The Greensboro 48 Hour Film Project

What Happened During Your Weekend?

The Greensboro filmmakers share stories from their wild weekend of filmmaking. (Blogging ended shortly after the filmmaking weekend.)

First time collaboration. First time experimentation.

Mark Wagoner Productions and Monkeywhale Productions collaborated for the first time this year. Our efforts resulted in "The Adventures of Martin Dockery, Horologist" in the genre Adventure Series.

Both Mark Wagoner and Monkeywhale began competing in the 48 hour film festival 5 years ago. I think for both of us it's about having fun and trying out new techniques we'd rather not experiment with on commercial clients, and of course trying to tell a coherent story with a beginning middle and end ... which isn't always the easiest thing to accomplish.

This year we built a paper animation rig out of materials we bought at Lowes ... paper animation being something both Mark and I have wanted to experiment with for some time. Stephanie Bowman, Jessica Pesnell, Jerrod Smith and Chuck Egerton constructed some really lovely scenes. They sent me mms messages throughout the day ... "How's this?" Invariably my answer was ... "I love it." None of the animation crew had animated prior to the 48 hour film festival nor did we get a lot of time to iron out the workflow with the software.

Donna Smith, my AD, had never been an AD before, nor had she worked on a film before on set. Thank you Donna. We got all 76 shots on our shotlist. Too bad we didn't have the edit time to put them all in.

Matty Sheets, who played the lead, is a complete amateur and despite the time pressure and lack of sleep and jumping from a live set to green screen scenes to trouncing about a miniature horse pen, did a lovely job.

Similarly, we made use of a 12 by 12 green screen for the chase scene ... We'd never attempted that sort of compositing before and surprisingly due to the efforts of Alex Maness and Zach Hadgraft it worked relatively well.

Emily Stewart pulled racks of 1950's costumes for the cast at 2am and still had time to pitch in with Melodie Fentress on the set. I think they must have superhuman powers.

The other element which I was most excited about was getting to work with a group of musicians with at least part of the picture locked (around 3pm on Sunday afternoon). We actually dabbled in some musical punctuation in the last portion of the film.

Melodie Fentress, Emily Stewart and Mike Collum Degruy built an entire set in about 6 hours brimming with clocks, and imagined technologies and some inspired touches.

My mother and stepfather braved the heat and lack of air conditioning to work in the makeup department. (A department of two). Thanks mum. Lovely work as usual.

Monkeywhale itself is a collection of people who scrape by in artistic careers, some of whom have forgone meals for several days until the next paying gig or the next pot luck dinner comes along. Our goal is simply to keep improving our craft. Nothing more.

Our crew this year was large. I think 37 people in total, but my desire is to work on more ambitious projects that require a large crew. Large crews can be a boon or a huge ball and chain weighing down your production ... but it's one of the challenges we have given ourselves and it's no small feat thanks largely to the producing efforts of my longest and best friend, Vijay Java and my better half Carolyn de Berry.

Mark Wagoner brought his beautiful eye and it was more than a pleasure working with him as it has been all year.

Despite all the drama this year in our city the 48 hour film festival was more fun this time around than our previous experience due in large part

We set out simple goals. I wrote alone for the first time. We said no matter what, we would pay homage to the conventions of the genre despite our usual instincts to bend it into something unrecognizable and lastly we endeavored to have fun.

I was laughing all weekend when I wasn't looking at my watch.

Many thanks to everyone (not to forget Mike Tourek, Elizabeth May and Cheryl Koski and Kara Green!) who helped and I hope they'll be another MWP collaboration outside the 48 hour film festival in the near future.

Congratulations to all the teams for making such wonderful films.

- Harvey Robinson, MWP Collaborative

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Lots of setbacks, but we still made it!

