Daniel Bergmann Thinks About This Year's Film Craft Prospects

What’s your definition of what the Film Craft category means in 2018?

This category focusses on the art of filmmaking in specific categories and how film techniques and film language are best used to enhance the idea of the film, whether it’s a TVC, branded content, short film or music video.

What’s your favourite campaign in terms of craft from the past 12 months?

Filmmaking is about making good choices. Welcome Home for Apple HomePod by Spike Jonze (below) stood out for me because not only does it feature amazing direction but it’s full of great choices: art direction, choreography, camera work etc.

How creatively successful do you feel the year has been for film craft and why?

It was all over the place, because there is transition happening on almost all levels – budgets, formats and so on – and this affects the craft.

If you were on this year’s jury, what would you be looking for and taking into consideration for the Craft category?

I think jurors have a responsibility to make the right choices, to help the industry navigate correctly, otherwise it will suffer from a quality point of view. The same applies to film schools and producers. If I were on this year’s jury, I would be looking for the ability of the filmmaker to find the right tools and film language to make the idea work, no matter what the format or platform. Anyone can look at references and copy techniques, but in the end, true talent prevails.

How do you think film craft has changed over the past few years and what do you think are the reasons for this?

The filmmaking process has become simpler and there are a lot more tools available. So the choices you make are crucial. Anyone can be a filmmaker now and while democratisation is good, it creates a lot more noise and talent is somehow harder to find.

Is craft as important as it once was?

It’s even more important. Craft cuts through the noise, making the film more powerful and memorable.

What sort of work are you expecting to be entered at the Palais this year in the Film Craft category?

I expect lots of uneven entries. There used to be a natural filter, so the quality of filmmaking was more consistent. These days, because so much film and content gets produced, there will be a huge variety of work entered – ranging from the very good to the very bad.

What can you see for the future of film craft in the industry – are you optimistic?

I am optimistic because engaging film content has to be beautiful and powerful and the only way to achieve that is through making the right choices. This will never change.