Launch Your Career With A Filmmaking Competition

After I decided to get into filmmaking it took nearly an entire year before I went into production on my first film. I felt every idea I had wasn’t worthy, so I sat around watching films, talked about how badly I wanted to make one, then watched more. What I really needed was a swift kick in the pants, some courage to get out there and actually do it. To stop worrying about how bad it might turn out. The goal for any beginner should be to finish, nothing more.

 

Therein lies the beauty of these weekend competitions. Sure, people gather together to compete, in the hope of winning prizes. But really the fun is in the fact that after an extremely short amount of time (in production terms) you’ll have a finished film. Plus, as long as you turn it in on time, it’ll screen at a local theater for all to see. How freaking cool is that? Finally your friends will stop laughing at you, and someone in your family might take you seriously, because you actually got something made. But there is another great reason for the beginning filmmaker to enter into one of these competitions, and that is to meet other film artists.

 

I participated in the National Film Challenge in the fall of 2006. I was in post-production on my second short film, and had been for nearly a year, because I was so depressed with how the footage turned out. I didn’t even want to finish the film because it didn’t look the way I had planned. But then I decided to enter this competition, and my life changed forever. We had over a dozen crew members, and a cast of nine. In fact during the first few shots of production I felt physically ill because of all the people involved. I felt the pressure of being in charge of what seemed to me like a real cast and crew, and I could hardly take it. Fortunately, I had a good team to lean on, and we were able to persevere until I regained my composure. We spent 18 straight hours together shooting in downtown Minneapolis and by the Mississippi River in Saint Paul. Then after a grueling editing session the film was shipped off in time and the weight was lifted. But it wasn’t until some time later that I realized the true benefit of this endeavor.

 

Before the competition I knew maybe a handful of people interested in filmmaking. Afterward, it was over five times that number. Suddenly, obstacles that seemed unsurmountable before were no longer an issue because I knew a guy with a camera, a woman who had location contacts, plus a number of actors who actually knew how to act. I starting feeling like I could accomplish so much more than before because I had all these people to collaborate with. That’s when it really started to make sense. It wasn’t about me anymore, it was about the team. Until that point my sole concern was myself, what I wanted to accomplish, how I saw the project turning out. But really, it should be about everybody. To get anywhere in film you need to surround yourself with passionate and talented individuals. Going it alone will only result in failure.

 

I still work with a number of people I met through the National Film Challenge. It also led to the creation of Minnewood, a project that has been able to reach more local artists than I could ever have imagined a couple years ago. In fact so much of what I do now is tied to that weekend in August of 2006 I can’t imagine what my life would be like had I decided not to enter.

 

So if you’re finding yourself frustrated like you’re all alone out there, summon some courage and register for the Minneapolis Film Race (filmracing.com). The competition begins March 26th, with the screening of all completed films at the Oak St Cinema on March 31st. It’s a perfect excuse to write up a cast and crew call on craigslist to meet some new individuals who share your passion for film.

 

Who knows, it could change your life forever.