Cultural event 1

"72 hours to make a movie? You've got to be kidding me!" -That's the general reaction filmmakers have to the idea of the 72 Film Fest. Nestled in Frederick, MD, this little gem has been posing a challenge for budding filmmakers in the region for the last six years. Every year there is a different challenge posed to the filmmakers, and this year was no exception. Filmmakers were given scripts that were also produced in 72 hours! Over the summer the folks from the 72 hosted their first ever 72 Hour Script Festival. In this way, filmmakers had to work with an already-prepared script (instead of producing one from scratch); and had to adapt and work with their writers as an additional challenge.

My role in this year's film fest was a writer and as the leader of a team. Since last year, I've been leading a team comprised mostly of people from Shepherd University. We are known as Turbo Duck Productions, and though we haven't won anything yet, it has been an adventure every time.

2011:

In 2011, our team produced a film called "Fall from Grace" about a man who has to work through issues that come to a head after the worst day of his life. In 2011, I was the team leader and writer, and had to learn how to do everything in 72 hours. For the team, this film was a challenge to do since we had to come up with a script and shoot the entire movie on the weekend before midterms.

2012:

This year, we made a film called "Principles" by adapting a script by Pat Riley about a man who pretends to hate halloween... but secretly loves it more than anyone else. This film was a lot of fun to make, and we had a good time putting everything together.

My final project:

What this film fest contributed to my final project was getting me back into the filmmaking groove. It may sound weird, but somehow having to put together an entire movie in 72 hours is a great way to calm the nerves when I was thinking about how I wanted to film my final project. Playing with cameras, lighting, sound, and editing was kind of like a creative shock that got me into gear for my project.

Overall, I's loved participating in the 72 Film Fest. I hope to be able to participate in the fest in the future, or in festivals similar to in in other cities. If you are ever looking for a challenge, or a creative boost... then look no further than a 72 hour film fest.