On Friday, June 20, Bellevue College Film Society students arrived at the 148th Ave Café to select films they would produce by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Students were assigned a short film genre prompt to portray through screenwriting, casting, shooting and screening in less than 48 hours. On Sunday, the films were evaluated and the selection process for the winning film began.
Normally when one thinks of filmmaking, they envision a grueling, yearlong process entailing hundreds of takes.
The director says, “That was awesome. Great job everyone, but let’s do it one more time.” “One more time” is declared repeatedly, and the film team has to scramble to create a product that both pleases the director and is cognizant of the audience’s interest.
The BC film club did not have the luxury of time. With only three days to create a satisfactory film, students had to go with their guts and use their intuition to get the best take.
The club was divided into two teams for the challenge. Anthony Tackett, the Bellevue College Film Productions president, held a hat with the film genres inside to be selected.
The students expressed their excitement for the task, despite the fact that team members were wary to volunteer someone to draw from the hat.
“The anticipation is killing me,” said Seth Walker, a graphic artist for The Watchdog and member of the film club.
When courage was mustered, it came down to a competition between a horror film and a science fiction film.
Encompassing these ideas must be done with loyalty to the themes of the story, but must be represented in an original way to set the film apart. Incorporation of extraneous details was one of the main focuses of the film challenge.
Students were responsible for the inclusion of a line of dialogue as well (“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”) Both teams were to include a character named Jo-Jo, and a light bulb was one of the required props.
Twists and turns made this film challenge difficult and exciting.
Networking is one of the most important challenges of being in the film industry. “A little while ago, a producer I met and worked with in Seattle recommended me for a project. I haven’t seen this guy in eight years,” said Tackett. The club president encourages members to get involved with many different projects and people to prepare for a successful career.
Many participated in this challenge to take a break from other filming projects. “I’m still working on a project called ‘Reminisce’ and I’m here to start something new,” said Walker.
“I’ve been building up my resume lately, and I have three possible jobs. I might be working on a gig for the Girl Scouts, a feature film One Square Mile, and Beast of the Southern Wild,” said Ethan Hawks, a member of Bellevue College Film Productions.
Many editors will watch film material hundreds of times in order to select cuts that will be visually striking for the audience.
The film challenge was the perfect opportunity for film students to refine their skills and take a short break from other projects.
Students have yet to see the finished products of both the horror and the science fiction shorts.
“I finished watching the two films from the Bellevue College 48 Hour Film Challenge, and I am so happy to be working with a fine group of filmmakers. The work they did was quite riveting. The cinematography, story and editing shows off what they learned,” said Tackett.
The winner will be selected on Friday by a people’s choice voting system. For information regarding student film showcases and the Bellevue College Film Society, check out the Facebook page by looking up Bellevue College Film Productions.