The forecast for our one shoot day: heavy rain, all day, no breaks. For a team that didn't know yet what the script would look like and hadn't locked a location, that single line in the weather app decided our whole plan for us. Every outdoor idea we might have written was crossed off before we even started. Whatever we shot, it had to happen indoors.
What Is the 48 Hour Film Project?
If you haven't heard of it, the 48 Hour Film Project is exactly what it sounds like, and somehow still harder than that. Teams show up Friday night and draw a genre, a required prop, a line of dialogue, and a character. From that moment, you have exactly 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and score a short film. No extensions, no exceptions. Montana's teams competed the weekend of June 26 to 28, with films screening across the state and the top film advancing to Filmapalooza, the international best-of event, for a shot at Cannes. It runs in more than 120 cities across seven continents, and it's less a filmmaking competition than a stress test with a runtime attached.
Our Genre, Prop, and Character Draw
Our draw: genre, single room. Required prop, a ball of yarn. Required character, a custodian named Flynn or Fiona Channing. Required line, "please don't freak out over this." The single room genre turned out to be the best kind of luck. It meant we could shoot entirely indoors and let the rain do whatever it wanted outside. Huge thanks to Rocky Mountain Grip & Electric for loaning us their space and gear. It fit the film perfectly, and it fit our budget even better, which was basically nothing.
Our crew was small, entirely volunteer, and genuinely such a great group to work with. People showed up on no notice, donated their time and their talent, and all wore many hats throughout the weekend. I provided some props, our director acted, and when we came up short on extras, most of the crew threw on a costume (and a wig) and stood in as background without a second of complaint. That kind of good humor is so appreciated on any set, especially one running on a 48 hour clock. Because the team was small, producing and 1st AD-ing both landed on me. Somebody had to do both, and that somebody was me.
Producing and 1st AD-ing at the Same Time
Production started the night before, coordinating props, set design, and communicating in real time with our crew about what we might need as our director wrote the script. The script was written around props and ideas we already knew we had access to. It was finished around 11pm, which meant production design, props, costumes, and hair and makeup all had to prep and have everything ready by call time the next morning.
Our shoot day started before sunrise, with breakfast. I'd placed a food order the day before and, luckily, called that morning to confirm it. That's when I found out the restaurant's ovens were down, and nobody had thought to call and tell me the order wasn't happening. That's the whole reason I confirm every food order the day of now, no matter how solid it looked the night before. You never know. I pivoted, found a backup, and still got the crew fed and myself to set early, which kept the day on time before we'd even rolled camera.
With that little time to prep, we weren't able to fully think through a shot list ahead of time. So throughout the day we built it as we went, prioritizing the shots that carried the story and covering the rest wherever we could steal a few extra minutes. We ended up keeping the day to about 12 hours, which was a huge accomplishment given how little runway we had going in.
From Rough Cut to Deadline
Our editor stayed up late into the night getting a rough cut out, and the next day was spent on editing, sound design, and composing original music for the film. We got it in right before the deadline.
There were many lessons learned, and the film isn't a perfect masterpiece, yet that's the point of the project. It forces you to get something done, and I'm genuinely proud to have been part of getting this one made.
Come See the Films in Helena
If you're in Montana, you can see how it all turned out. There were 19 teams this year, and the films screen at the Myrna Loy Theater in Helena on Saturday, August 8, with two screening blocks at 1:30 and 3:00, and awards right after at 4:30. Come cast your vote for your favorite, and say hi. Get tickets here.
Film Name: String Theory Team Name: Local 10-2
Crew List:
Writer / Director / Producer: D. B.
Executive Producer / 1st Assistant Director: Megan Hansen
Director of Photography: Liam Kenneth Reid
Production Designer / Make Up Artist: Kyah Louise Smith
Prop Master / Set Decorator: Elizabeth Kellogg
Sound Mixer / Sound Effects: Brandon Clements
Gaffer / Sound Mixer: Tyler Croft
Key Grip: Jerad Stretton
Set Decorator / Make Up Artist / Hair Stylist: Tori Borbash
1st Assistant Camera: Parker Temple
Editor / Colorist: Jim Menkol
Composer: Andrew Spencer
Production Assistant: Abigail "Bee" Laird
Special Thanks: Rocky Mountain Grip & Electric
I'm Megan Johnston, a 1st AD & producer based in Bozeman, working on and providing support to productions across Montana. If you're building a crew for your next Montana shoot, please reach out to johnstonmeganj@gmail.com.