Our biggest goal this year was to get the film actually entered into the festival since last year a problem with the audio caused us to miss the deadline. Our problems started when we couldn't get into the location we had secured for about 45 minutes, then once we got inside, we found out that a couple of the rooms we were going to use were too close to a wedding party and we had to search the building for some other rooms that would work. But after 10 hours of this, we had all the footage we needed, or so we thought - some glitch with the camera caused a few shots and reaction shots to be unusable, but luckily with a voice over recorded on Sunday, we had what we needed and spent the whole day editing the footage. I think we got a rough copy of it turned in around 6:30 and had our final cut in their hands with just seconds to spare! We were all tired but had a great time!

- Alan Watkins, LaRyan

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We had a blast!

We had a great time this year! We decided to just embrace the madness and to try to enjoy it all. I learned very quickly to develop a deep and abiding love for the 'Fantasy' genre. Then we worked on coming up with an idea that we could love ( that had a reasonable chance of being film-able. ).

Our filming was great. My cast was a delight to work with! My leading lady was encouraging from start to finish, in spite of the looming pressure. We really enjoyed exploring the emotions and the situations.

This is my 4th 48 .. and each year is its own new adventure.

Sunday this year was a slow crescendo of exquisite panic. Composing the 'score' on my wife's computer while my computer rendered my rough edit. Hoping against hope that that final render wouldn't take more than 20 minutes. Getting a rendered file that wouldn't fit on my jump drive. Trying to squeeze that last bit of 'movie magic' :-) into the edit and hoping that it wouldn't bust the schedule. Down to the mad dash to the drop off.. with only minutes to spare..
The camaraderie of making it in the door with all the other just in time teams..

Technically speaking, I built some film making tools the week before and it was good to have some cool toys for inspiration when it came time to plan shooting.

Speaking of inspiration - just watching what my fellow producers are able to get out of their brains and equipment and cast and crew is completely inspiring. I feel a bit like the guy in the "Far Side" who's on 'Jeopardy' against God -its at the end, God has a bazillion points, he's got zero and he says: "For the record.. I think there's something wrong with my buzzer."

Greensboro producers, your films are beautiful and poignant and witty and funny and engaging. To play with you ladies and gentlemen is the best part of this whole experience for me.

- Brian Dowtin, Attempting Fate

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I didn't expect that !

You know the story, if it can go wrong it will, right?! Not only was this my first 48 hr. film it was also my first production of a short film. If that wasn\\\'t warning enough to not do it then I don\\\'t know what was but always looking for a challenge I jumped in head first and that\\\'s when everything started going wrong! The genere was a horror and the most I know about horror is boo. My first actress pulled out shortly after, and the night was just starting. Our cast and crew of five was still enough to make it happen but I must admit that experience wasn\\\'t a common trait and that left my wife and myself to all the final edit work. About three hours before the deadline and an hour drive away our computer decides on a union break and crashes! Long story short, We burned the cd in route to Greensboro and checked in with 10 minutes to spare and it wasn\\\'t until We arrived home the short was seen in full and at that point I was like, I\\\'m sorry! While the story wasn\\\'t something to write home about and I was very paused about having other filmmakers see it, I can honestly say that after a short speech at the screening the entire crowd made me feel welcome despite my horror film that really was a horror and I left with my head high and very proud to not only have completed the project, I was put at ease by other filmmakers that really deserve credit for being great filmmakers but most importantly allowing me the chance to jump in, fail in so many ways yet leave with respect! This was my first 48 hours and not my last and I now have a new respect for The 48 Hour Film Project and everyone that has been down that road. In my eyes it doesn\\\'t matter if you have the best, the worst, on time, not on time but the fact that a challenge was offered and a challenge was excepted. Oh......... one more thing! Thanks for not booing :-)
Cheers
Steve

- steve cole, bitchinhouseblues

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Clip Clip Here, Clip Clip There

Sometimes being the editor of a film can seem like putting together pieces of a puzzle. But it differs in many ways. While the script is like the picture on the box, one cannot change the shape of the puzzle pieces to make them fit better, nor can one put one piece somewhere else if one thinks it looks better. In a way, I am the one making the puzzle.

