Amateur video producers seem to have grown darker and more
intense in dealing with the topic of climate change — even when
their task is to create a humorous video. At least that seems to be
a trend in this year’s Eco-Comedy Video Competition, a trend I
mentioned
last week in Water Ways with respect to stand-up comedy.
Winners were recently announced in the annual
Eco-Comedy competition, a contest that challenged people to
create a two-or three-minute video about climate change while using
humor to engage their audience. Sponsors were the Center for
Environmental Filmmaking at American University in Washington,
D.C., and The Nature Conservancy.
Amateur filmmakers have focused their talents on environmental
issues to produce some of the most creative short videos in the
eight-year history of the Eco-Comedy Video Competition.
That’s just my opinion, but I’ve been watching this competition
for years, and I know it is not easy to combine humor with a sharp
message about protecting the environment. Usually, one or two
videos stand out in the contest sponsored by The Nature Conservancy
in Maryland/DC and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at
American University in Washington, D.C. But this year seemed to be
different.
Although the number of entries was down from last year — 30
compared to 48 — I found something unique in all the finalists as
well as the honorable mentions. I was also pleased to see an
elevation in the production quality, as well as improved acting
over what I’ve seen in the past. I could envision some of these
short pieces going forth as public service announcements on
television.
A panel of five judges selected the best videos based on the
level of humor as well as the ability to deliver a clear message
about the environment to a broad audience in three minutes or less.
The winners were announced last week as the DC Environmental Film
Festival on the American University campus.
The Grand Prize winners, Theodore Blossom and Robbie I’Anson
Price, will receive $2,000 from the Center for Environmental
Filmmaking. Their video, titled “@Humanity,” is the first on this
page. Theo, based in London, is a science communicator who presents
and produces stage shows, films and comedy. Robbie, a doctoral
student and filmmaker from Lausanne, Switzerland, studies
communication and learning in honeybees with the goal of
determining how communication can improve fitness.
The Viewers Choice Award went to a video titled “Journey to the
Future” by Stephanie Brown & Tim Allen, shown second on this
page.
Here are the YouTube links to all the videos recognized by the
judges;
Grand Prize Winner:“@Humanity” by
Theodore Blossom and Robbie Price
Entries in this year’s Eco-Comedy Video Competition seem to
reflect an anxiety over what will happen to the environment under
President Trump’s administration — although the winning video was
among a few finalists that stayed clear of an overt political
message.
This is the eighth annual competition sponsored by the Center
for Environmental Filmmaking and The Nature Conservancy. A total of
48 videos were submitted with this year’s theme: “Conservation and
Environmental Protection.”
To qualify, the original videos, three minutes or less, must be
humorous, communicate a clear message and appeal to a broad
audience. A panel of five judges chose the finalists and grand
prize winner, who will be honored in a ceremony next week at
American University in Washington, D.C.
The Eco-Comedy Film Competition was created to get people
thinking about the environment by reaching them through
entertainment instead of a heavy-handed message.
“Clean Water” is the theme for this year’s competition,
sponsored by The Nature Conservancy and American University’s
Center for Environmental Filmmaking.
More than 80 short films were entered into this year’s contest.
Everyone is eligible to vote online for the People’s Choice Award
by selecting from among the seven finalists. Watch those seven
videos on the
Eco-Comedy Film Competition website, and vote using the form
beneath the video players. Make sure you click in the lower right
corner to go full screen. I’ve posted a couple of my favorites on
this page, but please don’t let that influence your own choice.
The winning video will be selected by a panel of judges. The
Grand Prize winner will be announced March 22 and will be awarded a
$2,000 prize.
The Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University
in Washington, D.C., holds an annual “Eco-Comedy Video
Competition,” based on a different environmental theme each year.
This year’s theme to challenge student creativity was “Clean water,
clean air.”
The winner of the Grand Prize and Viewers’ Choice awards this
year was a video called “Dude, or the Blissful Ignorance of
Progress” (shown in video player).
More than 60 videos were entered in the contest. I was able to
find only about a dozen or so on the web, but I found a couple
other amusing entries worthy of note:
The Center for Environmental Filmmaking was founded on the
belief that films are vitally important educational and political
tools in the struggle to protect the environment, according to
Professor Chris Palmer, who started the center. The goal is to
train filmmakers to create films and new media that promote
conservation in ways that are ethically sound, entertaining and
educational.
All the contest entries can be found in the
comments section of the YouTube webpage about the contest.
I found another video on the center’s website that was not
involved in this particular contest but was both educational and
amusing. It was a public service announcement called “Tap Water.”
