168 Jury Process
How Awards are Determined
By 168 Film on
When our filmmakers are finished, our work is just beginning...
INTAKE:
First, we make sure films are legal, meaning submitted on time, with no total run time (TRT) violations. If late, or even one frame over TRT (not including the verse at the end), the film is disqualified. It may be screened at the festival, but it is ineligible for all awards, except Audience Favorite.
SEMI-JURY:
Our first group of industry professionals, the “Semi-Jury,” pre-screens the films and rates them.
ALL JURIES use the same nine criteria for a 100-point possible score as follows:
- SCRIPTURAL INTEGRATION (SI) 20 points
SI rates how well the story illumines the verse. The verse resonates beautifully through the piece, thought provoking, masterfully interwoven into the story.
- STORY/SCREENPLAY (ST) 10 points
Quality of writing, concept of script. The story is entertaining and well told. Dialogue excellent. Characters are compelling & distinctive.
FOR DOCUMENTARY: A clear story without confusion. A logical progression of ideas leads to conclusion.
- DIRECTOR (DI) 10 points
Overall effectiveness of the director. The story is unified, unique & cohesive, clear, distinctive style & tone, Relational dynamics are strong & believable. Good continuity.
- CINEMATOGRAPHY (CI) 10 points
Effectiveness of camerawork & lighting. Visually stunning. Excellent Camera movement and shot selection.
FOR ANIMATION: Quality of “Virtual Cinematography” the scenes flow effortlessly, camera movement natural.
- EDITOR (ED) 10 points
Quality of the editing and final picture quality. Rhythmic, moving, engaging arrangement of pictures and sound.
- PRODUCTION DESIGN (PD) 10 points
Attention to detail in sets, materials, graphics. Outstanding use of locations, materials, props, graphics. Great attention to detail.
FOR ANIMATION: Quality of “virtual world” presented.
- SCORE EFFECTIVENESS (MU) 10 points
The music choices greatly complement the story and overall message. Appropriate silence does not degrade score.
- SOUND DESIGN (SD) 10 points
Effectiveness of the overall soundtrack. Consistent, balanced levels, intelligible speech, believable sound effects, beautiful transitions between words and music.
- OVERALL ACTING (AC) 10 points
Quality of acting for the film as a whole. Relational dynamics are strong & believable. Actors reach the audience center of caring.
FOR DOCUMENTARY: Personalities/People are genuine, not staged or facetious.
FOR ANIMATION: Characters & Character renderings are consistent with style of animation, good voice acting.
Note: Scriptural Integration is weighted a full 20% of your score. Plan to spend time considering the verse.
Content violations can disqualify a film. These include gratuities of language, sexuality, violence, and blasphemy. Also credits must be readable and respectful to your cast/crew.
FINALIST FILMS & NOMINATIONS
Semi-jury scores are averaged to arrive at the list of finalist films and possible nominations. This list is released to the public and nominees and teams are encouraged to use nominations to promote their films and the 168 Film Festival. If there is a tie, we direct jurors to use S.I. to break the tie.
GRAND JURY
Our Entertainment Industry Professional Jurors rate the finalist films with the same criteria as the programmers. Nominations are confirmed and are announced publicly.
The Jury rates and picks the winners in Artistic and Technical Merit, from critically important producer-submitted data. If producers don't accurately represent cast and crew in the database, they can't be rated! Awards chosen by the jury also include “Best” in all categories and the best film overall. The jury may also grant special awards or honorable mentions.
FESTIVAL AWARDS
Nominees are acknowledged and the winners are announced at the 168 Film Festival.
At the Festival the audience votes on their favorite from films screening for the day. The one with the most votes wins and is then announced at the Awards Show.
Prayers please! We have a long way to go and a short time to get there...