G-Technology by Hitachi has officially announced the winners and runners-up of its Driven Creativity Competition 2010. The professional photography category winner is The Henley Swim by Iain Weir; showing the misty, early morning gathering of swimmers set to embark on a journey down the Henley-on-Thames river. The runner-up is Fight in a blizzard by: Richard Costin, capturing a glimpse of Golden and White Tailed eagles during a stunning, intense snowstorm (see picture above). The winner of the amateur photography category is Eternal by Patty Palmtree.

Hitachi Press Release

G-TECHNOLOGY BY HITACHI REVEAL THE WINNERS OF ITS ‘DRIVEN CREATIVITY’ COMPETITION!

G-Technology[tm] continues its celebration of aspiring and professional content creators by announcing the winners and runners-up of its Driven Creativity Competition

London, UK, November 2nd, 2010 - As developers of innovative storage solutions for those looking to push creativity beyond the limits, G-Technology by Hitachi is delighted to officially announce the winners and runners-up of its Driven Creativity Competition 2010! The competition not only recognises and rewards the aesthetic qualities of creative work, but the invention and drive that went into creating it.

Exclusively targeting the content creation market, Hitachi’s G-Technology drives are known for offering premium external storage solutions that are trusted by creative professionals around the world. They are the go-to tool for storage, editing and backup when quality, reliability and performance cannot be compromised.

The drives are engineered specifically to meet the needs of the Apple® Mac® community, including heavy users of multimedia content, Final Cut Pro® digital audio/video (A/V) specialists, and other pre/post production professionals. From rugged portable drives to ultra-fast rack-mount arrays, G-Technology’s USB, FireWire, eSATA, SAS and Fibre Channel storage solutions support virtually all levels of A/V production and can be found in post-production facilities worldwide.

The competition

With entry open from June 14th, 2010 to October 8th, 2010, the first ever G-Technology Driven Creativity Competition saw amateur and professional filmmakers, photographers and musicians enter their most unique, creative work for the chance to win cutting-edge G-Technology drives and an overall grand prize of €5,000.

The competition recognises established and up-and-coming talent, with all entrants having an equal chance of winning, regardless of size and budget within each category. It received a high standard of submissions, with the official shortlist of entries confirmed using a Bayesian Rating system based on peer online votes.

A jury panel of G-Technology’s expert ambassadors and media partners, Digital Arts and Mac World, then judged the shortlist to decide the winners and runners-up in each category, as well as the overall winner; basing their decisions on the uniqueness, quality, creativity and the resourcefulness that went into achieving the end result of each shortlisted entry.

The G-Technology ambassador judges included Grammy® award-winning music producer, Kipper; Ivor Novello winner and Killzone composer, Joris de Man; renowned photographers, Tim Flach and Candace Feit; Academy-award winning filmmaker of Twin Towers, Scott Hillier; award-winning Film Director, Charles Haine and Director of Photography and underwater cameraman, Andy McLeod

And the winners are…

Professional film category
The winning professional film entry is Et Miaow Alors by Adrian Westbrook, which is a humorous look at some of the basic difficulties inherent in independent filmmaking. The runner-up professional film entry is Commuting by Christopher Quinn; driven by the concept of what lengths people go to in order to squeeze beauty into their lives. 

Commenting on Et Miaow Alors, jury member and Film Director, Charles Haine said: “Despite the artificial layer that is added to the surface of the film, the filmmaker went far out of his way to devise interesting technical solutions to creative problems. The film takes place over 24 hours, and the shifting of the light that takes place over that amount of time is captured authentically and naturally, despite the fact that this could have easily been manipulated digitally later.  Additionally, the story is engaging, connecting with a filmmaker struggling with the limitations that society has placed on him in terms of the creation of his art in a world obsessed with privacy.”

Amateur film category
The amateur film winner is Hayfever by Ke Nguyen, using stop-motion photography and animation techniques to explore London’s Greenwich and Regent Parks. The joint amateur film runners-up are Polished Off by Dan Edgley, about a life support patient enduring the ridiculous dance routines of a hospital janitor; and Cut it Out by Lee Stitt, creatively capturing his frustration at experiencing mental blocks whilst script writing.

Charles Haine said: “Hayfever does a great job of taking a tool intended for one effect and using it in an unintended fashion to create a fantastic new sensation. The textures and motion of the footage of natural scenes simultaneously calls our attention to its inherent beauty, but also alienates it from us through a layer of technology. I found myself viewing the natural world around me with a fresh perspective after enjoying this film.”

Professional photography category
The professional photography category winner is The Henley Swim by Iain Weir; showing the misty, early morning gathering of swimmers set to embark on a journey down the Henley-on-Thames river. The runner-up of the professional photography category is Fight in a blizzard by Richard Costin, capturing a glimpse of Golden and White Tailed eagles during a stunning, intense snowstorm.

Commenting on The Henley Swim, jury member and professional photojournalist, Candace Feit, said: “This was the clear winner for me. It is very powerful, and just seeing the thumbnail made me want to view it first. The photographer framed a really interesting moment. Being able to see that and capture it well so that it makes a strong image is truly creative.”

Amateur photography category
The winner of the amateur photography category is Eternal by Patty Palmtree - portraying the wonderful contrast between the force of nature and the power of mankind. The joint amateur photography runner-ups are Brazilian Police by Rebecca Hull, showing the interesting juxtaposition of the Brazilian police, against a colourful, cheerfully vandalised background; and Gift Horse by Helena Maratheftis, which captures the incredible beauty of a horse eating. 

Professional music category
The joint winners of the professional music category are You Can’t Hide by Benny Tetteh-Lartey, created with an 18 string instrument - The Combuitar - which the musician designed and built on his own; and How’s that by the Hoo Brothers, who use inspiration from everyday life to create music.

Your Comments