It’s hard to believe we’ve wrapped another Musicbed Challenge. We love seeing everyone’s submissions, and this year certainly did not disappoint. Thank you to everyone who participated in this competition and for your hard work.
Now, it’s time to reveal this year’s winners, who will be taking home their share of over $60K in grants and gear.
BEST SPEC AD
Featured Musicbed Music:
“Train Departure” by Why We Wander
Crew:
Director: Henry & Cook
EP: William Cook
EP: Kyle Henry
EP/Producer: Will Orantes
Associate Producer: Simone Scarpino
Production Manager: Amber Fenton
Production Manager: Micah Flamm
Project Manager: Hanna Telford
DP: Nico van den Berg
1st AC: Kelsey Rivera
2nd AC: Elani Ferri
1st AD: Collin Young
Gaffer: Ryan Tam
Gaffer: Clay Kerri
Key Grip: Hazim Muftic
BBE: Michael Raby
Swing – Cory Andrews
Vexo.Ent/VO: FPV Aerial Team (Tadashi Moriguchi, Ivan Reyes, Zack Spiker, Cameron Cabading)
Armed Car: Vision Creative Co (Griffin Conway, Levi Thompson, Mikal Kelaidis)
Production Designer: Heather Amszi
Set Dresser: Stefan Looft
Production Sound Mixer: Aaron Garabedian
Steadicam: Dan Paddock
MUA: Michelle Draper
Stunt Drivers: Ty & Rob
BTS: Rodrigo Pedraza
BTS: Richie Cooper
Cam PA: Jack Aceto
PA (Car Detail): Pedro Pureco
Prod Coordinator/Key Set PA: Kevin Kumar
PA (Swing/Shuttle): Juan Carlos
PA + BTS: Danny Fuentes
Actor: Allan Lazo
Actor: Lorenzo Goulart
Actor: Maricar Bella
Post-Production Team:
Editor: Emma Blackman
Assistant Editor: Julia Fjelstad
Colorist: Dan Edwards
Re-recording Mixer: Aaron Garabedian
Judge Feedback:
Beautifully shot and well cast, the story is compelling and has a nice simple message. The score worked well to enhance the feeling of positivity and hope. Congrats on a great piece of work.
-Liam Chapple, Partner and Creative Director at Carbon
This does not look like a spec commercial—great job! This is a clear and compelling campaign. Great casting, cute kid, and beautiful shot. The truck looks great. I can see tightening the edit a bit. Personally, I don’t have a 90-second attention span. Perhaps it could end with the nice father-and-son moment instead of including the final driving shot. It seems unnecessary.
-Jenny Lumpkin, Production Consultant
SPEC AD FINALISTS:
Not cool, bro., Cocoa Metro – Too European, Dear Phoebe, Travel España
BEST NARRATIVE
Featured Musicbed Music
“Remember – Instrumental” by Gungor
Crew:
Director: Lies Ooms
DOP/Writer/Art Director: Sammuel Nijhuis
Actress: Mila Haberkorn
1AC: Sophie Cuypers
Sound/Spark: Aurélie van Dorst
Make up: Nina Caetano
Special thanks:
Cederic van Mechelen
Lisse Ruyssink
Viktor van Lommel
Anja Van Eetveldt
Lisette Hermanss
Gaston Goossens
Judge Feedback:
Wow, I loved this one. What a powerful film that captures loss in a beautifully poetic way. Simple, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and packs emotion with every frame. Beautiful cinematography, ideas, production design, acting, and the use of music amplified that soulful vibration you feel while watching this film.
-Lloyd Lee Choi, Director
What I love most about this film is how it abstractly conveys the concepts of loss and communicating with the beyond. Visually, it finds a way to make these intangible concepts clear and emotionally evocative to understand. The use of music isn’t overdone or overbearing but carries the narrative in a way that feels natural. Great job.
-Jared Malik Royal, Film Director at Ridley Scott Creative Group
NARRATIVE FINALISTS:
A Flame of Memories, Love, Love, Oh Awful Love, I Want to Disappear, Mi Mija Mi Soldada
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Featured Musicbed Music
Crew:
Production: SUIKA Studios
Director: Jason Tran
DP: Vincent Tran
Judge Feedback:
I love Hami and her spoken recipes. This story made me want to reach out and share my spoken recipes and reminded me of what connects us all from birth to death—food, eating, taste, culture, and community.
-Chinkara Singh, SVP/Group Director/Creative Production at Area23
“Spoken Recipes” is indeed an interesting story, beautifully shot with a visual style that captivates from start to finish. The music complements the narrative perfectly, enhancing the overall experience and making each moment more immersive.
-Valerie Lasser, Creative Editor at Big Sky Edit
Documentary Finalists:
The Wingman, Mastery, DAILU MARK 1, Hope Dealer
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Featured Musicbed Music
“Twist Your Arm – Instrumental” by Carly Bannister
Crew:
Producer/DOP/Editor: Dat Danh
Producer/Gaffer/VFX: Fredrik Persson
Script: Karim Kermiche
Director/Editor: Akram Mahmod
1AC: Linnea Grahn
Grip/Spark: Markus Lingevall
Art Director/Set Design: Carl Östlund
FAD/BTS: Phuc Danh
Actor: Christian Bitar
Actor: Emir Waldmark
SFX: Elias Öster
VO Actor: Joanne Zorian
Colorist: Miles Lembke
Sound Mixer: Felix Persson
A special thanks to all who submitted their films, our panel of judges for their time and feedback, and our sponsors and partners. We look forward to next year’s competition!
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