Ivey Smith, founder of Malevolent Mouse Productions and city producer for the Reno 48 Hour Film Project, says that the Film Project happens 'in 285 cities around the world. I think last year we hit one million films worldwide.' Teams compete within the city, and then go on to an international competition.
Before the filmmaking begins, the creative team needs to be put together. And that's where Cue the Chaos comes in. 'We have everything from auditions to head shots to sponsors to everything you can think of, so that you can kind of lock in some of that beforehand.' The creative team can include writers, actors, cinematographers, designers, costumers, musicians, and even those who line up food for the crew. 'Cue the Chaos is kind of a networking event, all rolled in with auditions and all the other stuff, so that you can find your team quickly.'
The actual 48 Hour Film Project starts in Reno on Friday, August 14. There, the teams get the information they need to begin work. 'We actually have to give you your genre, your character, your line and your prop,' says Smith. The completed film 'has to be no more than eight minutes, including credits, no less than four. And then you have 48 hours to write it, shoot it, edit it, upload it. And it is a wild ride.'
Some of the competing filmmaking teams are quite professional and take the project very seriously. Others are more informal. 'We had a team of fourth graders,' Smith recalls. 'I didn't realize they were in fourth grade until I was actually delivering their coffee during competition. And I was like, I see fifteen kids running around a field with cameras. And I'm like, where are the adults? And all the adults are sitting in the car playing on their phones.'
The Project has proven to be the start of many filmmaking careers. 'I've seen films,' says Smith, 'that have gotten million-dollar budgets or millions of dollars.'
Cue the Chaos, the launch event for the Reno 48 Hour Film Project, takes place on July 31 at Reno Public Market on East Plumb Lane in Reno. For more information, malevolentmouseproductions.com or 48hourfilm.com.
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Support for Arts on the Airwaves comes from the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency that provides public funding and support to artists and organizations, that benefit Nevadans in cities and rural communities statewide. More at NVArtsCouncil.org.
