Been looking at how many of these are cropping up around my area. Seems like everybody has a film festival these days. I'm looking for hints/tips/insights that are unique for getting one of these types of films done.

Thanks!

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking, but I guess knowing a bunch of
people who can jump in at any time helps. Having some locations, gear and
a lot of energy as you will not be sleeping for 24 - 48 hours, basically.

From my meagre experience I'd suggest.

Keep it simple - Do not be over ambitious.

STORY STORY STORY - Make sure you have at least a reasonable story structure. Doesn't have to be a master piece, but a simple 3 act story will work.

Shoot what's on the page - trying to improvise and rewrite can be a time waster.

Get good audio - this will set you apart from 90% of the crud that's submitted ;)

Thanks Rob and Aaron. To be more specific, does everybody stay up? Could you split the team, writers work all night banging out the story. Morning comes and the cast and crew work all day and night. That night the editor and composer work together for a finished project. Next morning you shoot any missed coverage or 2nd unit stuff.

Seems logical to me to split it up but I've never done one so I don't really know so I thought I'd ask before I make a huge a mistake.

I'd suggest splitting for sure. I didn't really split and I suffered. I stayed writing til about 1 am with the writers, then tried to sleep (couldn't, too stressed) got their script about 5, directed all day sat, and edited all day sunday and delivered. Mental I tell you.

I would say have a separate writing team, or at least let the director just spend a couple hours at most and then get a good sleep.

Have a separate editor and music guys there for the Sunday, or even better, editing during the shoot on a laptop if you can. I will most certainly do this if I can next time. The music guys can then be looking at the rough cut and thinking about music. Director can look at stuff that doesn't work or things to add. I'd say it'd be a much better way to go.

But don't let all the actors take looksees cause they'll get all neurotic and want to redo bits (I'm an actor so I can say this :) )

With Instant Films we have separate writers and directors (you get your script handed to you at random on Sat. morning) so I can't speak to that part of it, but I have my editor start digitizing by Sat. afternoon and start to cut on a Powerbook at the location until we wrap. He then generally cuts overnight (what's left of it) while I catch a few hours sleep, then I take over for the morning, then we work together fine-tuning in the afternoon. No matter how early we get a good cut going, we still end up thrashing to get it done by the screening though--the trick is pacing yourself throughout the weekend, don't get cocky about how much time you have left because you won't have any at the end no matter what...!

Seems logical to me to split it up but I've never done one so I don't really know so I thought I'd ask before I make a huge a mistake.

These are fun to get the juices flowing - but I find that it's hard to get anything really epic out of it. Do it for the experience -- not to make a masterpiece.

As far as advice goes, make sure your writer doesn't write anything the actors aren't comfortable doing. Last year, the writer (who was also the lead actor) wrote a proposal scene where he had to kiss the female lead. When it came time to kiss her, he said he wouldn't kiss her and walked off the set. Don't ask me why I really don't know.

Splitting the team definitely makes sense. I'd also suggest having two or more editors working shifts. One rests while the other cuts. The end product will be much better if you have fresh eyes taking turns cutting.

Speaking of editing, I'd work out some sort of archiving/backup workflow beforehand. Continually label/version your NLE files - hard drives have a way of crashing at the worst times.

Lastly, try to get a VX2000/2100 or a PD150/170 for the shoot. It makes things go quicker when you don't have to pump tons of light into the locations when you're using less sensitive cameras.

I just finished DPing a 48 hour contest and it was a blast. Organization is probably the most important aspect. Depending on your crew size dividing up responsibilities is vital. We only had 6 crew and 3 of us were also actors in the piece. Another thing, try not to get fancy in post. We planned on using Magic Bullit, but it ended up not rendering in time so we basically wasted 5 hours of valuable editing time that we couldn't get back. I would have much rather been able to work on the story more than making it look glossy. As soon as I get some space online I'll throw a copy of it up, it's definitely not a masterpiece, but it's not bad for 5 college kids with no sleep...

I've done a lot of those (around 12 shorts shot in those conditions in 2005), so I can offer a few tips.

