Zag Shorts presented by GoPro is a short movie competition with an insane main prize up for grabs in the form of R20 000 cash plus an all-expenses paid spot on one of Zag’s upcoming surf trips to document it. Competition began in June and six great surf clips were entered for the first leg, however, there can be only one winner of the monthly prize of a GoPro Hero, SD card and handler, as well as a spot in contention for the main prize.
After 394 votes from the public, as well as the judges from Zag and GoPro scrutinising the entries frame-by-frame, Josh Rowe’s ‘Skeleton Bay Sandpit’ clip was deemed the outstanding short film to be entered last month.
Josh Rowe’s ‘Skeleton Bay Sandpit’ featuring Matt Bromley.
The competition was tight, with Graeme Brunt’s documentary-style edit of Josh Redman in Hawaii finishing in second despite scooping the bulk of the public votes (284)*. The quality of surfing and the variety of footage that displayed a pivotal moment in Josh Redman’s life, when his charging put him in the international limelight, was excellent. It was also unique in the way it was narrated, with Josh as the subject telling the story from his personal perspective.
In contrast to the warm waters of Hawaii, Josh Rowe’s winning entry showcased a trip that Matt Bromley recently undertook to Skeleton Bay in Namibia, where he scored some of the longest tubes of his life. Looking at Josh’s edit from a critical perspective (other than the epic surfing), it was slightly tighter, cut well to the music, with changes in pace and flow that grabbed our interest and held our attention – drawing us in to the story on a level that stood out a cut above the rest. Cinematographically the visuals were also top-drawer, documenting that swell and Matt’s adventure there in an exciting and visually pleasing way.
‘Josh Redman, Hawaii 2015’ was Graeme Brunt’s superb entry.
Go to zagshorts.co.za to view all the entries and to vote for your favourites for the July leg, which has just kicked-off.
* HOW THE VOTING WORKS:
Zigzag, GoPro and the public all have an equal say in determining the winner, with each contributing 33.3% of the final decision. For the first leg, both Zigzag and GoPro chose Josh Rowe’s video as the outstanding entry, giving it a 66.6% lion’s share of the total.
