Can you win awards without crew?

L

lightcameraction

I was just wondering , can you participate in film festivals and win awards etc without a crew or can you make good film without crew .

I was hoping to send some of my upcoming shorts to film festivals but I see behind the scenes of almost all the winners and almost 100% of them have huge crews .

What do you think ?
 
Sure, if you're an animator.

Come on, get real. Do you really think that you can handle every aspect of filmmaking completely by yourself and not have your cast desert you because it takes you hours and hours to do each set-up?
 
Most of the time so far I've just run with one other person. Myself and a sound guy. I handle the lighting and set design before the actors get there, usually doing tests with my siblings. Once actors are there I reposition slightly and we're good to go.

If you want good sound I think you at least need a boom op.

OH and yes I have won awards, nothing massively big yet, but worth a few hundred dollars, and I'm still young, there's room for more :)
 
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Who gives a shit? Awards are stupid. I don't make movies so that I can say I'm better than other filmmakers. I make movies simply hoping that an audience will enjoy the same things I do.

Can you make an awesome movie without a crew? Hell yeah! But you might have to change your standards for what makes a great movie.

Fuck awards! Make the best movie you can make, with what you have available. Learn from it. Grow from it. Have fun! Work on taking whatever steps are needed, to increase the size and talent of your crew, for your next movie. All of these things are far more valuable than some stupid award.
 
It's all completely relative - what's your idea of a great film?

Can a film win awards without crew? What are we talking about here? You might win a free beer at the movie night at your local without a crew, but you'll probably struggle to win an Oscar.

The simple answer is yes
 
Yes you can, and if I can find the name of that video-diary of the abused trans teen that swept awards several years ago I'll post it.
 
lightcameraction said:
I was hoping to send some of my upcoming shorts to film festivals but I see behind the scenes of almost all the winners and almost 100% of them have huge crews... What do you think?
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I think you've answered your own question! As others have said, it depends on which film festivals you are talking about and what your definition of a "good film" is.

As a general rule: Almost anything is possible in the film world but the gulf between what is possible and what represents a realistic chance is absolutely massive! In other words, as the film festival in question gets more prestigious and as your definition of a "good film" approaches professional expectations, your chances of creating a film to these standards with a 1 man crew diminishes to virtually zero.

G
 
lightcameraction said:
And what if you're like me and nobody around you , your city etc give a damn about filmmaking ?
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This is frequently the case, many towns and even cities simply do not have the pool of talent required, which is why filmmakers tend to gravitate to specific cities and why central hubs of filmmaking like LA, London, Mumbai, etc., exist in the first place.

G
 
Very good question, have wondered such as well, (I have never entered a festival competition). I have won some awards for music videos, I did everything but the performance in front of the camera(s). Also was a quarter finalist in a national script competition, (only entered two)... but most scripts that were submitted are solo... In the past, have juried fine art competitions and a festival -- but those ARE solo, (I have a background as a fine-art artist).

Does anyone really know if the festival reviewers, spend time analyzing credits and cast? Look for names and histories? Or do they not try to keep everything anonymous, passing the review of credits -- base their acceptance or rejection (judgement) on just the presented work between credits?

I am not so sure that just the quality of the story, presented imagery and audio, along with a quality performance by the cast (all cost $$$$$) make the standard for acceptance or rejection... I have never participated on either side of such jurying.

Great question. Anyone on these threads, ever juried a festival? Subjective or objective?
 
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