- Top 10 New Zealand entries: Canon’s 50th anniversary video competition
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To celebrate 50 years of Canon Oceania we challenged you to show us what '50' means to you! We invited Canon Ambassadors, Kate Cornish and Wil Calabio to judge the video entries which were filled with creativity and imagination - check out the top 10 entries from New Zealand. Thank you so much to everyone who entered, it was an honour to celebrate our 50 years with you!
“In the end I made sure to stay completely aligned with the brief '50', and made my decision based on creativity and the extent that contestants connected with the brief. 50/50 had exceptional creativity through its narrative, an extensive connection to the brief, and as a bonus the production quality was outstanding letting you truly appreciate the effort placed into the work itself. The balanced combination of these qualities is what placed it at the no.1 spot in the end. Not only do I congratulate the winners of the competition, but also to everyone that entered as it takes courage to place your creativity in the eyes of judgement. Great work!”
Wil Calabio, Canon Ambassador
“A man bases every decision in his life on the toss of a 50c coin”
“How good is your maths?”
“50/50: Where every step is a gamble, and every choice is a leap of faith.”
“We can generate any image we imagine, so why do we still shoot on 50 year old cameras?”
“My idea behind the video was to showcase the diversity of New Zealand's multicultural society by teaching strangers sign language for words related to culture. I was inspired whilst reading Canon's philosophy of Kyosei: All people regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future. I wanted to incorporate this philosophy into a New Zealand context and decided to teach myself some te reo and sign language so that the video could be inclusive to the three official languages of New Zealand.
My method was to go to local events and popular public spaces, timidly approach people, explain the project and ask for consent, get humbled whilst trying to learn sign language, take a 2-3 second video of them, and end with a single portrait shot.
To fit the briefing, I did the following: took 50 photos (using a 50mm Canon lens) and 50 videos of 50 people living in New Zealand, showcasing 50 different English, Maori, and sign language words related to culture, had 50 different conversations, and combined 50 unique images and videos all under 50 hours! If I had the time to do this project again, I would have loved to shoot better quality videos and spend more time with the people I interviewed.”
“To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Canon Oceania…there was only one way to do that.”
“Oliver finds his first CANON at a 2nd hand store. He takes some nature shots at his local beach. Then things get weird.... This was so much fun making with it being a real family effort, Dad behind the EOS 650D, Mum writing the music and Oliver (11) and Emily (6) as the ‘talent’. Enjoy!”
“In a world that demands action, productivity, and revolutionary change, it is easy to feel too overwhelmed to do anything at all. The fear of failure can paralyse us, while the dread of imperfection can prevent us from even starting. My take on Canon's 50th brief was to show that putting in 50% of the effort is enough to realise our full potential. The short film encourages people to take action - no matter how small - because making half the difference is enough to change our whole future.”
“Basking in the timeless embrace of blossoms and nostalgia - her heart found its happy rhythm in the enchanting 1950s flower garden.”
“This video reflects on climate change over the last 50 years and gives a positive outlook for the next 50 years.”
Canon Ambassador Bonnie Cee discusses how she self-taught, self-propelled and self-funded her way from florist to filmmaker.
From overcoming failure to adopting the right mindset, Canon Ambassador, Kate Cornish shares her tips on becoming a filmmaker.
Andy Taylor, one of Australia’s foremost cinematographers and news cameramen talks tools of the trade for cinematographers; recommended camera settings for news and documentary shooting; tips for working with Netflix; and, five pieces of career advice to help aspiring videographers.