ShotDeck, the world’s leading cinematic image library, has announced the winners of its 2025 Recreations Contest – which tasked participants with recreating shots from their favourite film, series, music video or commercial available on the website.

Filmmakers were asked to match a shot as creatively and accurately as possible, all in-camera and with no AI or computer-generated imagery involved. 

Lawrence Sher ASC, ShotDeck founder and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer, explained: “The Recreations Contest is about honouring the art of visual storytelling and the joy of collaboration, which is key to what we fundamentally believe in.

“Every year, I’m blown away and inspired by the level of talent and dedication on display, and it’s our privilege to be able to champion it through the contest.” 

Over $125,000 worth of prizes were up for grabs across multiple categories, with the contest rewarding storytellers, from emerging talents to established professionals, with high-end filmmaking gear. 

This year’s sponsors included: Sony, ZEISS, Blackmagic Design, Aputure, Rosco, Filmmakers Academy, FilmLight, Arthouse Film Lab, Musicbed, Saturation, FilmConvert, Nanlux-Nanlite, Other World Computing (OWC), American Cinematographer, RED Digital Cinema, Scriptation, and DEEP-LIGHT, among others.

ShotDeck annually awards prizes, including for Grand Prize, Runner-Up and Honorable Mention winners, across multiple categories, including Best Production Design, Most Difficult Lighting, Best Team Effort, Best Family Recreation, and Best Hair & Make-Up. 

Here, we hear from Alexia Hurier about how she recreated a scene from Last Night in Soho, which saw her win Grand Prize in the Most Creative / Ingenious category.

The full list of winners is available on the ShotDeck Instagram page.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background in filmmaking and/or photography?

I’m a self-taught filmmaker. I learned on the go, mostly by making short films and helping out on professional sets as a behind-the-scenes camera operator. I like working with little to no budget, because it forces you to be creative.

What inspired you to enter the ShotDeck Recreations contest?

I’m often inspired by movies when I create my own films, and I think shot recreation is a great exercise to push yourself and think outside the box. That’s what motivated me to join the ShotDeck Recreations challenge: I like to challenge myself and improve my cinematography through practice.

How did you decide which shot from ShotDeck’s library to recreate? What was it about that shot that caught your attention?

Since I was shooting alone, with no budget and no set, I had to choose a close-up or medium shot that I could realistically recreate at home. I was looking for something unusual, something technically challenging. I believe the original shot was achieved with VFX in the movie, but because the contest required a still frame, I thought it would be interesting to try recreating it practically in real life.

Before you started work on your submission, what challenges did you anticipate? Were there any unexpected challenges that arose during the production process?

I knew I would need to find a way to create a double reflection in the mirror, but I didn’t expect it to be so difficult to find the perfect angle. The challenge was to have my eyes aligned in both reflections while keeping the camera invisible, as if the camera were placed where the character’s eyes are, looking straight into the mirror.

Since I was working alone, I had to hide my monitor behind the mirror to check my eye position without moving my head. On top of that, I was shooting with a manual macro lens, so I also had to pull focus myself, which made the process even more challenging.

What equipment did you use?

Because I had no budget for this project, I used my own gear and DIY solutions with things I already had at home. I shot on a Fujifilm X-H2S, which I really like for its vintage-looking image and soft log profile. For lighting, I used a Nanlite PavoTube and a small Colbor W100, along with a DIY white frame for light reflection.

Can you take us through the shooting process?

The first step was creating the knife prop. A real knife doesn’t produce reflections as sharp as in the movie shot, so I cut an acrylic mirror into the shape of a knife. To create the second reflection, I applied window mirror film on top of the acrylic mirror, then added red paint to simulate blood.

Because it was a close-up shot, the mirror had to remain perfectly still, so I used a clamp to keep it in place. I then positioned my monitor to find the correct shooting angle.

For lighting, I used a small softbox as the key light, placed below me, because in the reference shot the eye light reflection is quite low. I added a white fabric above me to act as a fill light. For ambient light, I used the ceiling light from the corridor and added a purple PavoTube to enhance the mood.

Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?

I think I should have found a way to stabilise my head, for example by resting my chin on something. With a macro close-up, even the slightest movement completely changes the shot. It would have saved me a lot of time.

How did it feel to be announced as a winner of the contest?

I was honestly very surprised. Every year I see a lot of talented contestants taking part in this challenge, and I didn’t think I was at that level yet. I’m really happy to have been chosen for best creativity, because creativity is exactly what I try to bring into all of my videos. Seeing so many strong recreations this year also gave me even more motivation to keep pushing myself and create more challenging work.