Of course, such an admittedly half-baked analogy—aren\\\'t most all analogies just the product of lazy thinking anyway?—does not begin to do justice to the pressures of film and video editing.

As an editor, I am both an artist and a technician. In the 21st century, I am lucky not to have to edit untimed 35mm B&W workprints on a rusty Moviola, and there is no \\

- Matthew Anscher, The Cinekeys

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Best Film Making Experience Ever!!!

I can honestly say that working with my team on the 48 hour film project has been the highlight of my young career as a screenwriter. All members came together and created what I believe to be a project that is entertaining and a bit creepy.
I echo the Director when I say I could work with the crew that made up Cinekeys for the duration of my career. The sense of accomplishment is enhanced when the process is enjoyable. Here's to my partners in the 48 hour film project. When the pieces of the puzzle fit they make a beautiful picture..........

Felton Foushee

- Felton Foushee, The Cinekeys

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Cinema Catma Twenty-Ten

While making our short we kept to a set of guidelines which helped to focus and remind the entire crew of what movies are and why we want to make them. As a result of the Catma, and a great group of ego-less individuals, we all went outside of ourselves and made a film that is beautiful, different, frightening and greater than the sum of its parts. Our group really clicked this year and most of the weekend seemed to be a practice in psychic group interconnectedness. I could easily work with this crew for the rest of my career, the experience was that profound. It was a mystical weekend, a weekend filled with fantasy, play and magical realism. Luckily, you will be able to see it all on the screen in our short, humble movie.

I offer, now, the guidelines we followed for your perusal, integration and/or mockery:

Cinema Catma* Twenty-Ten

*Cats are more flexible than dogs.

Introduction:

It has come to the attention of the writer of this tract that where there should be more expansion of the independent voice, current Cinema has instead hit a creative dead end. However; due to technological achievements, it is now possible for the local community to create a story that rivals or even surpasses the ability of current established Culture Industry movie-makers. It is now of the utmost importance that people interested in pursuing the visual medium adhere to a new set of flexible rules. These guidelines have been created to remind the storytellers and the audience of the power and importance of the cinematic medium. This Catma is also meant to take storytellers and the audience back to the proto-reasons cinema exists and why we all engage in the media. Movies are dreams, a direct line to the subconscious and the mass consciousness; they reflect, change, entertain and move. The cinema is the shadows of ourselves.

The Catma:

One: Thy story must be entertaining.

As films have become biased towards agenda and ideology the storytellers have forgotten why they wanted to make movies in the first place. Aye, cinema has the power to influence, change and move an audience, however; those aspects should be in the subtext, not on the surface.

A movie should entertain the viewer in some way. It should not bore nor lay too heavy a preaching hand upon thy audience. Thy plot should be strong, thy characters engaging, thy mise en scene dissonant but stylish. Entertain thy audience first; if you are unable, you should not be making movies.

Two: Thy story must have subtext.

The story should always involve multi-layered parallel plots that strengthen and expand the contextual narrative. A film that is all context will not be watched more than twice. A film that has many layers and strong visual symbology will be re-watched and reinterpreted many times by many people. The better you hide the subtext, the more titillated the audience member is when they discover it for themselves.

Note: After the movie is completed, it belongs to the audience. It is theirs. As such the production crew should never try to explain any of the subtext. When the artist brings subtext up, they look like arrogant pricks, when the audience discovers the subtext, the artist looks like a genius.

Three: Thy movie must recreate reality. Thou shalt not try to capture reality.

In order to adhere to this Catma guideline the production, no matter how small, should manipulate the frame with a plethora of creative solutions intended to recreate the world and the emotional impact of characters inhabiting it. The production crew should use all tools at their disposal and/or create tools out of bought and found objects to create the world of their movie.

You don’t have to own the expensive toys to do the same thing as the most influential filmmaker, you just have to be creative and think outside the box. Murnau, Hitchcock, Griffith, Lang and other innovators at the beginnings of film did not have the tools we have now and yet they created stories, mise en scene and dynamic moving camera sequences that still rival anything done by our great contemporary movie makers.