Aaron had the most important tip: KEEP IT SIMPLE. Out of the hundreds of movies I've seen in these kind of events, the best ones were always the simpler ones. A lot of people tried to do complex stories and many of them crashed and burned (myself included). The rest ended up just ok. There is just no time to write a complex story that is solid and engaging, and there is no time to shoot it right, so you end up compromising on everything. The best movies I've seen in these events had only one or two locations, and often no more than 3 characters. The simpler it is, the more time you can spend on setting up great shots, on tuning the actor's performances, on trying out different things and on the editing.

While it's good to have a separate writing team, the director should always start the process with them in order to get the basics of the story down. Then you can sleep while they keep going at it. But would you want to wake up in the morning having no idea what it is you're going to shoot?

Consider doing a movie with no dialog. That way, you don't need to do as many takes, it's easier on the actors and you don't need a boom operator. Essentially visual stories work very well in this short format.

If the movie is dialog heavy, get a script-person to write down all the takes. This will be very useful during editing, especially if the editor was not on the shoot. That person is also responsible for pointing out continuity problems. But honestly, keep dialog to the minimum, because that's what takes the most time to get right during the shoot.

Get a minimal crew for the shoot. You need to move fast, and the bigger the crew, the more sluggish the pace. A good crew for a semi-complex shoot is: Director, DP, boom operator, script-person, and an extra all around helper (can hold reflector, help with the lights, etc.). The DP also operates the camera. If you need make-up or costumes, the person doing that doesn't need to stick around for the whole shoot. But if the movie is really simple you can easily get away with a 2-people crew: with the director also acting as DP/camera operator, and the other crewmember being the boom operator.

In the morning of the shoot, think about how you want to shoot it, and if you have time quickly draw storyboards for all the scenes. This will be a very helpful reminder of the coverage you need to get, even if you only use it as a loose guide. Sometimes, I draw my quick storyboard on the set, as the actors repeat their lines. Nothing is more frustrating than realising in the edit phase that you forgot to get an important insert or reaction shot.

How much coverage? Normally, the more you get the better, but in this situation, because there is little time for capturing and editing, you should minimise the footage. But again, if the movie is simple, you can shoot more and still finish in time. Ok, all this being said, I've been known to shoot over 3 hours of footage for a 5 minute short, but that's just me, and I don't recommend it if you have someone else editing.

Unless you're a very fast editor, get someone else to edit: that way you can sleep while he does the rough cut, and then you can join him to tune the final edit. Now, I always edit my own movies, because I can do it faster than most. As soon as I've started editing, I don't stop, except for 15-minute breaks once in a while. COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE. Gallons of it. It keeps you more alert and you'll work better. I never sleep on the last night before a screening. Sometimes I'll get a 3 hour nap in the morning.

Forget about complex colour-correction: that time is better spent on improving the flow of the movie. I generally do Levels adjustments and that's it.

Do spend the time to mix the sound properly. It's extremely important.

As for music, the composer should start before you've shot anything. If you know what kind of movie you're going to shoot, you should know what kind of music you want. After the shoot, listen to what the composer has so far. Give him extra directions and off to the edit. As soon as you have a rough cut, give the composer a copy so he can tune the music to the action.

Ah thank you all very much. Terrific stuff.

Jean-Francois, I was wondering if you could elaborate on how to start composing music before you know what genre the movie is going to be. Your suggestion is wonderful and when I told my music man he asked me, "How?" I had to shrug my shoulders. His conern is making music for a comedy when the writers come up with noir tragedy.

Originally I was going to have him on the set while we shoot as a PA so he could get a good feel.

If you're about to shoot, you should have a pretty solid idea of what the movie is going to be like. If you can describe the movie in terms of style, structure and rythm, the composer should be able to start working. On 2 occasions in October I had my composers start work on the music while as was shooting.

On the first instance, the shoot was split in two: one scene in the morning and the rest in the evening. I had briefed my musicians the night before. In between the 2 shoots I went to see my musicians and listened to what they had so far. I gave them some feedback and we worked on it for a few hours and then I recorded the music right there (it was live piano, accordeon and violin). In the evening I shot the last scenes. The first time the musicians saw anything from the movie was at the screening.

