48 Hour Film Project 2014
A couple of weeks ago someone posted on the Australian Screen Editors page on Facebook. They were looking for a video editor to work as a part of their crew, who were competing in the 48 Hour Film Project. As the name implies, the 48HFP gives you 48 hours to script, shoot, edit, score, mix and master a short film of between 3 and 7 minutes. It was
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I'm very glad you enjoyed the film, and that this post could offer some insight in to its production. You definitely got the best experience of it - in a cinema with an appreciative audience (after some lower quality productions ;)). I'm not sure whether it's the cinema screen adding an air of authenticity, or the crowd sharing a collective experience, but there's definitely something a little bit magical about watching film on the big screen. In many cases, it makes a film more than what it is.
It was definitely an interesting experience, but thankfully not all that stressful. The script and shoot were straightforward, and therefore fairly simple to put together on my end, all things considered. The time limit only serves to help in most cases - people are more decisive, and more willing to compromise to finish the product on time. As Orson Welles said, "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations," and that's something I've felt many times while working on creative endeavours.
The trust element you mention is exactly the thing that made me hesitate about doing it at all. You feel the weight of the collaborate process most keenly during the post-production stage. All that work and planning people did in the pre-production stages to allow the film shoot to happen, all the work people did during the production stage to act and film and light and record it to the best of their ability - and then they dump all of it on you and trust you to make the best possible version of the material. It has the potential to be very daunting.
It works both ways though. I trust them to do the best they can to deliver me good quality material to work with. I'm sure everyone feels the pressure when they're trying to perform their duties, no matter what they are. No one wants to let the team down. When you've got a great team, though, it's very satisfying when you all have a win together. I much prefer the collaborative process than working alone. :)
I hope we do have a crack at it again next year. In the meantime, we're all back on set today making another film. All things going well, we'll have something else up on the big screen well before another year has passed. :)
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I really appreciate you sharing that Welles quote - it's so incredibly true! I have so many artistic thoughts that I need to turn into artistic actions, but without any pressure to do so, they'll go on to simply live their lives as unseen and unheard concepts. I've not worked on artistic projects with others much, I feel I need to establish myself more as an artist before I do that, and I can relate to your trust concerns on that front.
What were the other films like the following nights?
Any stand outs?
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