The votes are in! We celebrated our North Devon AONB Wild Shorts film competition nominees and winners and thanked project partners, sponsors and funders at the inaugural Wild Shorts Awards in Barnstaple last Friday. 

North Devon Moving Image ran the Wild Shorts competition between May and November 2016 with the aim of raising awareness of the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  ​

“Entries came in from new and experienced film makers of all ages and the quality and variety of subject and creative style was impressive.” Says NDMI Creative Director, Amanda McCormack who hosted the Oscars-style Wild Shorts Awards ceremony in Barnstaple on 20 January 2017.

Twenty year old film student Rhys Harris, who travelled from Cornwall to North Devon to make his Wild Short, Places Afar, won both first prize in the Adults category and the overall Judges’ Choice Award.

Kathryn Jeffs, a Senior Producer at the BBC’s Natural History Unit was on the Wild Shorts judging panel.  She praised Places Afar, saying “Loved this film. Intriguing opening, beautifully filmed, captured my attention immediately. This had visual flare married beautifully with spoken word.  Contemplative, well paced, expansive and thoughtful. I could watch on loop. Wonderful!”

Rhys was delighted with the outcome “Winning the competition was a huge boost of confidence for me. The fact that something I made was able to win something means that I must be doing something right! I had a great time attending the awards show and I can't stress enough how thankful I am to everyone involved. Now I have the spike in motivation to go and make something new!" 

The Wild Shorts project which included film making workshops for families, school children and adults was funded by the North Devon Coast AONB, Fullabrook CIC and the Tarka Country Trust. “The films produced for the Wild Shorts competition show how the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty provide a feast of the senses for all those who visit and enjoy them.” said AONB Manager Jenny Carey-Wood. “From the tastes of wild fruit and fungi, the feel of sand and shells, the sounds of seabirds and streams, the sight of the sea and sky and the views out to Lundy and inland to the heaths and woodlands. This project has comprehensively achieved the objectives of our Sustainable Development Fund by reaching new people and increasing understanding and awareness of the AONB.”

Full list of winners by category:
1.    Primary School: Rockpooling Club by Torchlight! by Paige, Daisy, Noah, Lily and Mr Hockley from Combe Martin Primary School. Prize 4 X child season tickets to Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park
2.    Secondary School: Colours in Nature by Willow Chater, Lauryn Reed and Ella Jenkins. Prize 3 X child annual passes to Ilfracombe Aquarium
3.    Age 12-17:  Our Guide to Sustainable Living by Seraphina Allard-Bridge and Martha Macdonald prize 4 X U18 Day passes to GoldCoast Oceanfest 2017
4.    Family: Mouth Mill by Alice Bollen, Remo Rossi and Lorenzo Rossi.  Prize annual family membership to Devon Wildlife Trust.
5.    Adult:
a.    Winner: Places Afar by Rhys Harris. Prize Annual Membership to National Trust.
b.    Runner Up: My Favourite Walk: The Speke’s Mill Valley by Rhodri Davies.  Prize annual car park pass for Down End Croyde.

Judges’ Choice Award: Places Afar by Rhys Harris.

With three weeks left in our North Devon AONB Wild Shorts film making competition it's not too late to get outside and shoot your competition entry.

​We've spotted these young film makers, out and about with their families at Saunton, collecting footage for their Wild Shorts films.  Some great team work here and a good demonstration that you don't need fancy equipment or previous experience to have a go.

The competition is not just for amateurs and families though - there are prize categories for adults too.

If you are still looking for inspiration then visit the AONB's Explore the Coast website.  This week's recommendation is the AONB guide Making a Splash.  This digital guide provides a great source for research into the landscape, habitats and species in the AONB's aquatic environments.  Why not explore a stream, turn some rocks and see what lies beneath?  Or show where fresh water meets the sea and tell us what types of plants and animals live in each habitat.  

Closing date is 30 November 2016.  All shortlisted entries will be shown on the North Devon Moving Image website and their makers will be invited to our celebratory Awards ceremony & prize giving in January 2017 where you will find out if you are a winner!

Class 4 and Mr Kent welcomed us to St Helen's CofE Primary School in Abbotsham for a predator and prey themed film making workshop.

The young film makers researched, planned, wrote scripts, produced predator and prey puppets, performed, recorded, edited and reviewed their short film all in a day!  We used an iPad, Veescope Live greenscreen app and iMovie to produce their short film: Wild Shorts - Predators.  Click on the Youtube clip below to view.

This workshop was part of North Devon Moving Image's Wild Shorts project.  To find out more visit the Wild Shorts film competition page on this website.

What a beautiful day to be learning about wildlife film making at Northam Burrows!

As part of NDMI's Wild Shorts project, we ran a one day intensive wildlife film making workshop in partnership with Torridge District Council at Northam Burrows Country Park in North Devon.  An enthusiastic group of aspiring wildlife film makers with a wide variety of skills came together to learn the key principles of good film making and fieldcraft.

Starting with an introduction to the history and natural environment of the Burrows from Ranger Mike Day and a walk and talk with local wildlife expert Warren Collum the group familiarised themselves with the variety of habitats and species of the area.  They were then introduced to the process of creating a storyline and building a storyboard for a film before going out and getting some hands on experience of shooting video on location.

There was plenty of opportunity throughout the day for the film makers to get personalised tips from our professional film makers and the final step was a brief editing tutorial to conclude the process.

