Short film showdown shakes up Columbus

Each year, major cities across the world take part in the 48 Hour Film Project, a global short film competition that challenges teams to write, film, edit and turn in a short film in 48 hours or less. Teams are given some criteria they must follow and can not write or film anything ahead of kickoff. In 2025, the Columbus chapter of the "48" is August 1-3, with a later screening date and another award ceremony after all judging is complete.

While I'AMedia doesn't enter as a comapny, we do often join teams individually and have worked together and with other production companies over some very hectic weekends. In 2014, Joshua Porter and Lewis Gordon teamed up with other production compnaies to complete their first 48. Assigned "film noir" as their genre, they wrote a gritty crime drama and spent the next day and a half filming, editing and scoring the short, titled "Planting Seeds". Screening night was held at Gateway Theater in Columbus. You can watch the film here.

Joshua and Lewis teamed up again in 2018 to film "Okay, Ziggy", a sci-fi short with a fun twist.

You can watch "Okay, Ziggy" here. It went on to screen at several festivals around Ohio and a few beyond.

Filming for these types of events can introduce you to new people and expose you to areas of the industry you may not have seen. With acting, production, editing, writing and everything else all done in such a short amount of time, it's common for team members to wear multiple hats and thus gain knowledge in several areas. Students especially can benefit from this "all hands on deck" approach. Actors can gain needed footage for demo reels and profiles, while crew can gain insight to new gear and techniques. Another benefit is the collective critique of industry peers. Members of local teams tend to know one another through other jobs or social media updates. A strong showing at an event likle the 48 can solidify one's reputation and lead to future work.

The largest downside to competitions like these are that they require a large amount of dedication and commitment with no pay and no promise of awards. The amount of rival teams can number in the teens to thirties - and that's just locally. If your film does well in the 48, it can move onto the next tier where it competes regionally, and finally globally, with the winner screening at Cannes Film Festival. Here are some tips we've learned from the 48 and other competitions:

1) Focus on the audio. Many of the films that aren't recieved well usually have a few things in common, the biggest being bad audio. A good story and great acting are useless if the audience can't hear the film, or if there are too many audio problems. Dedicate a person to making sure the mics are set up and take the time to get good sounding audio not just for the actors but any effects as well. And watch music volume in post-production. Loud effects or music can easily drown out dialogue.

2) Have an ending. It's easy to get an idea and start filming, thinking you'll wing it and it will all come together in post. Films that succeed in these competitions all have strong endings that are set up early and deliver on time. The basic three-act structure still applies to short films.

3) Write and film with the editor in mind. With time being short, the editor will be hard pressed to get everything together if the shots they need aren't held long enough, shaky, or not there at all. Go over the script and if possible have the editor or a script supervisor on set to make notes about transitions, close ups and b-roll to help your editor get what they need to get it turned in on time. if your film needs music and special effects, that time will also be needed, so all the better to help the editor be as proficient as possible.

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