So it’s 11am on Thursday, 2nd October and as usual, I’m waiting for Ash to arrive. But I’m not annoyed, I’m excited, as tonight it’s the Motor Film Awards! We’ve been nominated for Best Independent Film with our Aston Martin film. Even now, I’m still so humbled that we’ve been nominated alongside some incredible automotive creators across the globe. The team have all been out and bought suits and shoes for this event. It’s a big deal to us. It’s recognition of our work and that means a lot.
Tristan even went out and got pin badges made (They’re so awesome too.) The drive up is standard fare. Rubbish traffic on the A303 with everyone staring at Stonehenge as they drive past, causing jams for a mile or so. So typical.
It’s Ash H, Ash B and myself. Ash B is driving. It’s nice to not be the designated driver for once, to be honest. We chat complete and utter nonsense on the way up (par for the course, to be honest) but every now and then we chat about content and what we need to get whilst at the awards do. I’m a bit of a dinosaur, to be fair (the rest of the team will attest to this) and the idea of constantly getting the phone out to film and photograph literally everything is plain so annoying to me. On the flip side, opportunities like this don’t come around very often, so there’s a desire to document it and immortalise it for myself and the team. Because it’s not just about me. The film was created by all of us and I want everyone to have a great time and soak all of that in as we all have a hand in its creation. We battle through the M25 and finally arrive at our really lovely Airbnb for the night. It’s a very quick case of the three ‘Esses’, suit up and we’re ready to go.
We meet Tristan and his family just outside Ally Pally. Hands are shaken, ‘Oh my God this is awesome’ comments are shared and we head on in. The team all look incredible. Every effort has been made for this ceremony. It’s a special moment. A rare moment. And one that I sense is really starting to soak in with the team. There’s element of wonder and excitement. I feel the same. This is a prestigious event. There’s automotive filmmaking royalty at this thing.
Fair play to Vince Knight and his team. You’re met instantly with Motor Film Awards banner, trophies and everyone we see is dressed to the nines. I loved that. Vince and his team SERIOUSLY delivered. It felt so special to be there. An aura about it that I can’t really explain. It was humbling and exciting. We have our pictures taken straight away and I’m a bit like Chandler from Friends so I keep any sort of smiling to a minimum. I hate that, but it is what it is. I’m the first one to go get a pint (naturally). I need some Dutch courage. Something to relax myself. The adrenaline is in overdrive. I can just feel myself vibrating. Hopefully that was internal and not external—not that I’d care in that moment. Everyone we see has a big smile on their faces. It’s wonderful to see. The sense of excitement is palpable. This year, Vince made nomination certificates as a keepsake. We’ve got one. Tristan has two! Bit expensive, but hey ho.
Before I know it, the photography awards are being called. I had an inkling that Ash was going to win, but I didn’t want to fill his head with that. I just wanted him (and everyone else) to enjoy the night and be present in it. Then they call Ash’s name!!! Best Photography in Black and White.
I’m over the moon for him. The kid is so talented, but puts a lot of pressure on himself to be perfect. Perfection doesn’t exist. Being close to it, does. And he regularly hits that mark, whether or not he thinks so himself. I’m so elated that I’m clapping and whooping like an idiot, finally remembering that I need to document all this stuff. I grab my phone and get the video of the certificate being presented to him. Phew! That was nearly a fail. I’m so happy for the lad. He absolutely deserved it. Whether it brings big money to him remains to be seen, but I’m hopeful that it’ll start some sort of photography career for him. He’s grafted and he was rewarded for that graft. Everyone is thrilled about it. Lots of hugs and congratulations being shared. It’s fairly clear it hasn’t sunk in yet, but on the inside I just imagine that he’s dancing like no one is looking.
We’re called in to the main theatre and it’s phenomenal. As I mentioned, it’s clear that Vince and his team pulled out all the stops for this. We take our seats at the front of the upper circle. Great seats, to be fair. The ceremony finally starts and every film that has entered has a few seconds in the limelight. And my goodness, there are some truly epic films on display. I can feel my mind rushing with ideas purely through inspiration from what I’m witnessing. As I said, this is automotive filmmaking royalty. And we’re in the same room! The mind boggles. Several winners aren’t present which is disappointing, but those that are deliver passionate speeches about their films and inspirations. Finally, our film graces the screen for a few seconds. I look round to my team and every single one of them is filming it. I can’t help but laugh to myself. I’m the only one without a phone in hand. I’m just basking in our little piece of this ceremony.
Karolina comes out on stage with TWO trophies. Oh my god, two winners!? Could it be? Have we maybe sneaked in? My hands are sweaty. But there’s no mum’s spaghetti or anything like that. They call out the winners and no, we weren’t one of them. I’ve nothing but huge admiration for the winners and I don’t feel hard done by or anything like that. I don’t feel cheated. The level of quality in our category was immense. To be nominated alongside them was a win to me anyway. But huge congratulations to those that did win. I feel that I can now relax. Almost like a weight lifted, not that I was expecting to walk down to stage, but there’s always that anticipation.
The show wraps up and I’m still giddy about it all. I can’t stop smiling. What a ceremony. I find myself thinking about next year and what I’d love to enter and how I want to push myself to the next level. I feel confident that we can do it. Everyone in the theatre funnels out and heads straight to the bar—as you would. Everyone is shaking hands and starting the whole idea of networking.
We speak to a few people, but it’s nothing more than passing glances. And that’s cool. It’s only until much later that we find ourselves sat with BAFTA-winning sound designers, James and Hugh. And what legends they are. They’ve taken a win for Best Sound. I ask if I can hold the trophy. Yeah, it fit in the hand well. I could get used to that. The stories they tell us fill us with excitement. I don’t want to speak for them of course, but they’ve had some serious career success to this point. No doubt they will go on to much bigger things in the future too.
We talk about projects and one project catches their attention. I’m not going to mention it here as I don’t want to ruin it, but they tell us that they’d love to be involved. I’m sorry, what!? Two BAFTA winners want to be involved with our little company film? Yep, that’s the truth. And I can’t quite believe what I’m hearing. Before we know it, we’re taking selfies and drinking far too many beers. People are on the dance floor cutting shapes and having a great time. I’m looking forward to seeing those pictures!
We’re booted out far later than expected but we share contact details with the sound guys, hug it out and head back to the Airbnb. It’s a brilliant end to an amazing day. I’ve mentioned it more than once, but this is my personal shoutout to Vince Knight and his team. Thank you for putting on such a wonderful event for us. Thank you for nominating us and giving us a platform to showcase our work. Thank you to all that attended and submitted such incredible work. You’ve all inspired my team and I to reach for higher heights. I’ve nothing more to share about the evening other than it was a career highlight for me. It’s something I will cherish. Let’s just hope that I’m writing about this again in a year’s time.
