Fri 7/10-Sun 7/12
Wed 7/22-Thu 7/23
Tue 8/4
Lights, camera, action, Redbull!
That’s exactly what local extreme filmmakers will be invariably living this weekend as part of the 48 Hour Film Project, which requires inventive teams to make a movie in just two days.
In a nutshell, participants pay an entry fee of $160 to take part in the madness, which begins this Friday when at 7pm filmmakers draw a genre (sci-fi, comedy, horror, etc.) out of a hat, are provided a character, a prop and line of dialogue to follow and begin their amazing journey.
“It’s a mad dash for a lot of the teams to get it in on time,” 48 Hour Film Project co-founder Liz Langston told CoolCleveland. “It’s an amazing adrenaline rush to spend the weekend with your friends making a film. Also, it’s a great way to highlight local activity and for people to connect with the other creative folks in their city.”
The 48 Hour Film Project began on a whim when Langston and her business partner Mark Ruppert read a New York Times article about a 24-hour playwriting competition. Eventually they invited their peers to partake in the adventure. Now 14 years later, the international competition is in 130 different cities.
“The great thing about the project is that it’s something that anyone who is interested in film can do,” said 48 Hour Film Project Cleveland producer and assistant director of operations Brian Bowers. “We have brand new filmmakers that can do as well as seasoned pros because of the challenge of making the film in such a short time period.
“Through the 48 Hour Film Project, we’ve been able to really build a great sense of community among the Cleveland filmmakers. That community and support has led to bigger and better things for all of the filmmakers.”
Over the last seven years, local filmmaker Johnny Wu’s production company has been involved with the 48 Hour Film Project.
“It’s a great bonding opportunity for the cast and crew to get to know each other and see if they can work hard in less than 48 hours,” Wu said. “And at the same time challenging them to work and create an art piece.”
As far as the competition is concerned, local judges (film critics, producers, actors and filmmakers) critique each five-to-seven minute film on artistic merit, technical merit and adherence to the assignment across 13 different categories.
There are several dozen entries with three days of screenings planned 7/22 and 7/23 at the Capitol Theatre with the “Best Of” screening taking place on 8/4 at the same venue.
The winner of Best Film of 2015 in Cleveland receives a screening at the next year’s official 48 Hour Film Project Filmapalooza, as well as at the Cleveland International Film Festival and Vermont’s ITVFest. The filmmaker also wins Movie Magic Screenwriter Software 6 ($250 value) and a $100 gift certificate for Pond5 stock media files.
The overall 48 Hour Film Project grand prize winner wins $5,000 and will have their movie screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2016, Court Métrage.
Looking back at recent notable Cleveland 48 Hour Film Project shorts, Bowers said last year’s winning film “The Curator” by Quick and Painless won a Filmapalooza award. Another previous film that stands out is “Super Pimp” by Maple Films.
Langston said there’s nothing like the Cleveland 48 Hour Film Project.
“When you see the film, you see your city and that’s always very exciting,” Langston said. “It’s a great away to just celebrate the local creativity.”
Cleveland, OH 44102