This weekend I had the good fortune to check out the showing of the submitted projects from this year's 48 Hour Film Project. It was interesting to see what the various participants came up with in just two short days. In truth, the most difficult task I found myself with was reminding myself that these films were produced in that short a time span.
It was easy to get lost in the moment and want to be overly critical of some of the submissions. Weird camera angle here, dangling plot there. What was the point of that shot again? But then, I found myself reminded of Midsummer Night's Play Festival. Yes, it was fun. Sure it was chaotic. But in the end, the challenge (and overcoming it) was the thing. In just twice the time that we had to put a stage show on, these people created a film.
I won't argue which was harder to do. Both have their specific quirks and requirements. But I have to believe that, all things being equal, there's a certain level of security that the stage provides. People are (I think) far more willing to suspend their disbelief when they know the magic is happening right in front of them. And I have to believe that the triangle of writing/filming/editing is probably slightly more hectic than writing/directing/acting. If nothing else, filming certainly holds more potential for chaos.
So I have to tip my hat to everyone that successfully completed the challenge (even those that might have crossed the finish line a little later than they should have). With the small mountain of things that could have gone wrong along the way, it was definitely an accomplishment to have created anything, let alone a legitimate short film feature. And each and every one was entertaining in its own way.
All in all, it was a great experience. It's the type of thing I could definitely see myself getting involved with next year.
