Acclaimed Indian Artist and filmmaker Varun Mehta has won the People’s Choice Award in MobileMovieMaking’s video interview contest. The Contest was conducted by Mobile Movie Making from US in the month of April 2017. The challenge was to use a smartphone or other mobile device to interview an expert in any field.
Using a Samsung Galaxy Tab, Mehta interviewed Ramu, a 36-year-old man working as a local gardener. While struggling to make a living, Ramu spent time planting trees to improve the environment. The People’s Choice Award was given to the video that received the most comments. Fifty-six people commented on Mehta’s entry. This was a number far greater than was received by any other entry in the competition, which attracted short films from six countries: Australia, Bolivia, India, Japan, the U.S., and the U.K. In thanking the many people who wrote about his video, Mehta explained the challenge he faced during the production–the subject was ill and having trouble speaking– and his creative solution. The 3 minute Interview and other entries could be viewed here :
Talking about this achievement Mehta said - 'It was a unique experience. The Video Entry which was submitted in the competition was originally prepared for another competition last year. The film was screened there but It could not win anything. Until then I was invited by Mobile Movie Making magazine team to submit a video entry about interviewing a person who should be an expert in his field. I recalled how previous entry of mine fit the bill totally. I took permission from the organizers to submit the same film in the Contest and they agreed. The competition ran from April 2017 to September 2017. This period allowed everyone to showcase their entries to the world. Fortunately enough, my entry was well received and It won the prize. I would like to thank all friends and other people for their love, support and even criticism they gave to my film. I am glad that most of the comment generated genuine feedback. Also big thanks to Mobile Movie Making Team for giving me the opportunity to showcase the film on a global platform. I am looking forward to more competitions from their portal.
Other Winners :
The jury prize was awarded to Upcoming YouTuber”—created by Patrick Levar, an American now living in Japan. The interview documents Levar’s journey on the way to becoming a popular vlogger who offers practical tips for making mobile movies. The winning entry is notable for its use of B-roll (clips that illustrate the narrative), multiple locations, and humor. Levar revealed in a follow-up statement that there’s a bit of fiction in the movie. He pretends that he’s being interviewed by someone–even to the point of apparently shaking the interviewer’s hand at the end of the session. But in reality, the entire production was done solo. “Upcoming YouTuber” belongs in the increasingly popular self-interview genre. The video was shot using a Sony Xperia and a Wimius 4k Action Cam.
The jury also honored the work of four semi-finalists : Rachel Hilleard’s “Project Right” is a funny and poignant two-person interview about creating dating profiles. The production was done using an iPhone 7 plus.
Ryan Olsen’s “Interview with a Professional: SFX Makeup Artist” illustrates a variety of techniques ranging from the off-camera entrance of the subject to the use of appropriately spooky sound music. The camera was an iPhone 7.
Josiah Chad Konsavage’s “Music Production,” a self-interview, recounts the filmmaker’s emergence as a musician, composer, and producer. The video was shot using an Apple iPod Touch. Steven Hause and Andres Bejarano’s “BMXper” gets at the psychological and philosophical aspects of Bicycle Motorcross riding. Two devices were used: a Blu Advance 5.0 smartphone and a Mobius ActionCam.
