Homemade Mountain Movie of the Month goes to...

Competitions and offers

02 September 2008 12:54

Another great week in the Homemade Mountain Movie Awards brings us to the the 11th interim round of judging. Which is the best of the week, and the month? Watch on to find out!
The Homemade Mountain Movie Awards are running all the way to the Kendal Mountain Film Festival in November, and all entries join the running to win free YHA accommodation at the festival, Osprey rucksacks and an all-expenses-paid trip to Everest Base Camp! Watch on, be inspired, get videoing… (Scroll down for the videos.)

Tourer Ted goes Munro bagging by Hammerman
This adventure of Tourer Ted is enigmatic and engaging. Who is he? What are his ambitions? Where will he go next? Critically speaking, more shots of Ted himself would be welcome, as he's clearly born for the limelight, and the switch to a still shot for the climactic summit moment is always a cop out. But overall this is a nicely edited and paced film - not choppy, but the story moves on without the viewer's attention wandering. Tourer Ted feels like an idea that's still emerging during the shoot, and it's one we want to see more of. We'll view this as Chapter One... Read on to find out what was our video of the week...

A little misadventure on Snowdon by Twee08
A great lesson in how establishing a relationship with the protagonist can transform the viewing experience. After all, nothing much happens in this film, but because we've been addressed by the heroine from the get-go, we are engaged as an audience, and there's no chance we'll leave her before the end of the film. Great music choice, simple, well-handled shots and editing which leaps from point of interest to point of interest and loses everything in between make for smooth viewing of a rough ride we can all recognise. A lesson in how little you need to go on to make an enjoyable film, if you harness the viewer's inescapable interest in... human interest. But it's not our video of the week...

Crazzzzzy Pinnacles by Metacarpal74
Great views, great scrambling, and ("Over there is Mal durg") great Gaelic pronunciations to rival our own combine in this likeable Scottish film. A helpful voice- (and finger-) over make for an absorbing and educational travelogue of a big day in Glen Coe. On-the-hoof narration puts pressure on the speaker to come up with the most interesting stuff at the most timely moment, and it's a hard challenge. A mix of post-shoot voice-over and live commentary would have smoothed out the viewing experience, but the narrator is good company and some of the on-screen tips (particularly the one about portable footholds) are hilarious. Our advice? Harness some of the humour that's never far beneath the surface, be ruthless in the edit (3 minutes max is what we're looking for don't forget) and smooth the story along with some over-dubbed narration. But you've got great raw materials and we enjoyed the watch. Read on for our video of the week...

3 Wainwrights from Wasdale by Dazhill
A pumping acid house soundtrack invests this film with a momentum that doesn't quite belong to the actual shots. But this is a part of the world we're always happy to see on film, and it's refreshing to see grassy paths and uneroded summit trig point plinths - just how all the Wainwrights would have been when the man himself first walked 'em. Spirited, scenic and so much better than a few scattered stills - this is a vivid record of an enjoyable trip. But it's not our video of the week...

A weekend in Weardale by Pat Hinchliffe
An idea that could easily topple into mere facetiousness is pushed onto safe ground by the care and attention that's gone into carrying it through. Moods are managed by the music, shots carefully chosen to match the 'found' narration, and overall what starts as a mildly amusing idea ends up feeling oddly moving. Touched by pottiness, touched by genius. Our video of the week, and indeed the month.

Pat Hinchliffe wins a year's membership of the YHA and a fab Osprey Talon 44 rucksack worth £100 (pictured). Don't forget annual YHA memberships, more Osprey Talon 44s, accommodation at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival and even a trip to Everest Base Camp are still up for grabs between now and November!