Fight for Inmarsat Media prize at Volvo Ocean Race

by Shireen Crowe on 24 Jun 2009
The Inmarsat Media Prize began as a prize to recognise the potential misery of mopping out a boat, cooking and not being allowed to participate in the individual’s true passion – sailing. In Stockholm on Monday 22 June the Inmarsat Media Prize for Leg 9 (Marstrand to Stockholm) was won by Gabri Olivo the media crew member (MCM) on Telefoníca Blue, with nominations for Rick Deppe, Puma and Gustav Morin, Ericsson 3.

On the MCM leaderboard Deppe and Morin have eight and seven points respectively as they go into the final leg. Deppe has three wins and five nominations, Morin has two wins and five nominations.

With only one more leg to go the pressure is on Deppe to win the 10,000 euro Overall Winner Media Prize which is being awarded by Inmarsat in St. Petersburg. There is only one point between Deppe and Morin so Deppe must keep his nerve and deliver the consistently great footage he has been producing to secure the prize money.

Morin can still win a share of the 10,000 euro if Deppe is left out in the cold by the judges on the Stockholm to St Petersburg leg and he (Morin ) secures a win or nomination. This would have Deppe and Moran tie for first place on eight points each. The Inmarsat Overall Winner prize recognises the consistent delivery of excellence throughout the whole race

This Award was created to recognise the leap that the race has made by committing a crew member to the reporting of this nine month long event. It recognises the tensions the MCM team face in doing their job. Each story, podcast and video link from the boats has brought alive a truly global race and delivers over $65m in media value alone.

This leg saw Puma and Ericsson 3 locked to the finish line, matching not just tacks, but media releases. While Gabri Olivo recorded a tragedy, Guy Salter filmed a triumph. At the official prize giving the trophy and prize money (€1,000) for excellence of media material (video, photography, audio, copy) was presented by Chris McLaughlin, Vice President, External Affairs, Inmarsat.

Chris McLaughlin commented: ' For Inmarsat, the race has been a demonstration of our passion: global mobile satellite capability and technological leadership. We could not have hoped for greater professionalism from the MCMs and the now, incredibly close fight between them for the overall prize. This was an extraordinary leg for the competitors and for Inmarsat. The introduction of a pursuit broadcast media boat, FleetBroadband Express, equipped with a Thrane FB500 and in partnership with Stratos, has provided a platform for increased media coverage. These short legs with their triumph and tragedy, have been brought to millions by the work of the MCMs. Gabri Olivo filmed through the worst of adversity and is a worthy winner.'

The remarkable reportage of the most dramatic incident in the race so far tipped the judging in favour of Gabri Olivo, the only Italian in the race. When Telefonica Blue hit a rock soon after the start of the leg Gabri’s immediate reaction was to hit the 'crash camera' button which saved the footage of the initial impact. In moments, with camera running, he was moving quickly below decks to the point of the damage. This shot began a wonderfully frank portrayal of the distress of the moments that followed. The audio was crisp, the pictures alive with tension. Even as the emotions of the crew turned to a reflection of how badly their race was affected, Gabri discreetly captured the terrible impact this episode had on their psyche. It was a wonderful piece of actuality reporting.

Once again Rick Deppe was prominent in the eyes of the judges. Using his own specially designed 'pole camera' Rick gave us creative images from extreme angles. A Volvo Ocean 70 has not been seen in action like this before. Rick captured the shock of the moments after the Telefonica Blue crash beautifully through the reactions of horror from Ken Read. Yet another highly professional performance from Rick Deppe.

Gustav Morin continues his strong development as a media crew member with another nomination and, like Rick Deppe, was just edged out of winning the award. Gustav, with Magnus Olsen the perfect subject, gave us an insight as to how the crew creates ways of staying awake. A coffee making sequence, a routine of press ups and then the dead pan pay off with Aksel Magdal giving viewers an entertaining look at a subject that could have been dull if executed badly.

The Inmarsat Media Prize is unique as it is the only Film Maker Prize awarded in the sailing world. The Overall Winner’s Prize of 10,000 euros will be presented in St. Petersburg by Inmarsat, COO, Perry Melton.

Leg ten, the final race to St Petersburg starts on Thursday 25 June, 2009. Each boat is equipped with an Inmarsat Fleet Broadband 500 terminal, offering up to half a megabit of connectivity globally around the world, from a new $1.5 bn, three satellite constellation.

MCMS LEADERBOARD

Wins Nominations Total
Deppe 3 5 8
Morin 2 5 7
Salter 1 3 4
Olivo 3 1 4
Pljim 0 2 2
Chuan 0 1 1
Paz 0 0 0

www.inmarsat.com