On the 2nd occasion, the composer worked as I was shooting and I went to see him in during a break. I gave him some feedback on his preliminary work and went back to shoot. I spent the whole night editing. In the morning I gave him a rough cut so he could tweak the music to it. A few hours later he gave me his final track. Because my edit had changed a bit I had to reedit his music so that it would fit but that was no big deal.

The composer might feel more comfortable to start after seeing a rough cut or at least being at part of the shoot, but there isn't that much time. I think it's better to have the composer start early so he can spend more time on it.

Got it, thanks for the tips.

Here's some input from my experiences:

- Have some locations or potential locations scouted. Depending on what/where you have acess to, they are they can provide some context for a story independant of what you draw for subject/person/etc.

- Our schedule seems to go liked this (for 48hr): friday night - brainstorm, organize, story development, and maybe 1-2 shots. sat - shoot all day / start post on early shot stuff; wrap up shooting by midnight. sun - editors pull all nighter and come through in the 11th hr on sunday.

- I agree splitting the teams up is a good idea, but make sure to have someone co-ordinating the entire project. Understand what is critical path for each element.

They are a blast and a good learning experience with the process, and with working with others under pressure.

Another thing:

You never have as much time as you think you do for post-production, so always plan to finish a few hours before the deadline. Make sure you don't delay important details until the end. For instance, as soon as you have a rough cut of the movie you should make the credit sequence, even if it's a rough version.

Your post workflow should be iterative. Don't wait for the edit to be complete before touching the sound mix. You should adjust sound levels roughly as you go. If you want to do some Color correction, don't wait for the end either. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE RENDERING TIMES! Forget about Magic Bullet. Limit you color correction to things that render quickly like levels or color balance. Do not wait till the last minute to output the movie to tape; you don't want to be troubleshooting why it's not working as the deadline looms. In these events there are always a few who are late or don't show up at all because they couldn't get the movie out to tape for some reason.

I always try to have a complete and "watchable" version of my movie about 5 hours in advance. Then I keep polishing it for the rest of the time allowed.

These things can be brutal. I've done the 48 Hour Film Project twice now and will do it again this summer. On the last one I was the writer, director, star, and editor. I think I got 5 hours of sleep in 2 days. I will hopefully have much more help this year than last. My recomendations echo everyone else's:

1. Scout and secure locations well ahead of time. Don't assume you can just shoot wherever because you may get a ticket or at least run off.

2. Focus on story. Most of the best are simple but very clever. If you try to get to complicated and it could easily backfire. Make sure the people writing it have some knowledge of how to actually shoot a film. Otherwise you may get a fantastic story that isn't feaseable to shoot in 48 hours. Make sure you have enough help to get the job done but not too many people with creative input. Too many people debating every plot point, or every shot angle, or every line of dialog will prevent anything from getting done quickly.

3. Get good audio. Have someone who knows what they are doing and knows the material operating the boom. Or just use a hidden lapel mic (or both).

4. Test all of your equipment, especially the camera and editing computer for reliability. Several people missed the deadline because their computers crashed on them.

5. Generally speaking, have the story written by sunrise Saturday morning. Shoot all day Saturday. Edit all Saturday night. Be cautious of heavy green screen shots or composites, as they can be time intensive. Only shoot retakes or additional scenes if absolutely necessary. If you are shooting footage Sunday afternoon you are likely screwed. Have a solid rough cut by Noon or so Sunday. Get it onto tape so you know you have something to turn in. Many people screw up and don't get it turned in on time. Turn in 2 copies if possible in case there is a glitch on one copy.

6. Shoot 24p (Panasonic DVX100 or Canon XL2) or render 60i to 24p unless a completely video-ish look is preferred. I know this has been discussed to death but let me assure you that if all other things are equal, the general audience will think 24p looks more like a real movie, more expensive, or more professional. I have heard many people, including my own friends state as much. I own an FX1 and this year I assure you I will render to 24p in post. The DVX100 or Canon XL2 are by far the best cameras for these contests as everything must be turned in in SD not HDV. Both 48 Contests I competed in accepted 16/9 anamorphic footage and I believe projected that way.

