Each of this year’s FilmerUnknown Finalists beat out over 100 entrants from around the world, and were awarded with a camera package from Sony, a microphone from RØDE, and access to The Music Vine's music licensing library. They were each given a month to produce their short films exclusively using this equipment, and tasked with putting together a submission that would be judged on creativity, technical ability, technique, use of light, sound and motion.

The Finalists, including Thomas Dunzendorfer, Paul Dussault, Raphael Desharnais, Brody Jones, and Antoine Caron brought our annual filmmaking contest to another level- their final films showcasing the most creativity and the and highest overall production value that we’ve seen yet. We’ll be releasing one Finalist film each day, with a little interview about their process on making their video. We will announce the winner next week- stay tuned!

Thomas Dunzendorfer

 

When and where did you shoot your FilmerUnknown submission?

I chose two different locations for my video, one more scenic place in the alps - a small road near Kühtai, Austria - and one in the city of Innsbruck to get some shots with the car at night. Everything was filmed within 2 days since the locations weren’t that far away.

Any behind-the-scenes info or stories that you can share on the experience?

The shoot itself was pretty decent with a lot of gimbal action while doing the car-driving shots. Since everything was a bit spontaneous we were filming on a open road which put us in some difficulties organizing everything. To be honest, we were driving on the wrong side of the road to get some details of the car while it droves on the road in Kühtai.

What were you specific goals with your submission?

I always wanted to do a little car spec that also has some voice over and story-telling in it. My goal was to get some really good looking car shots with nice lightning especially while doing detail shots at night. Since the camera setup was pretty light I tried to get some really nice looking and clean shot that can be compared to commercial shots as well.

Was there anything in particular that you really wanted to show the audience and judges?

As mentioned before, I tried to get the best out of the cams and prove that it’s not always all about the equipment. I got inspired by some modern car commercials from Audi as well as Mercedes which influenced the way I shot this edit.

How many days did you spend shooting your FilmerUnknown submission?

Two days at all with 1 day at night and the other day from early morning on to get the best light.

And how many days did you spend on post-production?

4 days at all with 2.5 days of editing, half a day of doing some corrections on the drone shots with After Effects and another half day of grading.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in the production process?

Mounting the Action Cam on the Inspire drone was probably the biggest challenge I faced during the shoot. There was no live view since tha wi-fi range only lasts for about 2-3m so I had to fly totally blind and guess wether the car is in the frame or not.

What editing platform(s) or software did you use in post?

Editing: Premiere Pro
Lens Correction Action Cam: After Effects
Color Grading: DaVinci Resolve

What did you think of the Music Vine service? What track did you use?

It’s a great library with nice tools to easily find the right songs. I did use 2 tracks, Jackson Lake by Dan Snyder and Mongolian Turkic Trap by Subsonic Voodoo.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the a6300 camera and how did this factor into your submission?

What impressed me most is the quality from the A6300. While it’s such a small camera the output really blowed my mind. Even at low-light conditions during the night shoots the camera did deliver great quality. Since it’s so light-weight, it was pretty easy to mount it on a gimbal to do the driving shots out of another car.
I guess at this point there is no real weakness of this camera but If you’d compare it to more high-class equipment, I’d say that 4K 60fps would be sick as well as the internal stabilizer as on the Sony A7S2 which could help out when you do handheld shots with a longer lens like a 50mm.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Action Cam and how did this factor into your submission?

The quality from this camera is insane, I really like the way you can treat colors even if it is “just” a Action Cam. The internal stabilizer is great which really helped me out on the drone shots since the cam was mounted without a small gimbal and it really absorbed the vibrations while flying.
The only weakness was the missing picture profile feature. A mode like S-Log would be sick to save a bit more time while doing colors and the shots would match a bit better to the ones from the A6300.

Paul Dussault

 

When and where did you shoot your FilmerUnknown submission?

