January 28, 2008

AVID CONTEST RECOGNIZES YOUNG TALENT

Entries were judged by pros on the creative and technical edits of their submissions. This year's grand prize winners are Aaron Hudson's Editing + VFX and Carol Benwell's 2007 Editing Reel. The winners gain exposure on the Avid.com site and also receive a $3,000 online credit that they can use to build their own home studio package, comprised of Avid's family of products. They also receive the Avid "Billy" Award – named after Avid founder Bill Warner - which recognizes skill and creativity in editing.

Editing + VFX is a demo of recent work that Aaron Hudson created using Media Composer software and Avid Xpress Pro. He        enrolled in his first Avid editing class following his high school graduation at age 16, and has since served as both editor and videographer on a number of short films and projects with friends.

2007 Editing Reel is a compilation of previous film and design projects that reflect Carol Benwell's interest in motion graphics, video and multimedia work. She created her entry on Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Xpress Studio.

Scott Boyd, contest judge and editor of the TV series Heroes, notes the two grand prize winners demonstrated both creativity and editorial chops. “Though the two reels are very different,” says Boyd, “both editors clearly love what they do and it's that passion that will create opportunities like this one throughout their careers.

“When I first watched Aaron Hudson's Editing + VFX, I liked his creative use of animation within 'live motion' - and that he went beyond straight-cut edits. Carol Benwell's 2007 Editing Reel had a certain rhythm with recurring frustrated editor scenes and the use of static to transition from project to project. Benwell's music selection pleasantly exaggerated what was being portrayed visually to the viewer."

In addition to the grand-prize winners, four entries were selected as runners-up and will receive M-Audio IE-30 headphones valued at $299.95. To view the winning entries, visit www.avid.com/backtoschool.