Last night the entries for N8 Producers closed, with well over 100 amazing videos to look through (all shot on the Nokia N8) we are sure the judges are going to have fun in the next few days! So while the judges deliberate, we thought we should let you know who the judges actually are, so we went to find out by asking them each 3 interesting questions…
PRIMA SUNG
First up is Prima who works in Nokia’s Marketing team and can often be found on @PrimaSung:
Q: What is the most exciting thing you have ever done?
A: Moving to a new country with no friends and family! Starting everything from scratch again. But it’s a lot of fun at the same time. Hopefully I get to do that again soon!
Q: What will you be looking for when judging N8 Producers?
A: Something interesting, like an interesting message or point of view. It’s all about the content. But of course, quality of video is important as well.
Q: What do you think is the best thing about N8 Producers?
A: N8 Producers is an open brief. We are putting a powerful tool in the hands of consumers. No pre-qualification is required as long as you have something interesting to share.
LAURA KIDD
Second on our judging panel is Laura a DIY songwriter and solo artist, sometime session musician, freelance video director, camerawoman, editor, photographer, lecturer, writer and social media reporter who likes to keep things interesting and tweets from @warriorgrrl
Q: Do you have any interesting hobbies or passions?
A: My passion is music, and I’m currently working on material for my second solo album as grunge pop solo artist She Makes War, booking festivals for the summer and working on music videos for every track off my debut album “Disarm”, released last September.
Q: What is the most exciting thing you have ever done?
A: Playing bass for A-Ha on Top of the Pops is pretty high on my list of exciting things – it was my first go on TOTP and it couldn’t have been with a cooler band, in my opinion!
Q: Where is the coolest place you have ever been?
A: I spent 10 days in 2008 adventuring around Japan on my own after performing with The Young Punx at Yokohama Arena. Everywhere I went was pretty wonderful but the coolest place of all had to be the Buddhist temple lodging I stayed in way up on Mount Koya. I ate amazing food, blissed out in hot spas, took long walks through picturesque cemeteries and chatted to friendly monks.
DAN GOODALL
Now for another Nokian, Dan, one of the guys who made N8 Producers happen! He talks about Basketball, Hip-hop Karaoke, and stretched metaphors on his twitter account: @DaGood:
Q: Do you have any interesting hobbies or passions?
A: My main hobbies are sports and music. I have played team sports all through my life, and still play basketball throughout the summer months on the outdoor courts in Helsinki. Music has always been an important part of my life; I have DJed for many years, sometimes in bars or clubs, and sometimes as part of my band Supervillain
Q: Where is the coolest place you have ever been?
A: I travel quite a lot with Nokia, and it sometimes takes me quite far away from my home in Helsinki. But the coolest place I have been to was probably a bit closer to home: last year we made the Dragonfly Love video with the N8 in Lofotens, Norway, in the Arctic Circle. We were blessed with fantastic sunny weather, and the landscape of the island we used for the video shoot was just breath-taking.
Q: What do you think is the best thing about N8 Producers?
A: The best thing is the quality of the productions. It is by far the highest quality of consumer-generated content I have seen for a competition like this. Really quite remarkable. It’s going to be tough to choose 8 winners!
JANI JOHANSEN
The fourth judge is Jani, an adventure filmmaker, editor and professional skier who tweets from: @ janijohansen:
Q: What is the most exciting thing you have ever done?
A: Thousands of days at the mountains make it feel like another day at the office. So the most exciting thing I have ever done has to do with the element I am least familiar with: the air. I filmed World Champion Acro-Paraglider in Nissan Outdoor Games from a tandem Paraglider. The filming part was easy. Those things are pretty rigid. But we had to make huge spiral dives to stay under the target. I think that we descented over 10m/sec. After a dozen of those I felt quite soft in my head. But I got the shots!
Q: Where is the coolest place you have ever been?
A: I think the coolest place is Lyngen Alps in North Norway, A peninsula full of majestetic peaks between deep fjords. No ski lifts. Just you and the mountain. Skiing from summit to sea.
Q: What will you be looking for when judging N8 Producers?
A: I look for solid piece of work. I have witnessed the capabilities and dilemmas of using N8´s cameras when shooting N8 Producers Launch and Behind the Scenes videos. It is more than a phone with a camera. That is why I want to see well made productions with proper idea not just point and shoot material cut together.
LEANDRO RIGHINI
Next up is Leandro, who grew up in Cape Town near the beach and has a lifelong fascination with the ocean; he is a Producer, writer and director! Leandro twitter is @capefinn
Q: What is the most exciting thing you have ever done?
A: It is difficult to pin it down as I have done some pretty exciting things in my life. In terms of adrenaline perhaps paddling out after a storm in Sydney, Australia and getting pounded by the surf or doing a dawn dive off hamilton Island and seeing a manta ray glide past! Although I got to admit doing the Zero G flight whilst filming the N8Producers launch video was pretty awesome, I really enjoyed the madness of Zero G!
Q: Where is the coolest place you have ever been?
A: My favourite places in the world. Best Island: Gilli Meno in Indonesia, Best Mountain range: Cederberg mountains in the Western Cape, Favourite cities: Cape Town, Sydney and Helsinki. I was also recently in Berlin and thought that it would be a very cool place to spend more time.
Q: What do you think is the best thing about N8 Producers?
A: I think it is a great contest which really encourages people who are interested in pushing the boundaries on mobile filmmaking. I also think the prize is awesome!
SAARA BERGSTROM
So last up on our judging panel is Saara who you may already know from @OviByNokia where she helps to answer your questions and take your feedback! Saara also tweets on @Saara!
Q: Do you have any interesting hobbies or passions?
A: I love snowboarding, which is what I try to do whenever I can. I’m a big fan of Japan too, especially the backcountry treks in the Hokkaido powder snow. Me and my friends are in fact going to hike up and ride down an active volcano on Hokkaido this February. Should be a lot of fun and a bit scary too 🙂
Q: What is the most exciting thing you have ever done?
A: This one’s difficult, so many exciting things happening all the time! All the snowboarding trips to Japan have been exciting as well as traveling through Indonesia all though Java to Bali and further east. Seeing the unbelievable cultural richness that changes from an island to island just gives you a whole different perspective to things.
Q: What will you be looking for when judging N8 Producers?
A: With me it’s probably down to the uniqueness and creativity of the idea as well as a good storyline too. More than just one trick, it’s the video in it’s entirety that I’ll be looking at.
ONE FINAL GUEST JUDGE?!
So those judges will choose their eight favourite videos to take a Zero-G flight! Well, actually that’s not true, there’s a small twist 😉
There is actually one more chance to win a seat on that plane from an extra guest judge… You!!
The video that has the most “likes” of any of the videos on the N8 producers page will also win a seat on the flight! The ninth winner will be chosen on Friday based on the number of likes, so head on over now and like your favourites!