Orlando 48 Hour Film Project to screen

From The Orlando Weekly, August 19, 2015

Screenings for the annual Orlando 48 Hour Film Project will be held Friday and Saturday at Valencia College East Campus’s Performing Arts Center, at 701 North Econlockhatchee Trail. Twenty-eight films will be shown over the two days, beginning at 7 p.m. each night. The event is open to the public, and tickets cost $12.

The films are the result of last weekend’s Project, which required teams to write, shoot and edit a movie between four and seven minutes long, and submit it within 48 hours. To prevent teams from creating in advance, they were given a character (Ted or Teresa Bridgeport, real-estate developer), a prop (gift certificate) and a line of dialogue (“That’s not the way I see it.”). Participants were also given a genre, such as comedy, drama, western or holiday film.

Because the event includes both professional filmmakers and amateurs out to simply have a fun weekend (and show their friends what they can do with a camera), quality varies widely. For moviemakers, it’s a great opportunity to network, and for the public, it’s a chance to see exactly what can (and can’t) be accomplished cinematically in just two days.

The event is part of the larger 48 Hour Film Project, the world’s largest timed filmmaking competition, which occurs annually in more than 120 cities. Winners from individual cities will play at the annual Filmapalooza event for a chance at $5,000 and inclusion in the Cannes Film Festival. Of the 28 films being shown at Valencia College this weekend, 21 are eligible for awards. (The other seven were created within the last week but either failed to make the 48-hour deadline or were disqualified for not using the required line, prop or character properly.)

To purchase tickets or find out more information, including a complete list of films and filmmakers, visit http://www.48hourfilm.com/orlando-fl. And to hear me discuss this year’s winning film, visit YouTube.

© 2015 Orlando Weekly / MeierMovies, LLC