When Royal Caribbean International launched the world’s first Instagram Film Festival, the #InstaFilmFest, little did they imagine that they would end up with over 1,000 entries featuring a wealth of thrilling, amusing and beautiful footage.  In the end it was the surprise of a child seeing Santa Claus for the first time that captured judges’ hearts.

 

The competition asked Australians and New Zealanders to submit a 15-second video of “WOW” moments from their life.  The grand finale event was held on Thursday onboard Australia’s biggest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, attended by over 100 media, blogger, Instagramer and travel agent guests.  The movie-themed event also featured a surprise ice-skating show on the ship’s famous ice-rink before the winner was announced.

 

“We were literally ‘wowed’ by the generosity of people who shared their special moments with us for the InstaFilmFest,” said Adam Armstrong, commercial director, Royal Caribbean International Asia Pacific. 

 

“Altogether, we have an incredible amount of ‘WOW’ footage – enough for more than two feature length films.  At Royal Caribbean we ‘deliver the WOW’ to thousands of guests every day so it was very exciting to share in so many personal WOW moments – both on our ships and in their everyday life.”

 

The winning entry follows the delightful reaction of three year old Harry (Santa’s number one fan) when he realises St. Nick has come to pay him a house visit, running up to him to give him a high five.  The moment was captured by Harry’s aunt, Kristy Rowe, who says she felt lucky to be in the right place at the right time:  “It brought tears to my eyes to see Harry’s reaction and seeing my dad dressed up as Santa.”

 

Kristy has won a “money-can’t-buy” trip to New York where she will enjoy one of the historic inaugural voyages on the world’s newest superliner Quantum of the Seas which will be launched in November.  Her new world-first ‘WOW’ experiences include: RipCord by iFLY the first skydiving experience at sea which allows everyone from first-time flyers to seasoned skydivers to enjoy the sheer thrill and exhilaration of skydiving in a safe, controlled and simulated environment; and the North Star an engineering marvel taking guests to new heights – literally – with a jewel-shaped, glass capsule, transporting them on a spectacular journey more than 300 feet above the ocean and over the sides of the ship to deliver awe-inspiring 360-degree views.

 

Royal Caribbean’s InstaFilmFest was judged by star Instagrammers Lauren Bath and Pauly Vella, as well as travel documentary maker Tim Charody and New Zealand pop culture journalist and personality David Farrier.

 

“When choosing the finalists, as well as the camera skills, the videos had to mean something to me and connect with the audience. The winner was the standout for me – seeing the look on the little boy’s face when he saw Santa Claus really captured that “WOW” moment best. It put a huge smile on my face!” says InstaFilmFest judge Pauly Vella.

 

The final ten entries short-listed included videos of a crocodile at feeding time, one excited dog’s visit to the beach, a playful seal, spectacular Australian night sky, a dramatic lightning show, a day of contrast in Tasmania, jewel coloured Sydney harbour captured on a ferry ride, a wave “performance” and one surprising fish. 

 

In a special surprise for the ten finalists, they were all rewarded with a cabin on Voyager of the Seas’ one-night cruise in December this year; a special ‘preview’ event to showcase the features of her multi-million dollar refurbishment before commencing her next Sydney season.  Noel Sandler took out the People’s Choice award for his time-lapsed video of sailing into Sydney harbour, and has won a two night cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas.

 

#InstaFilmFest winner and finalists videos

 

Winner

kar1981: http://instagram.com/p/iVdohQr5ni/

 

Finalists

Daxon: http://instagram.com/p/i52kwiQ7Qx/

zdiggtydog: http://instagram.com/p/hjb7aElcIQ/

matty7619: http://instagram.com/p/iIvqf_xK4v/

asherkingvisuals: http://instagram.com/p/c3EsxRHHVj/

 

gcimagery: http://instagram.com/p/iKITwHu-CQ/

 

lovethywalrus: http://instagram.com/p/hxmTceLCAZ/

 

chenoa_: http://instagram.com/p/jBljGvDEDc/

 

dylan___robinson: http://instagram.com/p/f9VdxioSYv/

 

jamesbenning: http://instagram.com/p/gCI5qezgZJ/

 

