prize: TriLab Build Your Own Digital Hotcakes Library
Jean-Pierre made this look so fun, we really want to start our own “Videomaker-Dragon Boat Team”!
Don Curo, La Habra, CA
Camcorder: Canon GL2
Editing Software: Sony Vegas 6
Prize: SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 4.5
Our favorite Educational entry this year because it was so well done, so concise with B-roll to match the voice track, that we really felt we could comfortably install this device ourselves.
Tyson Wheeler Persall, Alpharetta, GA
Camera: Canon 20D
Editing Software: Adobe Premiere Pro 2
Prize: proDAD software bundle
Smoothly produced commercial that moves well and has all the correct elements to get the message across in 30 seconds.
There are a lot of video contests popping up all over the place, but we are proud to say that Videomaker was one of the first to offer this fun and challenging event. For 20 years, we’ve been inviting readers to expand their horizons, awaken their skills and work all nighters to get a 5-minute-or-less video to us by a (seemingly to some) impossible deadline. For 20 years, you’ve delivered.
As the gear gets easier to use and the skill level of our video producers becomes incredibly astute, it gets harder and harder to judge the videos every year. But after the judging began, we settled in with homemade Thai food and good company and finalized the following videos as our favorites of the 20th Annual Videomaker Short Video contest. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.