Reel Works’ 48 Hour Filmmaking Challenge
Reel Works’ 48 Hour Filmmaking Challenge was a great experience. It was my first time working on a filmmaking set. I made new friends and together we overcame unpredictable challenges. The energy, the determination, and the passion for storytelling created a weekend like no other.
The Challenge kicked off on Friday. In the blink of an eye, we were divided into our groups to begin brainstorming. Each group was assigned a prop to develop their story around. Our team was assigned a crystal ball! We brainstormed to create a list with every item that came to mind when we thought about crystal balls. By the end of our first meeting, we shared our lists and molded these ideas into a concrete storyline. Inspired by everyone’s thoughts and the weekend’s theme of horror, our screenwriter created the characters Willow and Sadie.
Our team faced a number of challenges during the fleeting 48 hours. We navigated through unpredictable twists that came with racing against the clock. We had to abandon some ideas which forced us to rewrite the story a handful of times. Eventually our team fell behind schedule while shooting. At the end of Saturday, we only shot three scenes and our film was far from finished. Other teams had already started editing and we began to lose hope. Our team came together and decided that we still wanted to complete our film even if we got disqualified for falling behind schedule. At that moment winning wasn’t our primary goal, collaborating on a shared film was more important.
Behind the scenes of Finding Willow
We were met with another obstacle on the second day when one of of crewmembers didn’t show up to work with us. Our screenwriter Rohan stepped up to volunteer as editor. When we weren’t sure how to edit certain things, we asked members from outside teams for help. Thanks to them we learned new editing skills and experienced a community moment where everyone helped put our film together. Once we submitted our film at the end of day two, we were pleased with the final cut of Finding Willow.
Our team overcame obstacles, learned about each other, and had fun in the process! Many of us circulated roles and gave each other tips throughout the process. We did the best to our abilities within the 48-hour time frame.
The Finding Willow team
Despite these roadblocks, I'm grateful to have been on a team where everyone collaborated to find solutions! For many of us this was our first time working on a film, so we had to think on the spot. I appreciate my teammates and am thankful for the opportunity to work with them on this challenge. Special Thanks to Lilease who took on the role of director since this was my first time directing and would have been extremely lost in the process without them.
Watch these chilling short films on Reel Works’ YouTube today!
This blog post was written by Yasmin, a participant of the 48 Hour Filmmaking Challenge.