If the scene is too dark, brighten it: use a flashlight or buy a five dollar clip-light. If you need props, find or make them. If you can’t afford a dolly, make one. Same goes for cranes, steadi-cams, etc. Do not allow money to stand in the way of your creative mise en scene. If you don’t have it – make it!

If the scene takes place in the “sunset” of the character’s years and you are shooting in the morning, use whatever you can find to make it look, feel and seem like the end of a long day.

“Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain.

Four: Thy must self-fund to keep the vision of the piece pure.

Current films and television shows have become diluted by marketing and agenda. The collaborative auteur voice must be allowed to speak unencumbered.

Movie makers should get funding from the community and interested investors. Find distribution after the movie is completed. Do not sell out your most beloved ideas, come up with other projects for that purpose.

It is admirable to do a commercial release if it is followed by a movie that adheres to the Catma of this tract.

Get your movie funded without losing your own integrity nor the integrity of the cinematic story.

Five: Thy movies must transmute human thinking from a base state to a golden state.

Stories should, in some way, change thy audience during the process of watching thy movie. This is done through the linear movement of the piece from beginning to end through plot and use of strong visual symbols and/or metaphors. The movie-maker should use hermetic, religious and pagan symbols, as visually as possible, within the frame. Storytellers should come up with their own symbols which strengthen the subtext of the movie.

Storytellers should use those icons and symbols that are as old as memory for those work the best in the visual plane of the human mind. Symbols, metaphor, allegory, archetype; these are the tools of the cinematic manipulator.

Note: For more on this idea see Terry Gilliams’ “Brazil” (the use of air ducts) or “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” (use of hermetic symbols to “change” the audience).

Six: Thy must build natural props! The digital realm is to be used only for very clear reasons.

CGI should be used to enhance.

CGI artists must adhere to the Catma of “Less is more.” Give up hyper-realism in favor of surrealism and existentialism.

Actors are better and more comfortable if they have something physical to react against.

The audience prefers physical effects over CGI because the “dream” is more tangible.

Seven: There must be NO stuck-up sticky beats.

If you are going to be arrogant, be entertaining.

Thou shalt not be a blowhard.

Thou shalt not be an ass.

Thou shalt not fence-in anyone else’s imagination!!!

Thou shalt always have your mind open to new ideas and different ways of thinking.

Thou shalt always be the scorpion in others hot chocolate.

We all shalt “gladly feast upon the bones of those who oppress us” - The Addams Family Movie.

Everything changes, and so can the Catma, but only through the mutual agreement of no less than three and no more than five active visual storytellers. Also the writer of this tract should be consulted at some point. The debate must be heated but friendly and take up an inordinate amount of time. Something should be broken, something else fixed. Cake must be served; in the absence of cake there should be cookies, chocolate chip.

Adherents to the Cinema Catma Twenty-Ten should put so in their credits, preferably at the very end. You must confess all CGI in the movie as well as any variance from the Catma rules. The final confession (and this very tract) must be signed and delivered to the writer of the Catma for archival record-keeping.

So saith I, Faux Nix the Not-there, Over-hearer; KSC, pMVI, in May of the year of our discord, Twenty-Ten.

Contact: catma2010@gmail.com

- Faux Nix the Not There, Over-Hearer, The Cinekeys

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First 48

This year was our first 48. It was a chance to invest $250 on entry fee, food, 3 actors, 3 crew & make a movie from front to back in 2 days. We slept more than we wrote, we shot more than we slept & we edited in our sleep. We experienced technical difficulties but bounced back w/ solid acting & filmmaking. Underestimated the edit & missed the deadline. Disappointed about the contest, happy with the film. Crashed hard afterwards emotionally & physically. An intense 48 hours. Ready to do it again. Congrats to all teams who finished the competition, because that my friends is a worthy accomplishment. Looking forward to seeing all the films. Until then.

- Seth, Middle8Media

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"The Hickory Switch"

I'm always one of those long-winded types that drones on and on about their 48 weekend, but I will err to the side of brevity today.

