Remember when Jack Bauer would jump through windows and narrowly escape death in a Chinese prison right before saving the President of the United States from an assassination attempt – all within a day’s time? Yeah, the 48 Hour Film Project is kind of like that. Except, instead of Kiefer Sutherland, the heroes are a team of filmmakers. Instead of guns threatening to shoot civilians, they have camcorders in their place. And OK, instead of saving the U.S. from an attack, they're looking to save themselves a seat at the Cannes Film Festival. All this is done within a 48-hour window (see, same thing).
This year, the 10th Annual 48 Hour Film Project returns to America’s Finest City from July 12-14 for a weekend of amateur, novice and professional filmmaking. Those participating come from all over Southern California and Mexico, competing to see who can make the best short film in only 48 hours. If chosen, the winning team will go up against films worldwide for the overall title of "Best 48 Hour Film of 2013.” Adding to the stakes, a selection of winning films will also be eligible to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
On Friday, July 12, the filmmakers will anxiously await the ominous drawing which will decide their fate for the weekend. This marks the start of the competition as a random film genre will be chosen along with the assignment of a character, prop and a line of dialogue that must be included in their 4-7 minute masterpieces.
The beauty of the project is that the competition reaches a national scale with 125 cities participating. The tour will make stops in New York City, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Paris, Beijing, London, and Mumbai among others. It is a unique gathering of creative minds, imaginative writers and contestants united by a dream of making it in the film industry. Of the 125, however, San Diego boasts the only one that is all High Definition. Like its neighbor to the north, SD puts on a true Hollywood-like experience through an Oscar-style awards ceremony and red carpet premieres.
By 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, the teams must submit their entries; any team ONE minute late will automatically be disqualified. After a red carpet public premiere in July and August, judging will take place. Scores will be evaluated around artistic merit, technical merit, and adherence to the assignment. Each city’s best film team will receive a trophy and Movie Magic Screenwriter software. Teams will also compete with winners from each stop on the tour for Best Director, Best Acting, Best Script, Best Musical Score, and Grand Champion Best Film. 2013’s Grand Prize winner will receive an automatic spot at the Cannes International Film Festival Short Film Corner along with $5,000.
In the race against time, which filmmakers will succeed and which will be left empty-handed? Story lines, character plots and costumes — so much to consider, so little time. Looks like they’ll have to do as Bauer would do; trust their intuitions. Day 1 is just around the corner.