I hope this helps some. I made most of the errors I warned about above, so I'm speaking from personal experience. As brutal as they can be, they really are a lot of fun. They are one of the few ways that you can have your work shown in a full sized theater to sold out audiences.

I only did one of these a couple of years ago, and it was fun. The only change I'd make is I'd have fewer people.

We had a cast/crew that varied between 20 and 30, which made for great fun but a miserable production. On the other hand, there was always a party going on at HQ, so maybe I'll let someone else handle production next time and I'll just have fun.

But seriously, too many people get in the way. And make sure you've got skilled people, it's no fun teaching under pressure.

I've been running a 24-hour contest here in LA for about 3 years now, and have participated each time as well as a couple other times. So I guess I've done these 24 hour things 6 or 7 times now.

A lot of good advice has been given, but I can tell you a couple things that are no good at all. The team I work with is a bunch of brilliant, talented guys, and we have a lot of fun together, but we make terrible, terrible movies. We don't really care, because we have fun doing it, but here's some things that we've learned:

- Yeah, keep it simple. Really, really, simple.
- A small core team is critical. More than 2-3 writers, for instance, and you're dead where you stand.
- Try to write with who you can cast in mind, but don't get locked in too early.
- There's always time to change course... ONCE. That's all you get. Our best movie, which won the first contest, was actually made in less than 10 hours.
- Don't write everything down. For whatever reason, we tend to write full scripts, but most of the efficient and successful crews just write outlines and then flesh it out as they shoot. Of course it helps to have really skilled improvisors.
- Start shooting as soon as possible. If you can get just one scene done that seems promising early in the day, you're in much better shape and your morale will hold up much better.
- You will always run out of time.

I've never done any of the 48-hour things (I don't see the point, really), and some of this advice wouldn't apply to those. If I had 48 hours I would definitely want to work with a slightly more structured crew and have a full written script.

Anyway, our contest (Mayday) is coming up in about two weeks, so check it out if you're interested. http://www.maydayfilms.com

've never done any of the 48-hour things (I don't see the point, really)

The best I could suggest about this is it is more than possible to make a great film with solid production values in 48 hours, whereas one has to be exceptionally on the ball to pull that off in 24 (and clever enough to design a film that cuts major corners without obvious sacrifice). We've had a few Instant Films go on to compete in regular film festivals, and some have won...!

Doug, you'd be welcome as my guest to this weekend's Instant Films"screening at LA Center Studios; our 21st festival and a lot of great talent involved in this one. Let me know if that's of interest.

Sure... I'd be interested to check that out, time permitting. Thanks for the invite!

I have seen a handful of these 48 hour films before, and they have been uniformly bad. So my opinion has been, if you're going to make a movie that's probably bad but maybe at least really entertaining, why not go all-out and tackle it in 24 hours, rather than taking up 48? But I guess I've never seen the gems. I'd be especially interested if there are any non-comedies that are truly good coming out of that.

I recently worked on a 48 Hour Film Project film here in Boston. I've been skeptical of the process, primarily because I think people go in with unrealistic expectations and fail to pace themselves. For a while I did not see the point. Then I found a team that I thought was doing it right with the right attitude, doing it for the fun and challenge. So based on my positive experience doing a 48 Hour Film Project here's a design pattern of what we did. I thought our project worked out very well. We had plenty of time to sleep and have fun along the way.

1. Identify a writing team. More than one writer is critical when writing on a tight deadline. There's a reason hit television shows have writing teams. Other writers can more easily spot other writer's problems. Two or three people is perfect. People who have worked together before is safer. Writers on a project like this need to put their ego aside and work for the project towards a common goal.

2. Assemble the crew well in advance. It amazes me to see crew calls for 48 Hour Film Project films a couple of days before the start on Craig's list. Pick people who will be fun to work with and know their stuff. It's critical you have a good SOUND RECORDIST who knows their stuff. Bad audio is like a plague among 48 Hour Film Projects. Your film should have good sound, it's not rocket science! Line up an EDITOR and a CINEMATOGRAPHER who have experience working fast, lean, and mean. We did many set-ups with 1, 2, at most three lighting instruments, working with existing light as a starting point. Remember, the key to working fast is to delegate tasks to people you trust and let people do their thing, as long as everyone is on the same page in terms of the story and vision. Do not try to produce and direct at the same time during the actual shooting. Let someone worry about all the production problems and issues other than the creative team.

