Making Films Fast

We are entering the season of the 48-hour film festival! There's just something about summer that spurs people into going out and actually making stuff. 

I'm one of the crazy people who can't work without crazy constraints. If you don't give me a tight deadline and a word count to reach, the project is just going to sit rotting in my drafts, forever. From the proliferation of 48-hour film festivals, I can assume that others feel the same way.

During undergrad, I actually tried to organize my own 48-hour film festival with my university's film club. I advertised it as a "film jam," thinking more people would be familiar with games jams and hackathons. Bad move, because the target audience was students at a famously liberal arts-focused college. The results can be found on YouTube here (1) (2).

One pitfall? It can be hard to round up a group of friends willing to commit to 48 whole hours focused just on filmmaking. One solution that did work out was recruiting different types of filmmakers - making space for lone wolves as well as cowboys looking for pardners. 

June really is the season for 48-hour film festivals. This weekend, we have the upcoming Weekend Warriors Film Festival, organized by the team behind the NoCo Film Network and HIFF. The following weekend is the Wyoming 48-hour Film Festival, organized by the Wyoming International Film Festival.

Upcoming Events

Monday, June 6

  • Movie Trivia Monday
    • 7 p.m.
    • Kress Cinema & Lounge in Greeley
    • Weekly event testing movie knowledge

Tuesday, June 7

  • Filmmakers Workshop
    • 6 p.m.
    • Firehouse Arts Center in Longmont
    • Monthly workshop hosted by Firehouse Arts Center

Wednesday, June 8

  • David Gerrold Signing & Talk
    • 11 a.m.
    • Gryphon Games & Comics
    • The screenwriter behind "The Trouble With Tribbles" and various sci-fi novels will speak and sign copies of his works
  • "Support Local Film" Podcast airs
    • On YouTube
    • This weekly podcast features interviews with local filmmakers and fun trivia challenges
  • Longmont Public Media members meeting
  • Cult Movie Night
    • 8 p.m.
    • The Lyric in Fort Collins
    • Every week a new cult film is chosen for a free screening. Not child friendly
  • Arc of Larimer County Film Festival
    • 8:30 p.m.
    • The Holiday Twin in Fort Collins
    • Features short films about disabilities, proceeds go to the Arc

Thursday, June 9

  • "The Winter Triangle" Premiere & Poetry Shorts
    • 6 p.m.
    • The Lyric in Fort Collins
    • Watch a poetry thriller and short poetic films
  • NoCo Visual Artists meetup
    • 7 p.m.
    • Avanti Food & Beverage in Boulder
    • Meet up with visual artists in a variety of media

Friday, June 10

  • "Dope is Death" screening
    • 6 p.m.
    • The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery in Fort Collins
    • A film about the impacts of the war on drugs on Black communities will be followed by a discussion.
  • Weekend Warriors Film Festival kickoff
    • 6 p.m.
    • Wildfire Arts Center in Berthoud
    • Participants will have 48 hours to make films around a set of constraints to be revealed at the kickoff

Saturday, June 11

  • Weekend Warriors Film Festival continues

Sunday, June 12

  • Weekend Warriors Film Festival concludes

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