Some facts about the InstaFilmFest entries:

• Adventures were a popular theme – some 7% of entries were from people parasailing, sky-diving, bungee jumping, snowboarding, extreme surfing, quad-biking, flying fox, zorbing, hot air ballooning and more.
• Entrants also shared many special occasions – including Christmas festivities, 32 New Year’s Eve celebrations (including multiple fireworks displays), multiple birthdays, a wedding and even a baby’s first steps.
• Animals were common protagonists in the films – with over 100 videos featuring fauna of some description.
• Domestic animals including cats and dogs predictably featured heavily, but there were also some more exotic inclusions such as lions in Africa, crocodile feeding in the NT, sea turtles, penguins in the wild and bears in Alaska.
• We rocked out to various artists live in concert – including Miley Cyrus, Ricky Martin, Maroon 5, Beyonce, and Simple Plan.
• Sunrises and sunsets were also popular subjects – with 54 films capturing these breathtaking moments.
• Holidays gave rise to many wow videos – as entrants climbed the Eiffel Tower, ate a 30cm schnitzel in Vienna,
• Scuba-dived in Malaysia, basked in the sun in the Maldives, caught a glimpse of the Tour de France and watched the sunset over Uluru.
• Royal Caribbean International received many entries of WOW moments from onboard its own ships – 10% of videos in total covered a wide range of activities and events such as rockclimbing, flowrider, iceskating, NYE celebrations, Christmas celebrations and fruit carvings.
• Entrants embraced new video technology to edit and create incredible 15 sec films and the competition saw over 115 flipagram entries and 110 timelapse videos.

About the Instagram Film Festival

More than 1,000 WOW moments have been entered into Royal Caribbean’s Instagram Film Festival and shared via the hashtag #InstaFilmFest. The finalists’ videos were screened at the grand finale event on 13th February, 2014 where the winner was annouced.* Royal Caribbean’s #InstaFilmFest was created to celebrate the moments in life that take your breath away – or even just make you smile. An unforgettable sunset, waves lapping at your favourite beach, indulging in a beautiful meal, a baby’s first steps, the look on the guest of honour’s face at a surprise party – the possibilities for WOW moments entries are endless.

 

Useful Links

InstaFilmFest microsite: instafilmfestival.com.au

Royal Caribbean AU & NZ Instagram: instagram.com/royalcaribbean_aunz

Royal Caribbean AU & NZ Facebook: facebook.com/rciaustraliaandnz

Royal Caribbean AU & NZ YouTube: youtube.com/rciaustraliaandnz

For more information about Royal Caribbean International: RoyalCaribbean.com.au

Additional media materials can be found at: newsboost.com/newsroom/rcl-cruises-ltd

Royal Caribbean International’s Media Centre: http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/

 

*For full competition terms and conditions, visit: www.instafilmfestival.com.au **Facilities vary per ship.

 

About Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 45-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry “firsts” never before seen at sea.  The cruise line features an expansive and unmatched array of features and amenities only found on Royal Caribbean including, jaw-dropping, Broadway-style entertainment and industry-acclaimed programming that appeals to families and adventurous vacationers alike. Owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE/OSE: RCL), the cruise line sails 21 of the world’s most innovative cruise ships to the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, South America, the Far East, and Australia and New Zealand. World renowned for its friendly and engaging Gold Anchor Service, delivered by every staff and crew member, Royal Caribbean has been voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 11 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards.

 

RCL Cruises Ltd Australia commenced operation in December 2008 as the Australian arm of global cruise holiday company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The company offers three cruise brands in Australia & New Zealand: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. In the 2012-13 cruise season, Royal Caribbean International was the largest cruise operator in Sydney, with three ships sailing in the region: Voyager of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas.  This is in addition to two Celebrity Cruises ships, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Millennium. Celebrity Century will return to Australia in 2014.

 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Tessa Anderssen                                                                  

Royal Caribbean                                                     

T: 02 9937 5491                                                    
E: tanderssen@rcclapac.com                        

Harriet Gilmore  
The D'Arcy Partnership  
T: 02 9281 2230      
E: harriet@darcypr.com