Filmmaking: guerilla style - Post News - The 48-Hour Film Festival - Brief Article

Post, July, 2002 by Matthew Armstrong

HOLLYWOOD--Three visual effects veterans are looking to forge their way into production with a notion to change the film-making process. Frustrated by the endless list of tedious details, Mark Kochinski, Keith Matz and John Parenteau have started The 48-Hour Film Festival (www.extremefilmmaker.com), to promote filmmaking, guerrilla-style.

The concept is simple: complete a film in 48 hours starting from the first frame exposed. "We wanted to find a way to both motivate and help us move into roles as filmmakers," explains Kochinski. "We were looking for a way that removes the ability to procrastinate or over-complicate any one aspect of a film."

While the three were developing a project for HBO eight months ago, they decided to form the production company Mad Science Labs, through which they soon organized The 48-Hour Film Festival. "When Mark approached me with this 48-hour concept, recalls Parenteau, "it clicked together and we realized this would solve all the problems we had before, which were excuses about why we can't get into production."

The quarterly festival had its first showing last fall with just a handful of films from friends and acquaintances, and three months later 13 short films were screened. Due to the enormous turnout and interest, they decided to promote the festival to a wider audience and rent a larger theater. This month's festival screened two hours worth of short films.

As it has grown, the festival is beginning to attract people from diverse backgrounds, "We have some visual effects people, young filmmakers, filmmakers that are already doing television but are attracted by the challenge of this format, and other people who have never done anything in film but had always wanted to try," says Parenteau. "Sometimes the people with the most experience have the most trouble, and the people that don't have that experience tend to let go [easily] and come up with some innovative ideas."

There is no entry fee for the festival and at this point all the funding is provided by Mad Science Labs, though corporate sponsors may be sought as the festival grows.

The 48-hour format not only encourages production, but also lifts the insecurities of first time auteurs. "The final hump that people have when they try to make films is they never finish, they can't let go and never want to let people see it until it's perfect," explains Kochinski. "This forces you to not be perfect, just finish it and show it."

For more on The 48 Hour Film Festival visit www.postmagazine.com.