Tropfest awards Carnival’s Viv Scanu ACS with Best Cinematographer title for ‘Wish You Here’
Carnival’s Viv Scanu ACS has been awarded Best Cinematographer for Tropfest finalist film, Wish You Here.
The Tropfest Craft Awards were held at the Australian Design Centre on Friday night, two days before the main event in Centennial Park on Valentine’s Day.
Wish You Here, directed by Carnival’s Benjamin O’Donnell, took home awards for Best Cinematography (Viv Scanu ACS) and Best Original Score (Andy Scott). It was only one of two films to win in more that one craft category, the other being eventual first place winner, Shiny.
Wish You Here is the second filmic collaboration for Scanu and O’Donnell, who usually share a DOP / producer relationship at Carnival Productions. The film tells the story of Karl, a lonely zombie looking for company in a dead and empty world.
For O’Donnell, there was only ever one person to shoot his film.
Says O’Donnell: “Viv and I have such a rich history working together and for this project we were in visual sync from the start. Before we’d even secured a location, we had a definite vision in mind for Karl’s bleak, isolated environment. Apart from his stunning control of light Viv’s versatility with technical executions meant we were able to cover off sixty-two set-ups in just one day – one epic day.”
The film is already garnering a lot of attention online, with popular review site The Awesomer describing it “like the flipside of The Walking Dead” and Popsugar rating the short in its Top 7 films from the festival.
Says Scanu: “I am certainly thrilled to have received the award for best Cinematography at the Tropfest 2016 craft awards.
“Shooting Wish You Here allowed for a juxtaposition of visuals. Ben and I discussed what elements would work best to create a suppressed, claustrophobic, caged environment. We opted for moody lighting within Karl’s house to contrast the sharp sunlight streaming through the windows. In addition, we included a light, atmospheric haze to build depth and evoke a pungent ‘locked up’ feel to Karl’s home.
“I share this award with all the crew who worked tirelessly – and quickly – on the day. I would also like to acknowledge the Australian Cinematography Society for Judging this year’s awards.”
O’Donnell and Scanu previously enjoyed success with short film Second Hand, which premiered at St Kilda in 2015. Tanya Andrews produced both films.
Visit Carnival’s website: www.carnivalproductions.com.au.
1 Comment
Viv is definitely one of the best. Well deserved.