THE MUSIC CLIP MAKING OSCARS

THE BelowGround Music Video Fest gives music clip makers industry recognition with the awarding of valuable prizes and the coveted BelowGround trophy – a lens-shaped chunk of polished Swedish crystal that now graces mantelpieces from Adelaide to Auckland (it also doubles as a doorstop!).

Seen at BelowGround 3 in April 2005 accepting the Best Use of Visual Effects Award is Natalie Lapham of the ABC. Nat accepted the award on behalf of Animators at Large, one of the filmmaking teams funded under the ABC’s 4 Minute Wonders initiative.

Melbourne-based Animators At Large put together an entomologically-themed visual feast called Pest Control  by Me the Conqueror. 

The Best Independent Clip Award at BelowGround 3 was won by Queensland filmmakers Paul Underwood, Clare McFadden and Nick Martin for Tell Someone Who Cares by The Boat People.

Meanwhile, the Best Funded Clip Award went to Auckland director Chris Graham and producer James Moore of specialist unit Fish ‘n’ Clips for their Not Many video by Scribe. And a kiwi also took out the Audience Choice Award (now replaced by Best New Filmmaker Award) as Kezia Barnett – pictured here after the awards with James Moore – accepted her trophy for Cement by Goodshirt. As you can see, Kezia was over the moon, while an excited James looked as though he was going to start doing a haka.     

The BelowGround Music Video Fest started out in 2003 as a relatively low-key affair at a bar-restaurant in Sydney’s Fox Entertainment Precinct.  For the first festival there were no sponsors or awards, but the event attracted two dozen quality entries, including work from name directors like Nash Edgerton.

The BelowGround Awards were introduced at BelowGround 2 in 2004. The winners that year were Sydney director Sam Bennetts, Victorian filmmakers Bronte Howell and Karl Von Moller, Sydney music clip- making duo Jamie Hilton and Chris Debney, and Adelaide unit The People’s Republic of Animation.

Awards are decided on the night by a panel of industry judges. Current sponsors of the BelowGround Awards are Panavision, TressCox Lawyers, Avid and Kodak.