All the way back in July, we told you about a contest that AbelCine was running in partnership with Vision Research. That contest, the Miro High-Speed Inspiration Challenge, focused on contestants coming up with new and creative uses for high-speed photography, and they've now selected five finalists from a group of a few hundred applicants. The winner will be announced on March 1st, but you can watch all five of the short films right now embedded below.
Here is a refresher on the contest, and what AbelCine was looking for from the contestants who were later given Miro cameras to film their pitches:
Proposals for Miro projects will be judged on their creativity, unique use of ultra high-speed and relevance to the distinctive features of the camera. The goal is to create high-speed imagery we haven’t seen before (balloon pops need not apply). This challenge is open to image-makers and artists from all disciplines, and we strongly encourage new and aspiring content producers to submit their ideas.
A Closer Look -- Tim Wu and Natasha Kermani
Anchor Me Here -- Laura Egan
Video is no longer available: vimeo.com/cinetech/anchormehere
The Great Sundering -- Nathan Pardee and Kristine Guzman
Fly on Out -- Robert Kolodny
Video is no longer available: vimeo.com/cinetech/flyonout
Dance of the Honey Bee -- Peter Nelson
Video is no longer available: vimeo.com/cinetech/honeybee
If you want to learn more about the individuals and their projects, and check out some behind the scenes photos and videos, head on over to AbelCine and the Phantom Miro Facebook page using the links below.
What do you guys think about the future of high-speed cinematography? Do you think we've only just scratched the surface of what is capable with slow motion? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Links:
- Miro High-Speed Challenge Projects Nearing Completion -- AbelCine
- Phantom Miro M / LC-Series Digital High-Speed Cameras -- Facebook
Disclosure: AbelCine is a No Film School advertiser.
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Your Comment
18 Comments
Loved the Fly On Out piece, I think there is much slow motion to come, but like everything should be used in moderation.
February 22, 2013 at 5:49PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
hear, hear! likewise extreme shallow DoF & timelapses - just because you can doesn't mean you have to ad infinitum
February 22, 2013 at 6:23PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I did not enjoy the Fly on Out film. It was full of stereotypes and irrelevant slow motion images. I think The Great Sundering and A Closer Look are the top choices. They were much more unique, creative and well executed.
February 23, 2013 at 9:40AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Loved "Fly on Out" great glimpse of the city. Stereotypes become stereotypical for a reason and just because it is a stereotype doesn't mean it is a negative one.
February 23, 2013 at 10:23AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Agreed. Really liked 'Fly on Out'. Awesome sound design!
February 28, 2013 at 12:40PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Loved Fly on Out too! Reminded me of Spike Lee's Brooklyn!
February 23, 2013 at 12:34PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
"A Closer Look" and "Fly on Out" were my favorites. I think they were great examples of how you can use slow motion in a narrative way. Seeing all the day-to-day stuff happening in "Fly on Out" in slow motion and in close ups worked really well.
If there is one person to be stoked about the future of slow motion, it's the sound designer. This kind of work will create a lot of stuff for a sound designer to do. The sound design of these two pieces are what really made everything work.
Seeing these shorts have really made me start to consider high speed shooting as a feature that my next camera must have.
February 22, 2013 at 7:07PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Some good work there and I don't want to be the all negative guy but the second video Anchor Me Here
is the aftermath of hurricane Sandy and therefore it couldn't even been shoot before sept.17th ....
so technically that should be illegal... or is there any explanation from Abel about it?
February 23, 2013 at 8:18AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I believe you needed to submit an APPLICATION by September 17th -- the videos were not shot until after. Presumably when something like Sandy hits, as a filmmaker your plans may change (compared to the original video you were pitching).
February 23, 2013 at 9:16AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Oh I see - so the contest was for the pitch and now they are choosing the best execution - I'll take it all back then
February 23, 2013 at 9:19AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I don't want to be Mr. Negative here either but, I really don't think I saw much innovation in these or anything I haven't seen prior. I agree with Chris that the slo-mo in Fly On Out was superfluous and did nothing to enhance the story at all. As a novelty, I enjoyed seeing the wire-feed welder in slo-mo and the bees tumbling about but, sorry... nothing here truly exploiting the ability of these cameras beyond what we've all seen before.
February 23, 2013 at 10:08AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Because exploiting is the goal...?
Good solid work from all the filmmakers, great opportunity for them all. Lucky!
February 23, 2013 at 10:50AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
That was a little weird for me, a good chunk of "Fly On Out" was shot within a few blocks of my apartment and I'm almost positive I've shot on that roof before.
February 25, 2013 at 8:05AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I liked all the films, but I liked Fly on Out the best. The goal was to utilize the capabilities of the camera, and as far as I'm concerned, it was the best of the lot. Congrats to all the finalists - well done!!
February 25, 2013 at 9:43PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
The lego destruction film was amazing! Clever and funny. Slow motion was a part of the story here and the images were dramatic and exciting because of it. There were pretty images in the bee film, but I feel as though I have seen them before. A Closer Look was also beautiful, as was Anchor Me Here. The welding shot it the beginning was striking, but was used too many times, it seems to sell the slow month effect. Fly on out was alright. There were a couple cool ideas there but you could tell it was probably a young director, and the random slow motion shots just did not flow. Congrats to all the contestants though, such great films!
February 26, 2013 at 4:50AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
These films are so different from each other. Someone did a great job in selecting the concepts.
A closer Look had a few very nice shots.....and The Great Sundering was hilarious and felt the most deliberate in the overall execution. Nice so see a bright, fun, and witty film. The slow motion felt the most natural and purposeful in these two. I would love to know the background of the filmmakers!!!!
February 26, 2013 at 9:19AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
If these were all shot 100% on that camera, then Fly On Out made this camera look like something more then a slow motion gimmick. The use of it as both a HD cinema camera and a tool for slow motion was evident. The rest of the films overused slow motion in my opinion. I really liked the way Dance of The Honey Bee used normal motion and slow as well, and great documentary shots in Anchor me Here, but the Fly on Out one was the best in my book.
February 26, 2013 at 10:10AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
nice to see that no barriers for technology
March 1, 2013 at 7:47AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM