Wanna make a film in only 12 hours without whoring yourself out on some dingy casting couch or selling your firstborn in exchange for a paltry production budger? Of course you do. So sign up for the first ever Los Angeles Film Race, a crazy 12-hour film competition that takes place on Saturday, June 2.
Here's how it works. At 11:59 AM on June 2, each filmmaking team (you choose your own teams well in advance) will be assigned a theme for their film. Past themes have ranged from the profound (revenge) to the practical (bad advice) to the whimsical (spare change). After receiving a theme, participants will have 12 hours to write, shoot and edit an original short film no longer than 4 minutes. Drop off your completed work no later than midnight and voilà. You're the next Steven Spielberg... or perhaps the next Tsai Ming-Liang... or the next Radley Metzger... or the next Brett Ratner. You get the idea.
The films will screen a week later on the evening of June 7, and the top films from each city will compete for cash and prizes on the national Film Racing Tour put together by NYC Midnight Movie Making Madness, LLC. Cities on the Film Racing Tour include Boston, New York, Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco and Toronto.
Think of it as "improv for filmmakers," says competition director, Charlie Weisman. "With digital technology, creative minds, and a little inspiration, anything is possible."
The deal is that you have to provide all your own equipment and personnel. That means you'll have to scour up some creative behind-the-lens types, round up a few aspiring actors, and beg, borrow or steal a video camera, editing software and whatever else you think you might need (lights, C-stands, a vat of raspberry jello).
The final registration deadline is approaching: May 30, 2007. Entry costs $95 per team.