We pulled "Buddy Film." I wasn't thrilled with the pick, but I knew that it would be easier to do than some other genres. I wasn't scared of any of the "alternate" genres, but we kept things simple, and stayed with our pick.

We got screenplay by 11 pm. Tommy Trull is so quick with scripts... When he wrote "Dues of the Heart" for me in 2008, we had a script at 11 then too... Dude is prolific... And quick.

We have a successful weekend of filming, without hair-pulling or any dramatics on the set. I find myself grappling with issues (like any first time director should) only to have Jesse Knight or Mikey Cordes bring me back down to Earth.

We were going to be fine.

Sunday always races by during the 48 weekend. Credits took Forever. We still delivered "The Hickory Switch" on time. Many thanks to my great admin team (Jesse, Jennie, Mikey, Chao, and Money plus myself) and to my wonderful cast...

We had a great time, and are very proud of "The Hickory Switch." Far worse directorial debuts have been had in the 48... I'm thankful that our film is cute, has moments of being charming, and is well-acted.

I look forward to seeing everyone's films.

- J. Evan Wade, StumbleMuse

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Contagious Media Productions - Dark Comedy

Its always bittersweet when the 48 is over. After the last three days spent amongst the team in Chez Dickens with the nonstop excitement, shannanigans, and mounting anxieties, i woke up today [after 12 straight hours of much needed sleep] in an empty house with a great feeling of accomplishment punctuated by “i can’t belive its over already.. what do i do now??”

Much to everyone’s delight, we drew Dark Comedy as our genre this year and had a smashing time concocting a truly twisted and hilarious tale. Writing concluded around 3 am on friday, we got a couple hours of sleep, and woke early the following morning. The crew, props, and equipment were rounded up and headed to the Heritage House- a somewhat frightening and destitute section 8 apartment building to shoot the bulk of the footage. Too many bodies were crammed into two depressing studio apartments- each the size of a matchbox and reeking of filth, meth lab, and misery- and the filming continued in one apartment, while the rest of us waited until we were needed for various roles in the other, keeping ourselves thoroughly entertained with dance-offs, ridiculous anecdotes, and jiffy pop debacles. Part of the way through shooting a fire alarm with the volume of an air raid siren began blaring and the crew were forced back to the apartment prematurely to finish the rest of the scenes, where i was waiting- nervously chewing off my cuticles- anxious to be handed an SD card [the first of which i received around 8:00 pm] so that i could begin capturing and editing. Filming wrapped at 11:00 pm, the rough cut was done by 1:00 am, and i sat red-eyed at the computer editing until my brain melted around 6:00. I got up three hours later- the team working diligantly on music, foley, effects, and polishing- and we spent the remaining hours [which were passing with the speed of sound] creating and syncing the audio, adjusting lighting, inserting titles and graphics, and finishing editing up until the very last minute. We had the film in seconds before it was due at 7:30 pm - immensely relieved, proud, and exhausted. Those of us who remained gathered together in the living room to watch the film, celebrate, giggle, and exchange our thoughts and stories of the entire experience- the room enveloped in a feeling of tremendous success and fatigue.

Well team, we did it again!! Three cheers for Contagious Media Productions!

I believe the group we had and the film we made this year were undoubtedly the best so far. I truly had the time of my life working with this amazing outfit of undeniably talented individuals, and i want to thank everyone involved for making this 48 as enjoyable and unforgettable as ever!!

Rats off to ya! [and your neck baskets!]

[The screening will be at the Carousel this thursday so please come out to view, vote, and support! The film will be posted afterward!]

- KC Barman, Contagious Media Productions

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It all comes together

At about 3:00am on Sunday morning, one of my AfterEffects artists, and my editor told me to wake up, it was time to get back to work. I had told them to let me nap for 15 minutes, and they gave me 30.

In all seriousness, I held my head in my hands, and said something to the effect of, "I'll get back to work, as soon as I remember who I am, who you are, and what the hell I'm doing here."

