7 Remarkable Things a Fempreneur Can Learn from the Oscar-winner Director

BY ANNAMARI
Feb 18, 2018
3 min read

After 35 years, a Hungarian film, Son of Saul won the Oscar again at the 2016 Academy Awards, in the category of Foreign Language Film. It’s the first film of a young director, Laszlo Nemes Jeles.

Following the team’s journey in the past months, it must have been a ride. The Oscar is only the icing on the cake. 41 other awards and 37 nominations – and the movie was created from an estimated budget of about $100,000.

How did they do it?

What can a a fempreneur learn from the team, especially the director?

1. Have a vision and believe

When you start out alone, you can often feel lonely. Building an online empire, finding your followers can take long months, even years. If you’re persistent, you can outdo others who started earlier than you.

Laszlo said in his acceptance speech: “Thanks to… the incredible cast and crew who believed in this project when no one else did…”

Stay motivated and believe in yourself and in your idea.

2. A small team can do great things

At the start you must pay attention to a lot of things. You have to create a brand and a website, write blog posts, learn about social media and marketing, create products and so on.

Imagine Tamas Zanyi, the sound editor working on the sound of the film mostly alone and winning the Golden Reel for Best Sound Editing in a Foreign Language Feature Film.

He said: “The Remnant got awarded too, they deserved it of course. But when the sound editor team with 25 members went up to the stage, our eyes widened with surprise: we were only four altogether.”

You alone or with a small team can do magic.

3. Show your own perspective

Have a unique idea and put your plan into action.

Instill your own personality and point of view into your work. Don’t be afraid to be special. Use your own voice.

Don’t think you can’t create something remarkable because others already did what you want to do.

Several Holocaust films have been made so far. Son of Saul shows a different picture, it’s not classic storytelling, and that’s why it became successful.

4. Stay humble

After so many events to be proud of, some people change as success goes to their head.

Laszlo Nemes managed to stay down-to-earth and doesn’t like to be praised. He said: “We aren’t geniuses, only worked hard.”

Celebrate your successes on the way, but don’t forget the person who you were when you started.

5. You’ll raise controversy

I know it’s sad and discouraging, but accept it: you can’t do to everyone’s liking.

There will be people who won’t agree with you, won’t like you or will even hate you.

Don’t care about them (not easy, but try!). Listen to your followers, the members of your target audience, especially your customers.

Laszlo says: “Dealing with sputtering comments is like recording a concert, cutting out the coughs and listening only to them.”

6. Don’t be afraid to revise

Even if you have a plan or a strategy, new experiences, people or knowledge can come along your way and overwrite what you have projected.

Don’t be afraid to change and improve your plan. You can even ask for help.

Revise your posts on your blog, polish your products, revamp your website.

Laszlo explained about his history advisor: “I met Zoltan and after consulting with him, we changed several things in the screenplay. Based on his suggestions, we introduced a new character in the movie. After the screenplay, we checked the costumes, the signs, the set, everything.”