I filmed my final submission in Popoyo, Nicaragua and all my Action cam shots in Montreal, Canada.

Any behind-the-scenes info or stories that you can share on the experience?

I was filming some surf with the action cam in Nicaragua, I already had a lot of footage on the memory card in the camera that I took earlier that day. So I have put my camera on the surfboard of a local rider and after a couple of barrels, the surf clip just broke and I lost the camera in the ocean. I've search for hours to find the camera, but never could find it. Pretty sad to lose all this footage, so I had to create something else with the action cam back in Montreal, a hole new vibe for the video.

What were you specific goals with your submission?

To create something new in this contest, not necessarily about action sport or anything that we usually see. But to create a vibe around the video and let the people travel and dream about a place like this trough my video.

Was there anything in particular that you really wanted to show the audience and judges?

You don't need to have a $15000 camera to create some nice footage. For my final submission, I really wanted to go simple, keep it pure, and let the audience feel it trough the film. No big rigs, gimbals or drones, just some nice images, good natural light, simplicity, everything to have an organic look.

How many days did you spend shooting your FilmerUnknown submission?

About 7-8 days total

And how many days did you spend on post-production?

A day and a half

What was the biggest challenge you faced in the production process?

Losing the action cam. I already had my idea about the video but when I lost all the footage from the Action Cam, I had to be really quick and think about a new way to create a video, how to mix my a6300 footage from Nicaragua with some grey, somber footage from Montreal.

What editing platform(s) or software did you use in post?

Premiere Pro

What did you think of the Music Vine service? - What track did you use?

I didnt know about Music Vine before, it is a really nice website with some good music, will definetly check it out again in the future!

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the a6300 camera and how did this factor into your submission?

4K is really nice, altough, I had to film a lot of stuff in 1080p because of the frame rates. 4k is clean but the camera is super shaky handheld and I needed to slowdown the footage to smooth it a bit. Only 1080 had 60fps, and 24fps for the 4k (in super 35). Something I really liked was the Log, so I could find some really nice colors in post.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Action Cam and how did this factor into your submission?

Good color space and the image is super sharp. Not so big, easy to lose in the ocean. Really sad when you need the footage on it. *if you ever go to popoyo and find an action cam on the beach, please send it back home please :)

 

Raphael Desharnais

 

When and where did you shoot your FilmerUnknown submission?

All my shots were filmed in my hometown, Saint-Férréole-les-Neiges, Qc.

Any behind-the-scenes info or stories that you can share on the experience?

I have this one story that is quite embarrassing haha… We taped the action cam on a drone and we lost the signal and then crashed it on the church. What were you specific goals with your submission? I didn’t wanted to film action sport for this assignment, because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and try something else.

Was there anything in particular that you really wanted to show the audience and judges?

I wanted to show that, whatever the subject and place that you are, a lot of budget or not, you are able to do a video. I didn’t have a lot of equipment, I had a 16-35 canon lens, a tripod for the hyperlapses and a drone for two shots (after this, it died…).

How many days did you spend shooting your FilmerUnknown submission?

I don’t really know, I guess 7-8 days.

And how many days did you spend on post-production?

That was pretty long, I was always modifying some effects and putting some more sound design, but probably 40 to 50 hours.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in the production process?

The most challenging thing was that I needed to work at the same time and find some place for this project. The other thing is that I wanted to shoot everything at my hometown, so I needed to be creative. And finaly I needed to shoot all with one lense haha.

What editing platform(s) or software did you use in post?

I used Premiere Pro for editing my timeline and colorgrading (usually I use Davinci Resolve but I wanted to colorgrade at the same time), After Effect for all what is transition effects.

What did you think of the Music Vine service? What track did you use?

It’s quite easy to use and you can find really easily the style that you want, I used Bobay saphire and dark forces for the songs.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the a6300 camera and how did this factor into your submission?

