Over 60 local performers help kick-off the Providence 48-Hour Film Project.
(PROVIDENCE, RI —June 25, 2008) - Monday night, June 23rd, actors, singers,
improvisers and the three little pigs all turned out in force to help
kick-off our state's most unusual film project, the Providence 48 Hour Film
Project, produced by the Rhode Island Film Collaborative. Filmmakers are
gearing up for the two-day extreme filmmaking competition, and they came
out in droves to find local talent for their teams.
The "Open Call" event, produced by AhtSpot.com, gave each performer a
chance on stage to show the crowd what they could do, as they would in an
audition. Any performer going over their two-minute countdown earned the
wrath of the ushers and was banished from the stage in a rain of Silly
String.
The event was held at the Tazza Cafe in downtown Providence. "It was
amazing to see the range of performers who turned out," said RIFC president
Mark Fogarty. "And the quality of performances was just outstanding as
well."
"It takes a special kind of person to get up in front of a screaming mob of
filmmakers and lose themselves in a performance for two minutes," adds
Daniel Lee White, founder of AhtSpot.com and organizer of the event. "It
was a remarkable collection of people who rose to the challenge, and I
can't wait to see what sort of films they create this year!"
"We even had a custom movie trailer for the event, put together by Dan
White," says Mike Ryan, who produces the Providence 48-Hour Film Project
together with David Splinter, both of the RIFC. "There was an impressive
collection of agents, casting professionals and filmmakers present as
well," adds Ryan. For more information about Ahtspot.com, its talent and
mission, go to www.ahtspot.com.
In addition to the performers, the crowd consisted of a few hundred
filmmakers, many of who will be participating in the 48-Hour Film Project
and were looking for talent to attach to their teams. So far, 40 teams have
signed on for the challenge - last year, a total of 48 teams, including
about 600 people, took part. This will be the project's third year in Rhode
Island.
To enter, team leaders should visit www.48hourfilm.com/providence - or
follow the links from the Rhode Island Film Collaborative site,
www.rifcfilms.com. The deadline to sign up a team is July 11th.
The Providence 48 Hour Project will take place July 18th - July 20th, with
the results screening at the Columbus Theater on Wednesday, July 24th and
Thursday, July 25th at the historic Columbus Theatre, on Broadway on
Federal Hill, Providence.
The 48-Hour Film Project is like no other film competition. At the starting
gun on Friday evening, a character, prop, a line of dialogue and a genre
are drawn from a hat - literally - for each team, and the filmmakers are
off. Each team has to work closely together to write, shoot, and edit a
short film from scratch, and race to get their final masterpiece in by 7:30
PM sharp on Sunday. Everyone on a team must be a volunteer, and although
some teams are fiercely competitive, many teams look at this as a chance to
have a high-octane get-together with friends. Team sizes vary from 1
person, to hundreds, with 10-12 people on average.
The 48-Hour Film Project had its start in Washington, DC in 2001, where 12
teams competed the first year. This year, it will visit over 70 cities
internationally with more than 2,000 teams competing to win the title of
"Best 48 Hour Film of 2008."
In-kind sponsors for this year's event include Motif Magazine, Two Sisters
Productions, and the Hilton Garden Inn Providence Airport/Warwick.
The project has been expanded to Providence with the sponsorship of the
Rhode Island Film Collaborative, the local non-profit group dedicated to
helping independent filmmakers network, learn and make films - filmmaking
through community. More about the RIFC can be found at www.rifcfilms.com.