The Official Creative Vado Pocket Video Camera Blog

Check out the incredible Expert Panel of judges!

Creative has put together a contest that makes me wish I was back in college. Sure, I didn’t study film, but had I known I could have the opportunity to win $1,500 as well as a hand full of Vado HD’s, a speaker system, 6-disc DVD player and a killer internship with a famous filmmaker I would have quickly enrolled in any film school I could find. The gist is this: If you are a student at one of the schools participating–the likes of NYU, UCLA, Emerson College, UNC, and the American Film Institute Conservatory to name a few–Creative will provide the Vado HD’s for you to make your short film. The shorts are made and posted to VadoFilmContest.com where they are then voted on by the community (ie, friends, family, the whole lot) as well as our panel of experts.

And this is what leads me to the bulk of our post for today: the Expert Panel. I want to spend a few minutes completely geeking out about who we are working with. Since there are 8 experts who will be watching the submitted videos, let’s not rush. Instead, let’s get to know two of these accomplished chaps today. I’ll introduce you to the rest in subsequent posts.

Phillip Noyce, Expert Panel Judge

Phillip Noyce. Australian born and bred, Noyce was interested in film from early on. When he was 18 he tried his hand at filmaking in a 15-minute short, “Better to Reign in Hell” where he craftily acquired a budget by selling roles to his friends. Today, Noyce is not lacking of awards and recognition. In 1982, Heatwave (1982), co-written and directed by Noyce and starring Judy Davis, was chosen to screen at the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Noyce’s other film credits include the political thrillers Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994) starring Harrison Ford, Dead Calm (1989) starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill and Billy Zane and The Bone Collector (1999) which starred Oscar© winner Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Perhaps you, like myself, are waiting for 2010 to come around so you can see his next film, Salt,  starring Angelina Jolie.

Ken Arlidge, Expert Panel Judge

Ken Arlidge.  Ken Arlidge is one of the most versatile commercial directors in the world today. Like Noyce, Ken got his start in Australia. over a quarter century ago where, as a young man, he showed a preternatural talent for miniatures and other visual effects, and rapidly became that country’s top visual effects specialist and cameraman. Before long, he applied his skills to aerial photography as well, shooting for Stanley Kubrick on “Full Metal Jacket,” and on “Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome.” This led to work as a 2nd Unit Director and DP on films such as “Army of Darkness” for Sam Rami, “Wag the Dog,” for Barry Levinson, “The Crow,” and “Babe,” where his unique ability to combine CG post effects with live action film found full flower.

Ken’s technical skill, his visual effects knowledge and his sure hand with actors and story made the jump to directing all but inevitable. His relationship with Aero Film – a company with a reputation for top-quality, complex campaigns for leading car brands and the armed forces – gives Ken the perfect platform to exercise all of his filmmaking muscle. And it’s shown in projects for a long list of top brands: from Porsche, Chevrolet and Nissan, to AT&T, Visa and Nike. Ken directed the launch spots for Mazda’s wildly successful “Zoom, Zoom” campaign. More recently, his Kaiser Permanente film captured the spirit of the Hawaiian islands in a way not seen before in advertising. He is currently on location in New Zealand.

Film makers like Noyce and Arlidge have been inspiration for so many to start making films of any kind. I can speak personally about the degree of inspiration I have taken from each of our Expert Judges. Now, consider for a second, the fact that your vado video could be seen by one of these two famed film fellas. If you aren’t in a film school, sadly not everyone can be, then tell your friends who are. If you lack film-student friends, that’s OK. You can still watch and vote on these videos since the voting isn’t left entirely to our famous friends.

OK, enough alliteration. I bid thee adieu!

-Tawnee

Find out more information on the Vado HD featured in this blog and contest.