Production Competition 2023: Tell us a story! – The Shortlist

You made the shortlisting process incredibly difficult for us, partly because we had such a high volume of entries – nearly three times as many as 2022 – and partly because the overall quality of your work has been outstanding this year. It’s taken a very long time for us to whittle down our shortlist into a showreel that reflects the variety, skill and imagination of your productions. We say this every year, but 2023 has thrown up some super-hard decisions, and we’ve had to side-line many excellent entries which might have made the cut in previous years – you'll find some of them listed below in 'Some Special Commendations'. But first, just a few general insights we’ve gained from viewing your work.

You’re great storytellers! And often the most successful stories are the simple ones which show without telling, and don’t require too much explanation. Letting the camera and soundtrack do the telling rather than relying on complex dialogue or narration, which are often hard to capture clearly, and can confuse the narrative.

Less is more – and short is best. No matter how brilliant your cinematography, it’s good to avoid padding with lengthy shots that don’t necessarily move your story on or illuminate a particular moment. Atmospheric woodland scenes, tracking shots and chases (always popular, but this year more so than ever) can be equally effective with some creative editing or montage sequences. In other words, cut, cut and cut again.

You guys know your generic conventions! We love your impeccable use of noir sequences complete with hats, venetian blinds, chiaroscuro lighting, telephones and guns, and the use of masks, evidence boards and hoodies in crime thrillers; but the videos which tweak or even subvert these tropes bring something original or different to the genre.

We know that sound is one of the hardest things to get right especially when resources are limited; every year we have to rule out some films because of poor sound which won’t play well in a big-screen cinema context. Your use of music and sound effects is often surprising and brilliant; the next step is to design your soundtrack as a whole, rather than a series of unrelated sound clips, so that your story flows aurally alongside your images.

Finally, whatever genre you worked in, many of you address ideas about mental health, the impact of loss, the pandemic or trauma, the importance of friendship or family, the pressures of social media. Sometimes these themes form the core of your storytelling, sometimes they emerge in the visual style and media language of your work. For us shortlisters, they represent caring and thoughtful responses to living in a difficult world. You have produced amazing work, and even if your video has not been shortlisted we want to congratulate you on an outstanding achievement. We hope you’ll be able to build on your skills and submit again next year.

Massive congratulations to everyone who participated this year. We’ve loved seeing your work, and wish our showreel could be twice as long! 

Some special commendations

We’d like to make a special mention of the following people, whose work we really loved but were unable to include because of the length of the showreel:

• Kieran Lyon, Northampton College for ‘Start The Healing’
  A terrifically punky and well-edited nu-metal video with themes of entrapment and the vicious cycle of depression.
• Sam McLeod,Queen Mary’s College for ‘Vogue’
  Brave ‘real people’ reversioning of the iconic Madonna classic – confident performances, superb editing, great use of colour.
• Joey McGregor, Bradfield College for ‘Each Way’
  A powerful and beautifully edited exploration of gambling addiction with a strong message and creative use of found footage.
• Nathanael Chappell, Darrick Wood School for ‘The Cold Trail’
  This Neo-Noir short uses familiar conventions to tell a well-scripted story with a twist in the tale.
• Neha Madhar, Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls for ‘So This Is Love’
  A gorgeously strange and atmospheric retelling of the Cinderella story with a dark twist, new perspectives and a tense escalating score. Thought-provoking.
• Charlie Baxter, Bradfield College for ‘Always Connected’
  A touching tale of the relationship between friends, and the positive role of social media in supporting health and wellbeing. Shot mainly through mobile screens and messaging – great use of the technology.
• Isabel Darby, Finham Park School for ‘BatDad’
  Hilarious family drama about a dad obsessed with Batman – some fabulous visual jokes and brilliant edits. We loved BatDad – every family needs one!
• Abi Smith, Durham Sixth Form Centre for ‘Masked’
  Terrific hybrid of both crime drama and horror, with impeccable use of conventions, well-chosen sound and a superb child performance. Great editing too.
• Bethany Wood, Berkhamsted School for ‘Mike’s Inclusive Farm’
  Interesting documentary extract following a blind farmer and his determination to provide positive experiences for visitors with special needs. An unusual and important topic.
• Joe Berridge, Berkhamsted School for ‘Can we Ever Change the Culture of Violence in Football?’
  An immaculate and confidently researched overview of this troubled issue. Great use of found footage.
• Joshua Ray, Northampton College for ‘A Side-Eye’
  A quirky, witty film based around two skaters, one obsessing about a pair of shoes. It creates unique mumble-core aesthetic.
• Owen Mara, Northampton College for ‘Kill or Be Killed’
  A dark horror, tense, uncomfortable but skilfully-scripted and edited, with some terrific framing and cinematography.
• Phoebe Lindsley-Frost , Orleans Park School for ‘Bullseye’
  An accomplished story of a young archer stressed by competition – particularly fine editing, using sound very well to ramp up tension. Neat ending, avoiding obvious visual clichés.
• Evan Cowell-New, Graveney School for ‘Accounting for You’.
  A stressful lunch break made bearable by a humourous chance meeting. Effective fast paced editing and a zingy rom-com script.

• Jacob Bradley, Barton Peveril College for ‘Focus’
• Lola Clarke, Bradfield College for ‘Do You Feel Guilty Yet, Rosie?’
• Isabel Darby, Finham Park School for ‘The Sound of Grief’
• Tasneem Siddiqka, Mulberry School for ‘Girls Façade’              
• Sam McLeod, Queen Mary’s College for ‘The Commotion’
• Jennifer Bibin and Laura Swanson St Bartholomew’s School for ‘Paranoia’
• Imogen Westwood-Flood, Uckfield College for ‘Losing Hiraeth’
• Oliver West, Southampton City College for ‘Sleep on it’
• Joshua Carmona, St James’ Catholic High School for ‘Enigma’
• Michael Pabisiak de Oliveira   Graveney Sixth Form Centre for ‘The Broken Champion’

• Ben Moulding, The Derby High School for ‘Christmas Spirit’
• Mia Clarke, The Derby High School for ‘The Dynamic Duo Returns’
• Sebastian Barker, The Gryphon School for ‘The Struggle’
• Kate Reeson, Southend High School for ‘Girls Mr Blue Sky (CD Boy)’           
• Ruby Hagan, Upton Hall for ‘Laika’

• Nathaniel Beverley-Smith, Barton Peveril College for ‘Drunks on a Boat’
• Ethan Edwards, Great Baddow High School for ‘And Another Birthday’
• Cornelius Baum, Hurtwood House School for ‘It’s All In My Head’
• Max McCabe, Southend High School for Girls for ‘Kate’
• Henry Fidler, Wanstead High School  for ‘Golden’

• Tanya Collings, Queen Mary’s College for ‘The Adventure’
• Olive Swallow, Tupton Hall Sixth Form for ‘Overflow’
• Tudor Barratt, Cowbridge Comprehensive for ‘Drone’
• Tom Quinn, Saffron Walden County High School for ‘Block’
• Joe Lang, Winstanley College for ‘Tulips’