Lights, camera, Slam! Following a stellar success with last year’s competition, FilmOneFest is hosting its 5th Annual 24-Hour Film Slam at Wilson Hall.
The 24-Hour Film Slam is a free competition where teams have a day to create and submit an original film under two minutes in length. Teams from all over the world can participate, where they will be assigned a location, prop, and line of dialogue as required elements in their works.
After the three elements are announced, the clock starts, followed by a mad dash for actors, cameras, and editing equipment,
This year’s Slam commences on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:00 p.m, with all entries mandatorily submitted by Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. The general public is encouraged to attend a screening of all of the submitted films in Wilson Hall’s auditorium at 8:00 p.m. on the 2nd. There, a panel of FilmOneFest judges will evaluate each submission based on ingenuity, production value, the strength of storytelling, and the inclusion of the required creative elements.
Corinna Thuss, Founder of Brightwork Events and Managing Director for FilmOneFest, commented, “The Film Slam is an excellent way of seeing what filmmakers can do under pressure and a short amount of time, and it is very impressive what the teams create with the three criteria.”
Last year, a team called “The Flaming Mongooses” captured the top spot for their short, Why Not Now.
The three mandatory elements for the 2018 Film Slam entries were a swing, a fly swatter, and the line “I don’t think I can get this to fit!” The comedic Why Not Now details an indecisive man enrolling in a swing class with expectations to dance, but ultimately learning that his final performance will be on a playground.
Claiming second place was Monmouth University student team “Had to Do it to ’Em,” with It Doesn’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got a Swing.
Another Monmouth team, “26B,” comprised of Sofia Dominguez and now-alumnus Abby Fenn, competed with their film, Moving Day.
Fenn described their timeline: “After we got the assignment, we went to the Student Center and brainstormed ideas, then wrote up our story.”
Fenn continued, “We took a break to sleep and woke up ready to film. The hardest part was finding a swing, and then trying to film around all of the families that were there.”
This year, the winning group will receive $200, and the first runner-up will get $100. Another $100 will be awarded to the film deemed Audience Choice. The top two teams will have their 24-hour work screened at FilmOneFest on Saturday, July 18, 2020, in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.
As for advice for participating teams, Thuss concluded, “The only way to prepare is to make sure that you are well-rested since the teams do not get much sleep for the next 24 hours.”
Visit https://filmonefest.org for more information.
IMAGES TAKEN from FilmOneFest