And that 48 for you. I love 48. I love the teams, the films, the challenge... everything about it. It's my favorite time of year.

Our team drew Silent Film for a second year in a row, much to the dismay of our sound mixer. However, I can't complain about not having to turn the air conditioning off for a shot when it's 90 degrees outside. Though, after two years, I'm starting to miss having dialog in my movie.

Mostly, things went really well this year. On Saturday we were having major issues with transcoding our footage into a format that FinalCut Pro would use. And for a while it looked like we weren't going to have a film at all.

Then we got hit by a thunderstorm that delayed our last exterior scene, and left us scrambling to get it done before we lost our light. Unfortunately, we didn't make it and half the footage from that scene was so dark it was not correctable in post. Fortunately, my DP and the main actor were willing to come back and reshoot the parts that were no good the next morning.

And because of the transcoding issues, our 3D effects editor, who was supposed to have footage in hand by 9am on Saturday, didn't have a single shot until 6am on Sunday. He managed to get something to us, but this might be the year we don't win best Special Effects.

I've also never had a harder time trying to get the edit to work. It took three major re-edits before our film worked the way we wanted it to. In the end, we figured out it was the first music track that was throwing everything else off, so we ditched it. And for a long time, it looked we were just going to go without music for the first scene, until our most excellent music composer stepped up and recorded a last minute song for us. I think it saved the entire film, actually.

I don't know how the audience will respond to our film. I don't know if they'll get what we were trying to do. I don't know if the judges will care for it. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the only reaction we get is polite clapping. It wouldn't surprise me if we don't even get that. You never know until the film plays and it gets its moment in the spotlight.

Regardless of audience reaction or if it wins anything, I'm very proud of our movie, and I'm very proud of my team. They were troopers and every director should be blessed to have such a great crew of people to work with.

--Ike
10lb Hammer

- Ike, 10lb Hammer

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Let girls be girls

Probably like most, the rain storm was the craziest part of the filming. We only stopped for a short time because the after the start of the storm, the rain couldn\\\'t be heard in the trailer. Shooting went on and umbrellas covered the equipment from the elements. But, my favorite part was during rehearsal when my mostly female cast decided to go beyond the script and head deep into character. They even continued into lunch time. I wish I had remembered to grab a camera and record the action.

- Dean Logan, RTP - Let\\\'s Make a Movie

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Zenith Inaugural Weekend

When I took on the job of Greensboro producer, I expected it to be a lot of work and it is. What I didn't know was what to expect from the filmmakers. I imagined the potential personalities including temperamental artists or the no-nonsense sorts with eyebrows furrowed. I worried about their perspectives of me - a newcomer - invading their hallowed weekend of competition. This is the event that tests the strength and endurance of the fittest filmmakers -- a tour de force of the celluoid mind.
My expectations were halted with the reality of seeing wonderful people gather as a unified community for a long awaited opportunity to manipulate imagination, creativity, and skill into individual works that they can share with friends, family, and the world. Watching the weekend unfold, was like observing a courtship that leads to the birth of a child. Before this weekend, the teams courted members, meeting and choosing their mates, selecting locations like one would choose a wedding chapel or honeymoon suite, and gathering the necessary tools to perform the ceremony. The Kick-Off was the reception, sending off the teams to spawn their progeny. Each began their creative process emerging 48 hours later with a priceless treasure, unique to the eyes of the world.
Now those that birthed the new films rest from their exhausting experience and wait in anticipation of their creation's debut. Some are overdue, but they will arrive and be just as appreciated.
Personally, I look forward to seeing each film because I have heard tidbits about different experiences. Everyone I have spoken with has been wonderful. They are exhausted, but happy. I continually felt the spirit of the 48 Hour Film Project move around the participants and was pleased when the filmmakers gave the entity a voice, saying, "Most of all, we had a fun."
Many heartfelt thanks go to those that have participated, worked hard, and survived another Greensboro 48 Hour Film Project!

- Iris Carter, City Producer

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