With thanks to our funders North Devon Coast AONB, Fullabrook and Tarka Country Trust who enabled us to offer this workshop at an affordable subsidised rate.

We're now looking forward to some fabulous entries to our Wild Shorts Competition from these newly skilled film makers!

Here are six top tips to help you make a great short film for our North Devon Coast AONB Wild Shorts wildlife and environment film competition. 

1. Story is key - even documentaries have a story or storyline - make your film engaging for your audience so that right from the start they want to see it through.
2. Sound - even if you don't use a presenter or voiceover, the sound is what gives your film atmosphere and emotion.  If you pick up wind noise from your camera or recording device don't just 'let it go'.  Think about replacing it with music (make sure you have permission) or a separately recorded soundtrack of atmospheric sounds or a commentary recorded in a quieter atmosphere.
3. Keep it Steady - lots of wobbly shots can make your viewer feel unsettled.  If you don't have a tripod try resting your camera on a bag of rice.  If you are going for a handheld shot make sure you are steady - plant your feet firmly apart, lock your knees and keep your elbows tight in to your sides.  For low shots rest the camera on the ground or sit with your knees up and feet flat on the ground and rest the camea on your knees.  Breathe slowly and steadily and if you can lean on something stable like a tree or wall you can brace yourself.
4. Style - this is what can make your film interesting and give it something others won't have.  Use a variety of shot sizes - close up, mid shot, wide shot and shot movements - pan, tilt, tracking, zoom.  Take time to frame your shot for the greatest impact.
5. Science - especially important for Wild Shorts!  Make sure you do your research.  There is lots of information out there to help you get your facts right.  Go to the Wild Shorts competition page by clicking here to see a list of helpful resources for your research.  Or ask someone - there are many wildlife experts in the area.  You could drop in to the Braunton Countryside Centre or one of our local museums or libraries in north Devon.
6. Keep it short.  Your entry for Wild Shorts must be between 2 and 4 minutes duration (including any titles and credits).  This may sound short when you think of telling a story but just think what powerful messages can be shared in a 20 second advert!

Watch this news page for more tips and we are always happy to chat on the telephone or by email if you need any help with your film.  Click here for contact details.

If you are thinking of entering our Wild Shorts wildlife and environment film competition there are plenty of local experts to help you research your film.

Mary and John Breeds from Braunton Countryside Centre run weekly guided walks on Braunton Burrows throughout the summer months.  The walks start at 6.30pm from Sandy Lane car park every Friday and you can book by calling Mary Breeds on 07835097780.

If you're thinking of entering our Wild Shorts film making competition but need some inspiration (and some wildlife film making tips) take a look at our friend Tom's short wildlife film Below September Swallows which he made at Braunton marshes.  Tom Williams is a local vet with a passion for wildlife and his short films are fabulous!  You can watch Below September Swallows and his 'Making Of' film in the clips below and for more of Tom's films visit his YouTube channel by clicking here ​https://www.youtube.com/user/NorthDvnNature/videos

Tom is going to be our special guest at our Wild Shorts family film making workshop on Sunday 31 July 2016.  For more details of this and all you need to know about the Wild Shorts competition please click here.

​North Devon Moving Image CIC (NDMI) wants your Wild Shorts!  The local community film making organisation is calling for submissions of short films - between 2 and 4 minutes - about the wildlife and environment within the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
 
The North Devon Coast AONB is designated to protect and conserve our beautiful and diverse coastal landscapes between the Hartland Peninsula and the edge of Exmoor. Amanda McCormack, Creative Director of NDMI, says "We want local people and visitors to capture the special nature of the area on video."
 
"We are hoping to see films about plants and animals, habitats, landscapes, conservation and just getting out and enjoying the beautiful coast and countryside.  The competition is open to all ages - families, schools, young film makers and adults - with exciting prizes for the winning film makers in each category."
 
The Wild Shorts film making competition is open for entries until Wednesday 30 November 2016 and the  competition terms and conditions and details on how to enter are on the NDMI website at  www.northdevonmovingimage.org.uk. 
 
To add a helping hand NDMI will be running a limited number of film making workshops for schools, families and community groups.  The first event will be for families and will take place at the Braunton Countryside Centre on Sunday 31 July 2016.  Additionally there will be some informal 'cafe style' events where people can drop in and get advice on film making techniques and equipment.   North Devon Moving Image is delighted to be a Creative Champion in BBC's Get Creative campaign and hope that new film makers young and old will discover new skills and get creative with Wild Shorts.
 
Amanda adds "NDMI is really lucky to have some great local sponsors for Wild Shorts and so far we have some fabulous prize donations from GoldCoast Oceanfest, Down End Croyde car park, Ilfracombe Aquarium, National Trust, Devon Wildlife Trust membership and Combe Martin Dinosaur & Wildlife Park.  We are also really grateful to our funders; the North Devon Coast AONB Sustainable Development Fund, Fullabrook CIC and The Tarka Country Trust - Community Wildlife Fund. "
 
Caroline Leaver, Member of the Partnership that oversee the AONB commented
"The coast of Northern Devon really is Outstandingly beautiful.  It is contains some amazing scenery, wildlife and a range of world class beaches and coastal environments.  The North Devon AONB Board is thrilled to be able to support the Wild Shorts competition, which will showcase some of what makes this area so special. We'd love to see entries from film makers of all ages, showing wildlife, habitats and what people enjoy about our coastline.  North Devon Moving Image will be running training courses locally too, so its a great chance to learn new skills."