Canon UK & CVP Launch Stories in Motion Film Competition for Young UK Filmmakers

Filmmaking Competition

by Jürgen MoorsFebruary 6^th, 2023

Canon UK and Ireland once again partnered up with CVP to launch “Stories in Motion”, a short film competition for young creators, filmmakers and cinematographers. The competition is open to UK residents aged 18-25, offering the chance to win a series of attractive prizes, including a Canon EOS C70 and RF 24-70 F.2.8 L lens, and the experience to shadow an award-winning filmmaker. Submission ends on March 31st, 2023.

There are three categories that you can enter: Music Video, Documentary, and Scripted Short and it’s up to you to choose one, two, or all three categories, but you can only submit a maximum of one film per category. Each short film must be between 1 and 5 minutes.

The competition

• Enter between 17th January 2023 and 31st March 2023
• There are three separate film competition categories within the competition

Music Video

• This can be any style of music video, shot in an original way

Documentary

• You pick the subject matter and style, whether it’s an interview or run-and-gun
• This will be completely unscripted

Scripted Short

• This is any narrative short film across any genre, this is your time to be original and creative with your storytelling

The judges

Each of the entries will be judged by a panel with vast experience in the world of imaging excellence.

Elisa Iannacone – cinematographer & photographer

Cinematographer, author, and speaker Elisa Iannacone has worked across size content for outlets including BBC World, National Geographic and Newsweek. Her documentary and conflict work has informed her magical realist take on drama and art. Elisa also founded Reframe House media agency to shift views on social justice through multimedia.

Tania Freimuth – cinematographer of narrative fiction film and an experimental filmmaker

Tania Freimuth is a cinematographer and photographer, with films streaming on Amazon Prime, BBC and NOW (Sky TV). As an educator and mentor, she supports and encourages new entrants in the industry. Her work has garnered recognition at BAFTA qualifying festivals, most notably a nomination to Underwire Film Festival for best cinematography.

Ollie Kenchington – award-winning filmmaker, editor and colourist

Ollie Kenchington (one of our most prolific MZed educators!) runs the award-winning brand film agency Korro Films and has been producing exceptional content for clients that have included Apple, Netflix and many others. His color work, through Just Grade It, has been featured by the BBC Natural History Museum and more. Ollie is also a BAFTA Connect member and ambassador for Litepanels and Calibrite.

Jake Ratcliffe – Technical Marketing Manager

Jake Ratcliffe is one of CVP’s resident team of technical and a self-confessed camera nerd who gets far too excited over camera gear! Often referred to as the face of CVP, you will find him on the CVP YouTube channel testing and talking about the latest and greatest kit. (Also, as my colleague Nino Leitner confirms, “Jake is also one of the nicest and most diligent guys in our industry of camera nerds.”)

What are the judges looking for?

All entries must be original and taken by the participant. Outside of the overall aesthetic and emotional response to your film, the judges will be looking for:

• Cinematography – including lighting and camera movement
• Post-production – including editing, color, and grading of the entry
• Originality – the subject matter and creativity of the entry

Five entries will be shortlisted per category, with one winner for each category and one final overall grand prize winner.

Prices you can win in the Canon Stories in Motion film competition

The overall grand prize winner will win a Canon EOS C70 with an RF 24-70 F2.8 L lens, plus the opportunity to follow one of the judges of their choice for a day. If you are not familiar with the Canon EOS C70, you can check out our article here.

All shortlisted entries will win a £200 voucher to spend at CVP, and each category winner will win an additional £500 voucher to be spent at CVP. You will also get invited to the Stories in Motion evening and celebration in London on April 17th, 2023.

Neale Conroy, Canon UK and Ireland Marketing Director said: “We’re passionate about supporting the next generation of filmmakers, and Stories in Motion is a great platform for storytellers to showcase their work to an industry-leading judging panel.”

So let’s sum it up – who can enter?

• 18 to 25 year old
• UK resident only
• 1 to 5-minute short film (Music Video, Documentary, Scripted Short)
• enter between now and 31st March 2023

For more information on the entry process and technical requirements, please visit the website.

So what do you think of this film competition? Are you in the UK and are thinking about participating? Which of the 3 categories would be the most interesting for you? Let us know in the comments below!