Whether packing an iPhone or a strapping multiple GoPros to your shins and elbows, capturing decent fishing footage these days is for everyone. Not just professionals. Recognizing that potential, the fly-line think tank at RIO products is launching its very own Amateur Fly Fishing Film Awards this month.
The rules are simple. Make a 4-minute or less film and enter it to be judged. And the message is clear. RIO says this is not about showcasing Spielberg-style cinematography. (Goonies never die!) Instead, it’s all about highlighting flyfishing fun. In fact, good content that’s low-rez or poorly edited has a better chance of winning over a glossy, high-rez film oozing with moody scenes and sneaky product-placement shots.
“These awards create opportunities for anglers to showcase this sport by entering a short film of their recent outings in a format that anyone, anywhere can access,” says Simon Gawesworth, RIO brand manager. “Amateur filmmakers don’t get a shot at the big screen but still make great films, and we want to draw attention to their work….”
But what do we win?
Top prize is an all-expense paid three-day flyfishing trip to Idaho—home to things such as steelhead, potatoes, and RIO HQ. Additional prize packages from RIO, Sage, and Redington will go to various category winners.
Competition runs through March, with the top three films announced each month (as voted by the public). Overall winners will be announced on May 12, 2017.
See here for more details on the rules and how to submit your vids.
Tom Bie is the founder, editor, and publisher of The Drake. He started the magazine in 1998 as an annual newsprint publication based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He then moved it to Steamboat, Colorado (1999), Boulder, Colorado (2001), and San Clemente, California (2004), as he took jobs as managing editor at Paddler, Senior Editor at Skiing, and Editor-in-Chief at Powder, respectively. Tom and The Drake are now both based in Denver, Colorado, where The Drake is finally all grows up(Swingers, 1996) to a quarterly magazine.