I liked the 120fps in 1080p and that you could shoot in slog2 and slog3. But what I didn’t like about it is the rolling shutter, especially in 4k, it sucks because you can’t hold your camera in your hand without seeing this wave in the shot.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Action Cam and how did this factor into your submission?

I didn’t really find some strengths for that camera, honestly I hate does style of cameras (action cam, gopro, etc..). So it was really a big factor because we needed to put, at least, 22 seconds of it, but I think that it came out fine.

 

Brody Jones

 

When and where did you shoot your FilmerUnknown submission?

Most of my FilmerUnknown entry was shot in the Okanagan of British Columbia, Canada. March is a tough time of year for shooting here mainly because of rainy weather and the transition of season. The good snow in the mountains is pretty much gone and all of the trails are covered in a nasty layer of ice making hiking and biking pretty difficult. This area is also super diverse at this time of year though, being able to go from a snowy mountain to a scenic hike in the same afternoon is pretty cool.

Any behind-the-scenes info or stories that you can share on the experience?

On the first shoot, my friend Kadison and I went to a place called Crawford falls. I had never been before and didn't really now what to expect on the hike in. The waterfall was in a deep gorge and the trail conditions pretty much consisted of slick mud and ice on steep slopes with high consequence drops. One section of the trail you actually had to repel down a rocky face using a rope. Doing this with a fully loaded camera bag while carrying a suitcase with the gimbal in it wasn't easy but with the help of a friend and a breath taking view at the bottom it was definitely worth it.

What were you specific goals with your submission?

When I first started to brainstorm Ideas for this video I wanted to do a completely night based approach to it. Seeing as how capable these new Sony cameras are in low-light I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try it out. I was waiting for a decent snowfall for a couple weeks to shoot a skiing segment but it never came and spring had struck that part of the idea down. I only ended up with some night biking footage and it didn't turn out quite as i hoped it would have. I eventually realized that this theme wouldn't work due to lots of different factors so I decided to make a reel style video instead.

Was there anything in particular that you really wanted to show the audience and judges?

I think my main goal with all of the videos I produce is to inspire people. If I can get one person motivated to go do something that they love (whatever it may be) I feel that I have done my job.

How many days did you spend shooting your FilmerUnknown submission?

I probably spend around 7 days shooting this video. Most of my footage was shot in the last 10 days due to weather issues.

And how many days did you spend on post-production?

I spread my editing out over about 4 days. For this type of project I like to work for short periods of time and come back to it with a fresh mind.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in the production process?

On 3 shoots I had spent a couple hours getting to the locations and I was having issues with my drone. It wasn't letting me take off even though there was no warnings or any reason that it shouldn't have been working. This was a pretty big bummer because I was relying on these shots for the action cam footage and I ended up not getting the content I wanted. In the end I had to settle with some pretty mediocre drone footage because it was all I had. I tried several different methods to try and reduce vibration in the action cam from the drone but I couldn't find anything that was 100% effective. This resulted in some weird waves in the footage that could not be warped out, I am a little disappointed with how the action cam footage turned out but I will just have to live with it. Another big factor that really challenged me is that I shot the entire video except for 1 clip with the kit lens.

What editing platform(s) or software did you use in post?

My video was edited with Adobe Premiere CC

What did you think of the Music Vine service? What track did you use?

Music Vine was awesome. Honestly I did struggle finding a song that would fit the video but isn't that always a problem haha? There were tonnes of amazing cinematic options but I ended up using the song A Barren Land - Tobias Voigt. My first vision of the video was powerful and in your face kind of edit but after I had looked over all of my footage I realized that wasn't going to work. I decided to take a more RAW and cinematic approach to video.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the a6300 camera and how did this factor into your submission?

I was honestly really surprised with how powerful this little camera was. The 4k capabilities definitely exceeded my expectations. The one thing that I hated about working with this camera is the battery size. In cold conditions you can literally sit there and watch the percentage go down, especially when shooting in 4k. Its pretty insane how small it is, I found myself throwing it in my jacket pocket and almost forgetting that it was even there.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Action Cam and how did this factor into your submission?

