Thumb-Stopping Moments

Winners announced

The judges have chosen and we can now officially announce the three prize winners.

The votes have been cast and the winners have been chosen. With submissions numbering in the triple digits, it wasn’t easy for the judges to choose the best film entered into the competition, but eventually they were able to pick the top three submissions. See the winners of the Thumb-Stopping Moments short film competition below.

1st prize

The judges chose this film by Ben Crabb as the winning submission.

Ben Crabb Twitter

"The film is a light-hearted comedy, detailing the inner thoughts of a young woman who tries to avoid an unexpected proposition from her boyfriend."

The film was shot with a C300 camera on a budget of £325. Ben, who works as a director and editor at a London production company, found out about the competition after picking up a flyer in a Soho restaurant. Seven people were involved in making the film, and they said they would use the prize money to make another film.

Competition judge Vanesa Iglesias said of the film: ‘This film met the brief perfectly and really made me laugh. It works well as a complete story and held my attention.’

2nd prize

This film by Digital Film and Television students studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland was awarded second place.

Reiff Gaskell Vimeo

"This film is a collaborative piece of work by Digital Film and Television students studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland."

Writer and director Reiff Gaskell made the film along with Anssi Tiusanen, Martin MacLeod, Robin Boreham, Rebecca Deane, Þorsteinn Ólason, Will Parker and Caleb Hughes.

Competition Judge Alastair Douglas said the film ‘manages to incorporate quite a few horror film tropes into 60 seconds, which is both effective and a serious achievement’.

3rd prize

Benjamin Bee submitted this film about the life of a balloon which was chosen for 3rd place.

Benjamin Bee Website

"Life is pretty tough, especially if you're a balloon. But it's possible to avoid the unexpected if someone's there to give you a little helping hand."

Benjamin made the film along with Yiannis and Sebastian on a budget of £5 for the balloons and £15 for some pizza. All the cast were ‘friends who were free on the day’. They used the Arri Alexa camera for free and recorded the sound on an iPhone.

Benjamin, who is a freelance filmmaker, broke his ankle earlier this year meaning he missed out on some freelance work, so he said he intends to use the prize money to catch up on bills and buy Christmas presents for his friends and family.

Competition judge Alex Godfrey said of the film: ‘The voiceover is brilliant. It’s creative and very funny.’

Highly commended

While these three videos did not receive a prize, we think they deserve a shout-out for their original and unique ideas.

Alexander Miles Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

"Robert La Pierre's character embodies the type of eccentricity you'd expect from a person who wants to avoid the truly unexpected."
Lee D Barnes LinkedIn | Facebook | Website

"I aimed to keep the narrative simple yet effective by only using two shots, with the aim of presenting numerous questions. This would leave a lasting impact on the viewer's mind."
Alastair Millar Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

"I wanted to base this idea off my experience as a first year university student, and mirror the culture of partying within my short."

Short-list

Thanks again to everyone who entered their films into the competition.

John Campbell Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

"With the home being one of the locations that people spend a lot of time in, I wanted to capture some of these unexpected smaller events which can happen to anyone."
Daniel Glenn Barbour LinkedIn | Facebook

"The boxer avoids unexpected punches from his opponent and wins the bout; the student confidently tackles the unexpected questions on her exam and graduates."
Leon Brehony LinkedIn Olivia Middleton LinkedIn

"A young woman tries to escape seeing her ex-boyfriend, in order to avoid an awkward interaction. When inside the shop she is haunted by her ex's face on other people's bodies."

Dewen Myrza

"We want to protect ourselves from danger, but facing those fears is what will set us free. We can’t set ourselves on a truly exciting journey if we try to avoid the unexpected."
Jack Pollington LinkedIn | Facebook | Website

"John, an opportunist cat burglar, thinks he's struck gold when he sees an open window. However he’s not prepared for the unexpected turn of events as he takes a peak inside..."
Jordan Tetley Twitter | Facebook

"We wanted to make it comical, but also relatable, so we set the short within a kitchen, as the majority of people can relate to finding things in the kitchen they didn't put there."

David Strindberg Website | Twitter

People fear new things, while in reality the impact of the unexpected may not make a deeper dent than a hollow little meteorite tumbling down on a London backstreet.
Adele Carroll Website

"The idea came to me when I saw the ponies that I pass each day. I always imagine that they are talking when they chew and I suddenly thought of them as being ‘Horse Traders’."
Jonathan Kissun Twitter

"My video dealt with the topic of 'avoiding the unexpected' in a manner I often tend to take, that which I would define as 'inside the box'..."

Thank you

Thanks again to everyone who entered their films into the competition.

About Totallymoney.com

The Thumb-Stopping Moments Short Film Competition is sponsored by TotallyMoney.com. TotallyMoney.com want to make the credit market a fairer place and help people avoid the unexpected, especially when it comes to loans and credit cards. That’s why they offer customers a chance to check their eligibility before they apply, which can help find the cards and loans they are most likely to be accepted by.