I'm personally not a real fan of these 48hr challenges. I mean seriously, what kind of film can you expect to get from making one in 48 hours? Some people love these challenges though. I guess for the same reason some of you here like the OWCs.

Now imagine, not just writing a short script in 48 hours, but also shooting the film and editing it!!!

Normally, I wouldn't even bother mentioning these, but this one came with some drama and some irony. Dena and I had agree to write for this filmmaker. Friday night came along and we eagerly waited to learn what the assignment was. It was to be announced at 7pm. By 9pm, we had still not been informed... We were getting stressed, but then Dena suddenly became ill (she's fine now) and had to leave. I was worried sick as she did not respond to texts.  I couldn't concentrate. What to do to calm down and hope to focus better? Beer! Yes, beer is proof that God loves us! Then the director called me and told me the challenge. Suspense/thriller. Have to use a character who's a mechanic and goes by the name Stretch. Have to use the line, I'm sure that's not right. And, use the picture of someone's mother as a prop. Now to write a 5 page minimum script following those requirements in two hours. This film is the result of that very stressful event. I swear writers are gluttons for punishment.

The irony? Well, prior to the challenge announcement, the director and I talked about the worst genres we could possibly get. We both agreed MOCKUMENTARY and musical would be the absolute worst! So, of course the OWC announced a few days later was MOCKUMENTARY. I didn't know if I should cry or laugh.

Anyway, so for those two reasons, this 48hr challenge will probably stick around in my memory for quite some time.

Assumptions - CLT 48hr Film Project from Ben Allison on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/591335813

Hey Pia ---- for a 48 hour project, that was a helluva result!!  That was great acting and a great story!  Love it!!

Great work Pia! Lean and suspenseful with a good tone.

Standout for me was the guy who played the mechanic or whatever at the start, great ominous performance and a good look for it too.

Dug the bilingual antagonist, that worked well.

Had some fun echoes of the recent movie "First Date," which was another one revolving around a car.

Wow, Pia, great stuff I've watched a few of these over time and they often reflect the short deadline and turnaround, but this was really engrossing, and the touches of humour were spot on. A very Fargo-esque vibe.

Great to hear Dena is recovering too.

Thanks guys/Libby!

Yeah, I think they did a great job. I just wanted to share because sometimes people bitch about some people get a couple of hours less t due to time zones to work on their OWC. Lol! This was f'n stressful!!!

I like baseball. A slow suspenseful game.  

Chris, I was sent the actors' show reels beforehand and noticed the asian girl speaking Korean, so I wanted to incorporate that.  

Awesome work for 48hrs, congrats!

Pia,

I thought this came out great. Production values were solid which usually elevates it above 50 percent of the films turned in. Acting was good as well. Was your team nominated for anything?

We did the Cleveland 48 and won. I guess it’s kind of cool because we get to go to D.C. and compete against the winners from cities across the world. Not sure how many careers have ever been started by winning a 48. My guess is next to none. Can’t see serious producers giving a whole lot of credit to people who can throw together a film so quickly. It’s a fun challenge, though. People just like to see their work on a big screen in a theater full of people a couple of weeks after they shot it. Much unlike a regular short which usually goes into post for a couple of months then waits months more for a festival run.

Great job. You should do it again. Maybe run your own team next time.

James.

Thanks Warren!  

Congratulations, Jay! And, Good Luck at the big comp!

"We won 4 awards including "Best Film" (runner up, judges choice). This was the top award to win so coming second was a big win.

We also won: "Best Cinematography", "Best Sound" and "Best Use of Prop".

This was in his email. I have no idea if that means they get to go on or not. Probably only the winners do.

Quoted from jwent6688 Great job. You should do it again. Maybe run your own team next time.

I don't really enjoy these things, but Dena loves them, so who knows. I kind of like to sit in the dark by myself and toil away.  

Hahaha...that was fun! Well done, Pia.

I did a 48 hour film festival a couple of months ago. First time ever. The director wrote the script with some feedback from me and I was the AD. It was a great experience, and we made the semifinals so we got a screening and everything, in a theater! And since the theater was full of filmmakers, most of us went to a nearby park afterwards and drank and talked film. I'm a big fan of these now, we'll definitely do more.

Thanks Rene!

I'm amazed you guys like these 48hr things. I find them extremely stressful, lol.

Maybe we need to do a OWC here at SS that only allows 3-4hrs to write a script? And maybe do like those film challenges have more specifics to follow. Like I said earlier, in this challenge, he drew, out of a hat, suspense/thriller. Had to use the line, I'm pretty sure that's not right, in the script. A character that was a mechanic and went by the name Stretch and then a prop that was a pic of someone's mother. Thoughts?

FOR 48 HOURS - AWESOME

Quoted from Grandma Bear Thanks Rene! I'm amazed you guys like these 48hr things. I find them extremely stressful, lol. Maybe we need to do a OWC here at SS that only allows 3-4hrs to write a script? And maybe do like those film challenges have more specifics to follow. Like I said earlier, in this challenge, he drew, out of a hat, suspense/thriller. Had to use the line, I'm pretty sure that's not right, in the script. A character that was a mechanic and went by the name Stretch and then a prop that was a pic of someone's mother. Thoughts?

Ours didn't have a genre, but we had to use tape and it had to be on screen for at least 3 seconds, we had to have the line "I don't mean to sound like _____ but ______" and it had to have a theme of the greater good.

I think this came out great. Saw your post on FB first so didn't know the extra drama involved! I love the twist at the end...great job!!!

Wow, in just 48 hours. Nice. The things you can do...