“It Comes from Below,” Editor Daniel Sherwen’s quick-cut, exquisitely-syncopated spot for the athletic equipment company Under Armour and agency Droga5, won Best in Show honors at tonight’s AICE Awards presentation. Sherwen, who’s with Final Cut, also won in the competition’s Dialogue/Monologue/Spoken Word category for the same spot.

In it, Bryce Harper, the star slugger for MLB’s Washington Nationals, talks about how “baseball is a numbers game.” As we hear him rattle off an amazing set of statistics – his, presumably – the visuals respond with a lightning-fast array of stylized numbers captured from a variety of sources, intercut with scenes of baseballs flying and Harper practicing swing after swing.

In addition to winning in Best in Show and Dialogue/Monologue/Spoken Word, another spot edited at Final Cut, “We’re the Superhumans” for the Rio Paralympics, won two awards for Editor Joe Guest, in the categories of Cause Marketing and Content Promotion and Trailers, resulting in a total of four winners for the company.

To view all the 2017 AICE Award winners, go here.

2017 AICE Awards Winners List

BEST IN SHOW

Daniel Sherwen, Final Cut
Under Armour
“It Comes from Below / Bryce Harper”

AUDIO MIX

Tom Jucarone, Sound Lounge
Hennessy
“Wild Rabbit (The Piccards)”

AUTOMOTIVE

Alvaro del Val, Uppercut
Volvo S90
“Song of the Open Road”

CAUSE MARKETING

Joe Guest, Final Cut
Rio Paralympics
“We’re the Superhumans”

COLOR GRADING (90 Seconds and Under)

Luke Morrison, The Mill
Toronto Maple Leafs
“Wise Man”

COLOR GRADING (Music Video)

Josh Bohoskey, The Mill
Leaf (ft Lil Yachty)
“Nada”

COLOR GRADING (Over 90 Seconds)

Tom Poole, Company 3
Squarespace
“John’s Journey”

COMEDY

Ben Suenaga, Friendshop!
Little Caesars
“Champion”

CONTENT PROMOTION AND TRAILERS

Joe Guest, Final Cut
Rio Paralympics
“We’re the Superhumans”

DIALOGUE/MONOLOGUE/SPOKEN WORD

Daniel Sherwen, Final Cut
Under Armour
“It Comes from Below / Bryce Harper”

DIGITAL CONTENT (90 Seconds or Under)

Shane Reid, Exile
Adidas Originals
“Original is Never Finished”

DIGITAL CONTENT (Over 90 Seconds)

Angus Wall, Rock Paper Scissors
Nike
“Unlimited You”

DOCU-STYLE

Jeff Ferruzzo, Arcade Edit
Dick’s Sporting Goods
“Fifth Ward Saints”

FASHION/BEAUTY

Jamie Foord, Rock Paper Scissors
Calvin Klein
“#My Calvins”

MONTAGE

Marc Langley, Rooster
Ontario Tourism
Where Am I?”

MOTION DESIGN & GRAPHICS

Matt Greenwood, Gary Thomas & Stefan Woronko, Nice Shoes
Canadian Centre for Child Protection
“PROJECT ARACHNID”

Also among the top winners at tonight’s gala presentation, held at Capitale on New York’s Lower East Side, was work entered by The Mill, which collectively earned five AICE Awards. Two were presented to Colorist Luke Morrison for “Wise Man” for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which won in the Color Grading (90 Seconds and Under) and Best of Chicago categories; and to VFX Artist Gavin Wellsman, who won in the Visual Effects and Best of New York categories for “The Piccards” for Hennessy. Rounding out The Mill’s winners was Colorist Josh Bohoskey, who won in the Color Grading (Music Video) category for “Nada” for Leaf (ft. Lil Yachty).

Two companies saw work from their editors or artists win three AICE Awards: Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) and Rooster.

For RPS, Editor Angus Wall won in the Digital Content (Over 90 Seconds) category for “Unlimited You” for Nike; Editor Jamie Foord won in the Fashion/Beauty category for “#MyCalvins” for Calvin Klein; and Editor Damion Clayton won in the Online Campaign category for “Unlimited Stories” for Nike.  

Rooster Editor Marc Langley won in both the Montage and Best of Toronto categories for “Where Am I?” for Ontario Tourism, while Editor Izzy Ehrlich won in the Regional Campaign category with a campaign for Nova Scotia Tourism.

Editor Vito DeSario was inducted into the AICE Hall of Fame at this year’s event, which was hosted by the post production association’s New York Chapter. Also inducted into the Hall of Fame, on an honorary basis, were former Executive Directors John David Held and Burke Moody. The top winners in the editing, audio mixing and graphic design categories at last year’s International Camp Kuleshov competition for assistants were also saluted.

Commenting on what propelled Sherwen’s Best in Show winner to the top ranks among all category winners, Big Sky Editor Chris Franklin, who’s on the AICE Awards Committee as well as the show’s Curatorial Committee, says it made an indelible impression the first time he saw it. “I was knocked out,” he says. “The synching of Harper’s words to the images on screen is totally locked in. It just clicks from beginning to end, and the picture worked beautifully with the sound. I would have loved to have done that job.”

Utopic Editor Craig Lewandowski, also a member of the AICE Awards committee and the Curatorial Committee, echoes the sentiment. “I think everyone on our curatorial calls were jealous they didn’t work on this spot,” he says. “One of the key things we ask about Best in Show winners is, ‘What did the artist bring to the job to make it what it is?’ And here, the achievement is obvious. I can guarantee you this wasn’t storyboarded or scripted to come out looking like this. And that’s a huge compliment to what Daniel did with the elements he had to work with.”

About AICE
AICE is the marketing communications post production association whose members are independent creative editorial, design, visual effects, color grading, audio, music and finishing companies. It is dedicated to the advancement and promotion of these companies and the essential role their artists and producers play in the media creation process. With chapters in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, Texas and Toronto, AICE maintains a strong collective voice in the commercial advertising and marketing industry. Among its signature initiatives and programs are the annual AICE Awards, which highlights creative excellence among its member companies; the regular publication of recommended practices, white papers and advisories on relevant trends and developments in post production; and active participation with other industry organizations on the establishment of standards and best practices for the post production process.  For more information, visit www.aice.org.www.aice.org.