Pro Moviemaker March/April 2025 - Web

AWARDS MPB FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR

CINEMATOGRAPHY THE VISION TO CREATE MAGIC

You don’t need an Arri and a quiver of Cooke lenses to display cinematography that stands out. Think of creative angles, complex camera moves and clever cuts. Thanks to the latest equipment and post work, even small companies and indie filmmakers can make impressive work to rival Hollywood. This award recognises cinematography in smaller-budget productions that may look like they required large teams but are cost-effective, driven by creativity rather than cash. Last year’s winner was DK Greenley, who made a classy short that shines as it’s stylishly lit, professionally acted to a great script produced well – a polished piece of work in a tough category. So show us your best work and impress the judges, as this year the winner could be you!

This special award recognises mastery of light that’s really paid off in the look of a film. It doesn’t matter if the project uses rented artificial lights or carefully combines ambient and practical. We want careful use and control of lighting that creates just the right feel, and hangs together through a film for a cohesive look. Last year, Warren Eig won for his film A Family X-Mas , a short about a mob boss who discovers the real Santa Claus in his house. It was a two-day shoot on a small budget after Eig spent a week decorating the house to look like an early-morning afterparty. The nighttime exterior filming took place in LA, but a rare rainstorm rolled in and a deluge came down. The team still got enough footage to make it work. It was the lighting of the interiors as well as those tricky outside scenes in the rain that brought a high- end look to the short. Let’s see your light work! LIGHTING CREATING DRAMA THROUGH LIGHT AND SHADE

Incredible visuals and audio are part of what’s needed to create great EDITING ARE YOU OUR POST MASTER GENERAL? work, but it’s in the edit where a film is truly crafted. Grading, the cuts, sound design, graphics and more are all important too. The edit is where the final story and audio come together to create something very special. For this category, any genre of film will be welcomed, just as long as it highlights editing skills. So that could be exceptional work in editing, grading, motion graphics or more. It can be your own, one you helped shoot or where you just worked as an editor.

The documentary class is forever one of the most popular classes in the awards. It’s where a great story told in a compelling way will always win out. Storytelling with awesome audio and visuals combine to make something special. It could be a global situation or a local tale of social importance - the best documentaries entertain, raise awareness and make real change. Last year’s winner showed how hip-hop saved the lives of six young men from the streets of Dallas, who formed a group called The Rockets back in the eighties. This included four young dance music fans and a rapper named Trey or The DOC, who went on to launch Death Row Records with Dr Dre and was awarded a Grammy lifetime achievement award as a member of NWA. That’s a story worth telling! DOCUMENTARY COMPELLING STORYTELLING WITH A SOCIAL EDGE

Professional production values often lie in the critical area of lighting, and you can’t always rely on natural light to play ball. So turning your project into something exceptional shouldn’t be left to chance. You’ll be needing reliable equipment that doesn’t blow the budget. For professional-level lighting that’s affordable, Godox has a wide range of LEDs to suit all needs and pockets. The brand offers powerful COB lights, fresnel lights and modifiers, LED panels in large and small sizes, plus practicals such as tube lights. To dial in the light to perfection, find a range of modifiers including large parabolic softboxes, gels, diffusion, scrims, stands and everything else you could need. There are even hybrids, either powerful COBs or large LED panels that flash, suitable for stills as well as movies. The most popular for filmmaking are the wide range of COB lights, which come with a Bowens mount to take a variety of modifiers that will boost the quality of your films.

Visual effects have largely moved from practical effects or green screen to the full suite of virtual production tech, as lots of computer trickery can aid in the creation of something stunning. But this category is open to anything from old-school in-camera and practical effects to green screen, VFX, virtual production or any other techniques. We are recognising the most creative effects we can find. VISUAL EFFECTS MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE