Before I get to why 48 Hour Film Competitions are so important, I’d like to talk about independent filmmakers, and how they tend to fit into one of three categories –
1: You’re out and about every weekend filming everything and anything you can, with your friends and small crew in tow, with not much planned out other than what you have in your head, because creating your art, all the time, is the only thing that matters.
2: You’re trying to set up your projects the way the industry as a whole does it, so you’re creating press kits, shooting teaser trailers, making budgets, locking down cast and crew to attach to the project, and polishing that script, all in an effort to create a package of your film that you can send out to funding bodies, private investors, and maybe that indie studio you’ve always wanted to work with. But the actual making of films seems to get put to the side, and you can go years without actually making a finished film, be it feature or short.
3: You’re somewhere in the middle, meaning you’re trying to get bigger projects off the ground by doing it the ‘right’ way, but you’re also getting out there when you can to create films of all kinds and budgets, be they your own, or helping others with theirs.
So, yes, there are 3 categories, and I’m sure there are subgenres of each that you might fit into better, but really those 3 sums up the basic idea behind indie filmmaking. I myself fit squarely into number 3, as I have both bigger projects I’m looking to get made, and have got completed in the past, while also jumping in where I can to make other films in the mean time, no matter their size.
But, over the last 10 years, there has been another kind of filmmaker emerge, and more than likely can be fully attributed to the emergence and popularity of 48 Hour Film Competitions all around the world.
4: You’re someone who loves making films, but would never call yourself a filmmaker, as you have no ambition to make bigger projects, or any more than one film a year. In fact you reserve your energy for that one film a year exclusively for that 48 Hour Film Competition you enter with your friends, and other like-minded people.
Some people might say these competitions have cheapened the art form, as how can you make a good film in 48 hours, and is it a good thing that all these once a year filmmakers come out of the woodwork to make the industry look bad with their below average films? Well, here are my 8 reasons why 48 Hour Film Competitions are important for every type of indie filmmaker, and the industry as a whole.
1 – Actually starting and finishing a film! Well, hopefully you did, but at the very least, if you didn’t get the film in on time, you had better make sure you get it done during the following week as other wise what was the point! But for those who get it in on time, regardless of the quality, you did it! 48 hours before, you had nothing, and now you have a completed film that lives forever! It’s so easy to have all these great ideas, but never actually make anything, but with these competitions, they give you a great reason, excuse, or motivation, or what ever it is you need, to actually complete a film, and that’s why it’s my number 1 reason of its importance to indie filmmakers.
2 – Honing your craft! Some might argue that 48-hour films aren’t good for teaching you filmmaking, as it’s such a rushed time period. But how can getting out there, with other filmmaking types, honing your crafts together, learning lots along the way, be a bad thing? Yes it’s a very tight schedule for every area of the process, but this just teaches you how to work to deadlines, how to think smarter, how to work harder, and how to pull together as a unit when times are tough. Because trust me, on a 60 day shoot, you’ll find that experience invaluable.
3 – Another credit to your name! For indie filmmakers, just having more films you’ve made, worked on, or helped in even a small way, all adds to the skill set and credit list, and that’s not a bad thing. Even if the film was bad, it can still be added, as prospective employers, funding bodies, investors, or even that cute guy/girl you met at the bar, want to know what you’ve worked on, and the more the better for the indie filmmakers of the world!
4 – Finding your crew! One of the key things with any film, is the crew you have helping you get it made. In the big leagues, sure, you have money to throw around for the best, but in the indie world, often it’s either who’s willing to work for free, or for the low amount you are able to pay. Which is where finding a tight crew from 48 hour film competitions comes in handy, as not only can you find the ones who are great on set, and at what they do, but are just as excited about working on indie films as you are. Never underestimate the power of people you meet on set, as you’re all striving for the same thing, and it only takes one of them to break out into bigger things to drag everyone along for the ride.
5 – Heck, finding your cast! If Sam Raimi can do it with Bruce Campbell, Robert Rodriguez with Antonio Banderas, and Quentin Tarantino with, well, so many actors and actresses, than you can do the same. Find those good actors and actresses who are both awesome at what they do, and great to work with, and you’ve found someone who can front not only your 48 hour films, but other side projects for mutual benefit. And just like your crew, it just takes one of them to make it big to help drag their favourite crew along with them.
6 – Extra attention! These competitions might have judges from important festivals, funding bodies, or even from news sources, and who knows where that screening, or award you won, could lead. It’s basically free marketing and advertising for you and your film, and if you keep at it, and get known as one of those teams’ people keep a look out for each year, than this possibility increases.
7 – Keeps the industry vibrant! Have you ever been to a launch for one of these 48 hour competitions, helped carry the film over the finish line, sat at a screening watching yours and other filmmakers films on the big screen, or maybe even got a ticket to the regional or national final gala event, because if you have, than you know how awesome the whole experience is! This is amazing for the industry, as not only is it a talent creating machine, but it keeps indie film at the forefront of not only those thousands of people who have entered, but also the public at large.
8 – It’s fun! My last reason why 48 hour film competitions are important, is definitely not the least, and that’s because it is fun! Which is why I think indie filmmaker type 4 has come about, as those indie filmmakers, who may never call themselves that, love coming out once a year to create a film, because it’s damn fun! Nuff said!
So no matter what type of indie filmmaker group you fall into, I honestly believe it’s important to get out there and enter those 48 Hour Film Competitions, because at the very least, you’ll have a lot of fun doing it!
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