Vimeo aims to make Hollywood – and its pesky rules and constrictions – irrelevant, and judging by the winners of the online video-sharing site’s first awards contest, it’s doing a credible job.
Nine short films were selected for the first Vimeo Awards Saturday at the SVA Visual Arts Theater in Chelsea. The overall Best Video Award, which includes a $25,000 grant to create a new project, went to Eliot Rausch of Phos Pictures for the documentary “Last Minutes with ODEN.”
Eliot Rausch accepting the Best Video Award at Vimeo’s award ceremony.The deeply personal documentary explores the unconditional love and support that a three-legged dog named ODEN brings to a struggling ex-convict. “Last Minutes With ODEN” is stunningly filmed and edited, and it will break your heart. Be warned that it also may ruin your day because ODEN, who is dying of cancer, is euthanized on camera.
Here’s a list of the winners in the contest’s nine categories. Today’s a semi-holiday, so fire up your Web browser and have a look.
Narrative: “Thrush,” by Gabriel Bisset-Smith. A (fictional) six-month relationship and the stalking that ensues. Told through photos and voice-over in four minutes.
Documentary: “Last Minutes with ODEN,” by Phos Pictures. The last day of a faithful dog who helped an ex-convict adapt to life after prison.
Music Video: “Liars ‘Scissor,’” by Andy Bruntel. A man adrift at sea on an inflatable raft is troubled by rocks. Really troubled.
Animation: “Between Bears,” by Eran Hilleli. A film that started with one abstract image and evolved into quiet, angular poetry.
Original Series: “Break-ups: The Series,” by Ted Tremper. A really harsh, but really hilarious, break-up scene improvised by two actors.
Experimental: “oops,” by Chris Beckman. A mashup exploring what happens when amateur videographers drop their cameras and often themselves. (Personally, I loved the finalist “The Holy Chicken of Life & Music,” wherein a two-headed, antlered chicken oversees birth and opera.
Motion Graphics: “Triangle,” by Onur Senturk. Brief but visually stunning video showcasing Robert Knoke’s artwork.
Captured: “Fluid Sculpture,” by Charlie Bucket. Light and liquid pulsing through a woven tube sculpture.
Remix: “Breakdown the Video,” by Kasumi. Footage from the 1940s and 1950s remixed as a commentary on capitalism, the United States military, and invasion from outer space (with floating doll heads).
After the awards ceremony, Vimeo projected a light show on the south facade of the IAC building (Vimeo is a unit of IAC) on West 18th Street. The computer-generated projection deftly played off the eccentric panes of the the Frank Gehry-designed building. I’m not sure when it was practiced, but the projection came off without a hitch. I shot a video with my iPhone and, while it’s not Vimeo-quality, you’ll get the picture.