Windwood's Ian Scura Wins 2024 NH Film Festival "New Hampshire Filmmaker of the Year" Award

We are so proud to announce that our Assistant Creative Director Ian Scura took home one of New Hampshire’s biggest filmmaking awards during the 2024 New Hampshire Film Festival; “New Hampshire Filmmaker of the Year” For his work directing our feature documentary “A Handmade Life” and his work on a personal documentary project that was also entered into the festival titled “Liquid, Fragile, Perishable.”

This win is a huge celebration for the whole Windwood team, as we’ve seen Ian pour so much effort into these projects over the past few years.

Team Windwood taking a photo after their World Premiere of “A Handmade Life” at the 2024 New Hampshire Film Festival

In an excerpt from a CONCORD MONITOR article, Ian explains: “What’s so fun to me about that process, and what’s so special to me about being able to highlight both of the films I worked on with the groups of people I worked with, is that it’s a collaborative medium. This isn’t just my story. None of these are my stories. They’re collectively the stories of the people they’re about. And they’re also collectively, partially, the stories of the people that are trying to tell them.”

From his interview with In Depth NH; “NH Filmmaker of the Year award recipient Ian Scura grew up in Concord, New Hampshire and works at Windwood Productions based in Concord. Says Scura, “Winning NH Filmmaker of the year is so special because while it might seem like an award for an individual, I think it truly celebrates all of the amazing people and filmmakers I work with regularly. The two films I presented this year were both very different in style. I view this award as an honor I share with all of the incredible teams with whom I worked including my brother Ryan, my dear friend Dylan, and the Windwood team.”

A photo of our premiere showing of “A Handmade Life” at the New Hampshire Film Festival.

We could not have been happier with our premiere experience at the New Hampshire Film Festival for “A Handmade Life”, with two screenings on Thursday and Friday we’re close to announcing the release date and distribution strategy for the film, none of this would be possible without Ian’s direction. We’re so excited to see what Ian continues to do to impact the creative landscape in New Hampshire.

What To Wear On A Film Shoot

When you’re preparing for a film shoot, it can be tough to know what to wear. If you’re already working with an established company that has a look, then stick with that. Your company’s brand can include what you wear on shoots, so when in doubt, stick with your brand. Additionally when it comes to clothes, you want to wear clothes that you’re comfortable in, especially in the film industry when you’ll be running around with camera equipment all day. If these factors don’t narrow down your options enough, then here are some additional styles and tips for different film shoots.

1. The Professional Look

   Your first option is the professional or formal look. This is generally what you should wear when you first meet your clients. For a professional look, wear a button down shirt or a blouse. For pants, stick with khakis or dress pants- no jeans! With shoes you should have some leeway because you’ll be running around with camera equipment all day, however we recommend trying to stick with a pair of nice, yet comfortable sneakers. After your first meeting, gage your outfit for next time by looking at whatever your client wore. If they dressed more casually, then you can dress more casually next time too.

2. The Business Casual Look

   This is the outfit you’ll likely wear the most. You’ll still want to stick with a button down or blouse, but you could also wear a company shirt instead (either your production team logo, or the client’s logo). For business casual scenarios, you can also wear jeans (black is best), and casual sneakers. Just try to stay away from bright-colored running shoes. Keep in mind that your “business casual” look should also be comfortable enough to move around in all day for video shoots.

3. The Casual Look

   Finally, there’s the casual option. You can go with this option if the client themself wears casual attire, if you’ve known them for a long time, or if you’re shooting for a sports or adventuring video. You will be fine wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and whatever shoes are most comfortable. In really active scenarios shorts are okay too.

Now that we’ve covered the three looks, let’s go over some general rules for clothing.

1. Be Careful of logos: You don’t want to be wearing one company’s logo while filming a video for another! We recommend either wearing non-branded clothing, or your production team’s logo.

2. Avoid bright colors: As a part of a film crew, you want to blend in. You want to make your talent feel as comfortable as possible so that they can forget about the cameras. Therefore we recommend wearing neutral color clothing. The exception to this is if your company’s brand involves bright colors.

3. No gym shorts:  Unless you’re on an intensely active film shoot with an athlete, stay away from gym shorts. You still want to maintain some level of professionalism.

4. Pants before skirts or dresses:  This is up to you and your comfort level.  If you’re a female in the film industry, setting up lights and cameras in a dress can be extremely difficult.  When you are running around with a million things in your mind, you want to be wearing clothing that is comfortable and functional.

As we said before, the most important factors when it comes to dressing for any film shoot are your comfort level in the clothes you choose, and what brand and style you or your company has already established. Beyond those two factors, hopefully our tips help you prepare for whatever style film shoot you’re going to be working on. Hopefully then you can feel comfortable and professional while you’re out capturing stories.

Coronavirus Update

The health of our team, families, clients, and friends has always been our top priority.

We are storytellers. Our work relies on the trust of our clients, our work relies on the connectivity of our community to support us. We hope to continue that trust, and continue that connectivity in the future - and for now that means distance.

One of the key words that keeps popping up is “pivoting” during these times of hardship.

At our core, our mission has always been to tell great stories, with great people. We will never pivot from that. We will further that mission through the avenues we have been working on building outside of video production over the last several years. We will double down on our ability to storytell for companies through website building, content writing, and graphic design.

We are fortunate to have had a community surrounding us and lifting us up for 2 years now.

For as long as it is safe to do so, we have one person still in the Windwood studio who is providing photo and video for small businesses who have had to shift to ecommerce overnight. At this time we are not and will not be charging for these services. Please reach out if you are a Concord business who sells a physical product and needs a product photo, or video.

We don’t know what the future will look like for us, but we will stay the course, and for as long as we can we will continue to be thankful for everyone who has, and continues to put their trust in us. We will continue to tell great stories, with great people.

Hope to see you soon,

Brett and the Windwood Team