Patrick Levar, an American now living in Japan, has won the Mobile Interview Video Contest with “Upcoming YouTuber.”  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.

While the judges felt that “Upcoming YouTuber” gave a sense of who Levar really is, the filmmaker revealed in a follow-up statement that there’s a bit of fiction in the movie. Levar 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. You can find out more about Levar’s work at his YouTube channel.

Entries in this contest came from six countries: Australia, Bolivia, India, Japan, the U.S., and the U.K. The judges, who were impressed with the creativity found in many of the entries,  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

All of the entries can be seen at mobilemoviemaking.com/category/mobile-interview-video-contest/ Voting for the People’s Choice Award continues until September 30, 2017. So if you see a video you like, vote for it simply by leaving a comment (something more than “wow”).

If you like the idea of entering a video competition—one that doesn’t require a fee—check out our Holiday Mobile Movie Contest. Deadline for submissions is February 2, 2018. Yes, Groundhog Day.