The past year has been an incredible time in the commercial fishing world. Record runs of salmon and sky high market prices have revived an industry that has seen its far share of hardship. Luckily for us, there are plenty of dedicated deckhand videographers in the ranks to catch all the action. The advent of smaller and better camera equipment has allowed amateurs to make amazing videos. Cameras like the GoPro HD have been a game changer for user generated content in the comfish world. Now, it’s possible to mount the camera to your head and capture all the nautical action up close. Some oy this year’s aspiring deckhands display amazing editing skills, while others embrace the use of raw footage and emotional scores. From strange to informative, these films are grouped into 5 different categories. The entire playlist is posted here for you to view at your leisure and I will be posting the various categories of videos on facebook, google+, and twitter thru the week. At the end of the week, the entire three hours of videos will stream back to back on Saturday the 14th on Justin.tv and Ustream. Most of the voting will be done on the Back Deck facebook page and the hashtag #Comfishfilmfest on twitter. Alright, grab some smoked salmon and enjoy the show.
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Rules and regulations
All films have been uploading within the past year on YouTube or Vimeo. Obviously, they must be commercial fishing related and stand out from the rest of the pack. The video in the Highliner category that receives the most amount of likes or twitter buzz will get a brand new Lifeproof case for an iPhone 4S. New submissions can be provided via link and I will add the video. Here is a quick overview of the different categories.
Highliners
These videos have a nice polish and overall vibe that allows them to rise to the top. The winner gets a new waterproof iPhone 4S case complements of LIfeProof.
WINNER
Cheechakos
These budding videographers have the passion, but need a bit more ninja video splicing skill.
WINNER
Documentary
The stories of fishermen are an American oral tradition that still lives in the heart of all the brave souls who choose to make their livings at the mercy of mighty mother nature. Fishermen care deeply about their livelihoods and realize the unbreakable ties between the natural world and their enterprise.
WINNER
Bycatch
It’s amazing what just comes up in the net sometimes. The same goes for the Internet. These videos are just plain odd.
WINNER
Sitka Herring
The “Super Bowl of Seining” is in a category all to itself. These shorts display the intensity of the of the craziest fishery in Alaska. We will start the festival off tomorrow with a day of herring retrospection.
WINNER
Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope to make next year even better.
Related articles
- 2011 West Coast Commercial Fishing Year in Review | Part I (juneautek.com)
- Commercial Fishing Viewpoints | F/V Refuge (juneautek.com)
- Alaska Commercial Fishing Viewpoints | F/V Loki (juneautek.com)
- Fish Tech | The Fishermen Friendly iPad Navigation App (juneautek.com)
- State of Things | The Future of JuneauTek (juneautek.com)
I’ve got a Youtube Channel with nothing but videos of my commercial fishing life in Alaska. Look up user Alaskrab