AWARDS SEASON: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?

We work hard to make the films we want to make.  Whether you’re doing it with a borrowed camera with your best friends, or working on your first feature on a budget you spent three years to raise, the spirit behind what drives you is the same.  Filmmaking is about striving for the realization of a vision, and filmmakers will always give it everything they have to complete their labors of love.  So what happens when you’re done?  What drives you to submit your project – is it just to be SEEN, or is it to WIN?

There’s no denying that an award can be a huge advantage to your film and your career.  The Smalls hosts competitions every year and we know what it’s like to celebrate talent and see doors open for them.  But sometimes we wonder what awards mean to the filmmakers themselves.  An honor, perhaps.  Recognition, perhaps.  But is this one of the end goals when you set out to make your short film, or just a byproduct?  Does it mean nothing to you at first, but when you do get nominated or end up on a shortlist does your disinterest turn into a blinding obsession?

The Golden globes were announced today, and in a couple of months, the Oscar nominations will be as well.  But have we lost the significance of these awards?  Over the last decade, the money spent on promotion and ‘For your consideration’ ads has skyrocketed – the Oscars are a far cry from the private dinner they once were, where it was about peers honoring their own.  Do you think it still retains its spirit, or is it just a big commercial juggernaut, as its harshest critics would say? 

We’d love to know what you think about what awards mean to you.