This is an excerpt from an article written by Ellen Becker-Gray, explaining how SAG actors can be used for the 48hr:
We just spent an incredible weekend participating in this year's Providence 48 Hr. Film Project. Our film "Monte's Last Cut" was produced by Rob Gray, our Team Leader for Fanfaire Productions. I was the Director of a talented cast consisting solely of SAG actors. SAG members also served as part of our superb technical crew.
Often, I hear discussions and inquiries among actors about how to acquire speaking roles. I suggest becoming involved in a 48 Hour Film Project team, a valuable opportunity in which an actor can add a principle credit to his/her resume and gain experience in every aspect of the film-making process. In addition to adding to our education about our craft, the experience is just plain fun.
The 48-Hour Film Project is a national competition in which teams of filmmakers are assigned a genre, a character, a prop and a line of dialogue, and have 48 hours to create a short film containing those elements — from writing and shooting to editing and adding music. Filmmakers competed to create the best short film during 48 hours.