3. Cast actors who are versatile. Get to know them, this will help in the writing phase, as you will be writing for them. If they can do improv it will help you a lot. If you cast well in advance and take your time with the process, you'll get better actors.

4. Identify and secure locations in advance. It's important for both reasons of production logistics and it's easier to write when you're familiar with the environment.

5. Stagger the crew assignments so everyone gets to sleep during the weekend, this is one reason why it's good to have your EDITOR be someone who is not involved in the actual shooting. It's also good because they will bring a fresh eye to the project.

6. When the team gets their "assignment", the writers stay up late Friday night writing. The rest of the crew should get a solid, good night's sleep. Plan to have the script done before sunrise. Don't obsess on making every line of dialog perfect, you actors, if they are good, will help you with that when you rehearse the scene on the set. Don't feel you have to start shooting right away, preparation and planning is very important, I believe it's true that "All mistakes are made in preproduction."

7. Schedule the shoot to run no longer than 8am to 7pm on Saturday. Think of Saturday as production time, and Saturday night and all day Sunday for your editing and sound work. Keep things simple so this is possible. Try to shoot in no more than two locations. Spend your time shooting rather than doing a company move. Shoot with two cameras so you get coverage without a time penalty, especially if the actors do some improvisation. Think carefully how things will cut. Make sure the crew and actors are having fun and everyone is fed well and there is plenty of water to drink. Having a 1st A.D. run the set is critical, it's just like a real shoot, so don't cut corners where it counts. If you're new to filmmaking, do you homework in terms of production craft.

8. At 7pm on Saturday night the editor should put together a rough assembly. This should take no more than two, three hours at the most. Capturing on the set as you shoot so the editor can have a rough assembly by the end of the day is cool too, it depends on how and where you're shooting.

9. Everyone should get a good night's sleep. Yes, really, sleep is good. Just cause you have 48 hours to make the film does not mean you should stay up for a whole 48 hours. Give a copy to whoever is helping with post sound so they can look at it and sleep on it. Having the editor and sound designer sleep on the project will do wonders to their editing on Sunday.

10. First thing sunday morning get cracking on the editing of the rough cut and work towards having the fine cut shortly after lunch time on Sunday. Make sure to allow time for a quick sound mix. Fix major problems as you go, but don't let it slow down the picture edit. Make sure the dialog is crisp and clear. Spend the time on the editing of the film rather than fancy titles and other distractions.

11. Late on Sunday afternoon, author and burn the DVD. Make sure to allow enough time to recover from compression or burning problems.

12. Get your entry in early.

This is what we did, and I had a good time working on the project. It was a delight working with Lois (the director/producer) because she was a calm director in terms of running the project, but in the end, the calmness of the pace and thinking through a schedule is what made the project successful in so many dimensions. I would not say it was an "award winning" film, but everyone working on it had fun and learned a lot, and the words "The Journey is the reward" comes to mind.

Doug: you can get a ticket and futher instructions on www.instantfilms.com

The LA center studios are pretty easy to find in downtown LA.

I've had the pleasure of going to one last year and it was a great experience. It's
hard to believe those movies are made in "just" 48 hours. Really professional stuff!

p.s. a lot of folk who participate in instantfilms are from the industry

Doug:

As Rob said, www.instantfilms.com; look under "watch" then "featured films"; of those, try:

Crazy Love
Open for Submissions
Dirty Diamonds
Henry and Veronica
The Swidge

Most Instant Films tend to be comedies, but Crazy Love transcends the genre for sure. It's one of the films that has had a significant life beyond the weekend it was made.

Unfortunately I can't view the films right now... I'm on a MacBook and the WMV components for quicktime won't run on it yet. But I'll remember to check back in... and I will try to make it out to the screening!