This was the third action cam that I've received from Sony and they keep getting better. They are a pretty powerful and versatile tool if you know how to work with footage.

 

Antoine Caron

 

When and where did you shoot your FilmerUnknown submission?

The first part was shot in and around Quebec City, except for the dance scene which was shot in Rimouski, QC. I started working on those the first day that I got the camera, on February 24, and shot the last one on March 15. Most of these shots were planned, but I pretty much carried my camera everywhere that I went during this period, and ended up shooting quite a bit of footage that wasn’t part of the original storyboard. The second part was shot during a road trip from Quebec to Utah, between March 19 and 29. Again, I had both the a6300 and the Action Cam with me all the time, and shot all lot of unplanned stuff.

Any behind-the-scenes info or stories that you can share on the experience?

Oh man, yes... Since this was a personal project, I didn’t bother backing-up the drive on which I had all my footage. Sure enough, on March 18, the drive stopped working and couldn’t be recovered before the April 1st deadline. Holding this drive in my hand, knowing that I contained roughly 800GB of footage that I had shot exclusively for this project, and not being able to read it felt sort of like holding a winning lottery ticket that is past its deadline. All I had left were a few clips that I had saved to my phone to help during the voice-over recording session (which I ended up using to make the first part of my video). So I embarked on a trans-continental road trip with the goal of gathering enough footage to create a half-decent submission.

What were you specific goals with your submission?

Essentially, I saw this as an opportunity to show everyone what I’m capable of doing, but I also wanted to challenge myself in the making. I’m used to filming action sports, but had never tried to tell a story inside a video. The first thing that I realized was that 90 seconds is an awfully short time to tell a clear story and send a clear message across, but hopefully lack of time opens the door to interpretation from the audience.

Was there anything in particular that you really wanted to show the audience and judges?

I wanted to create something that would spark a certain emotional reaction from the audience, more so that just a bunch of beautiful shots would. I feel like a lot of people that are my age are slightly scared of adulthood, because a lot of us fall in that trap of becoming self-destructing workaholics. That was sort of the basis of the story I wanted to tell.

How many days did you spend shooting your FilmerUnknown submission?

26 days.

And how many days did you spend on post-production?

This is hard to say. I started playing around with the footage on the first day that I got the camera, but I’d say I probably spent two or three days on actual, useful post-production.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in the production process?

Even if I knew the story I wanted to create before I started production, there are still a few things that are unpredictable and can give a totally different feel to your shots (weather being the main one). So, I’d say that giving a sad feel to something that was shot on a beautiful day was probably my biggest challenge. I was working 3 jobs during this period, so postponing shoots wasn’t really ever an option.

What editing platform(s) or software did you use in post?

Final Cut, Premiere, After Effects and DaVinci Resolve.

What did you think of the Music Vine service? What track did you use?

I used “It’s Glowing” by Braden Deal. I liked how Music Vine allows you to search songs based on mood and instrument; super helpful when you’re looking for a song that has a particular feel to it.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the a6300 camera and how did this factor into your submission?

Having the s-log3 picture profile really helped me to get a sad look in a lot of my shots, but the fact that the a6300 doesn’t have the dynamic range and bit depth that this gamma curve was originally designed for definitely makes it a bit of a double-edged sword, which I learned the hard way (i.e. extreme banding in the sky in the bridge shot). Also, the rolling shutter when shooting 4k is definitely something that must be taken into consideration when planning shots.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Action Cam and how did this factor into your submission?

The image quality when shooting in well-lit situations is pretty remarquable for a camera of this price and size, and the internal image-stabilisation is equally impressive, which allowed me to simply stick it to a pole and bomb down a trail at mach-chicken. However, I had planned on doing some time-lapses with the Action Cam but abandoned the idea when I realized that it doesn’t do raw photos.