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48 RANGEFINDER APRIL 2017
THE
FILMMAKING
ISSUE
The cinematographers
behind the winning films
at this year’s WPPI 16x20
competition—and the judges
who awarded them first
place—discuss why their
storytelling methods work.
BY STACEY GOLDBERG
WPPI
AWARD-
WINNING
FILMS
KINGDOM OF
THE ICE BEAR
BY ABRAHAM JOFFE
FIRST PLACE IN COMMERCIAL/
ILLUSTRATIVE FILMMAKING
AUSTRALIAN DIRECTOR AND
FILMMAKER ABRAHAM JOFFE
used to shoot wedding films earlier in
his career, but he’s spent the last several
years traveling the globe and turning his
lens to wildlife and conservation issues.
His first-place award in the Filmmaking
Division’s Commercial/Illustrative
category at WPPI 2017, Kingdom of the
Ice Bear, was created on commission
by Joshua Holko, the leader of an arctic
wildlife photography travel expedition,
to “document what it’s like to be in the
company of [polar bears], these huge,
amazing animals,” Joffe says. “We
wanted to celebrate that the arctic offers
photographic and visual opportunities,
and encourage people to go up and visit
these extreme locations—especially now
that they’re under such a real threat.”
Joffe, who typically works with a
crew of three or four, was the lone
videographer on this assignment. “This
is the first trip where I had to do all the
drone work by myself,” he says, “and it’s
a real challenge flying one in the arctic.”
The fast-draining battery life was one
of the more challenging and important
obstacles to overcome, he says, and
to keep the batteries alive longer in
cold conditions, Joffe wrapped them in
hand warmers. “The drone is really what
enabled me to get amazing visuals—
NOTES FROM THE JUDGES:
î MICHAEL NOVO
“Jo;e combined shots from
multiple locations and put his
own spin on them. There was no
narration for the first 20 seconds,
but the environmental sounds let
the viewer begin to understand
what they’re about to see. THE
TECHNICAL DETAIL THAT
STOOD OUT THE MOST
TO ME WAS THE OPENING
SHOT. You’re looking straight
down the bow of the boat into the
water and a gull enters the frame.
That establishes the size of what
the viewer is actually looking at.
It’s so easy to just have a camera
on a tripod looking straight at
the horizon.”
î NIK PEKRIDIS
“What impresses me most about
this film, aside from the brilliant
technical skill it took to create and
the well-executed narration, are
the BREATHTAKING DRONE
SCENES SHOWCASING THE
ICEBREAKER. These shots tied
with the narrative really popped
and helped the film stand out from
the competition.”
