The annual Camp Kuleshov trailer competition, known as Camp K, concluded with a series of live and virtual celebrations across Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York to recognize the talented winners and honorable mentions in categories such as Editing, Sound Design, Graphics, and the newly introduced Music Score category. The Post family at Cutters Studios and Flavor took home the top awards with Optimus also winning in Sound Design.
This competition aims to provide emerging creative artists in post-production with the opportunity to hone their skills, gain mentorship, and showcase their creativity.
Emerging talent was challenged to re-imagine existing films and transform their trailers into fresh and inventive creations. The diverse range of source films and categories pushed entrants to think outside the box and craft unique cinematic experiences.
Midwest Camp Kuleshov Highlights
The Midwest Camp Kuleshov awards ceremony took place at Tunnel on Thursday, October 26, hosted by Craig Duncan, President of Cutters, and Cutters Editor Kathryn Hempel, one of the founders of Camp Kuleshov.
Editing Category
First Place was awarded to Isabella Paulitz of Cutters for her reimagining of the Tom Hardy horror film Venom as a Timeless Tragic Love Story. Matthew Fink from Cutters secured Second Place with his mashup of the hip-hop comedy House Party and the spine-tingling Mother! as an Absurd Horror feature.
Jack Taylor of Cutters won Third Place for transforming the 1985 James Bond adventure A View to a Kill into an example of Parasitical Anger Management. Honorable Mentions were also presented in Editing.
Graphics Category
Marly Koven of Flavor clinched the award for her opening title sequence featuring animated geometric shapes for the cosmic mystery Melancholia.
Music Score Category
Maddie Strong of Cutters earned First Place for her suspenseful buildup in No Country For Old Men.
Sound Design Category
Harrison Gill of Optimus claimed First Place for his sound design in a climactic scene from Francis Coppola’s iconic thriller The Conversation.
Cliff Fitch of Cutters received an Honorable Mention for his comic take on the 1963 thriller The Haunting.
The AICP’s Midwest Chapter has a special connection to Camp K, as the competition originally started there over 20 years ago as Trailer Park. This event provided a unique opportunity for industry professionals to support and encourage the next generation of storytellers.
Camp K continues to provide opportunities for up-and-coming post-production talent to challenge themselves, learn, and gain recognition in their field. All First Place winners from each competition will compete for The Lev, Camp K’s national Grand Prize, and have a chance to win $1,000, provided by Camp K sponsor Musicbed + Filmsupply. Musicbed also made selections from its production music library available to entrants free of charge.
As the entertainment industry emerges from the recent strikes, it’s inspiring to see the enthusiasm, creativity, and mentorship that Camp K continues to foster, ensuring the next generation of storytellers is well-prepared for success.
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