I suppose I should start with an apology for being effectively incommunicado for the past three months. Wish I could say that big film projects were afoot, but the reality is that this fall’s been a perfect storm of work, personal, and family obligations that occupied the vast majority of my personal time and mental energy.
That said, there’s nothing like a new project to get me out from under my rock, and it looks like we’ve got one: Tohubohu has just been invited to participate in the 48 Hour Film Project International Shootout! The good news is that this gives us the excuse we’ve been looking for to get another film in before the end of the year. The bad news (and there’s always bad news) is that the competition is the first weekend in December, which gives us very little prep time. Still, after talking to a few key folks and making sure we at least had our basic needs covered, we’ve decided to go ahead with it.
The competition works very similarly to the regular 48 Hour Film Project, but with a few variations. First, because this is a simultaneous international event, the drawing and submission processes are done remotely — we’ll receive our elements via email, and submit our finished film by mail (much like in the National Film Challenge); if you’re thinking ahead, you may realize that this effectively gives us an extra day to get everything wrapped up. Second, there won’t be a big-screen AFI Silver premiere — though the winning film will screen at Filmapalooza and at the Cannes Short Film Corner. And third, there will be other thematic elements besides the genre and the traditional required elements; because they’re looking to distribute a selection of the finished films as a package, the plan is to have some commonality connecting the films in the series.
Unfortunately, there’s no SAG waiver this time around, so alas, that means that our SAG-actor contingent will be unable to participate (well, not in front of the camera, anyway). Which is certainly a disappointment — particularly as our invitation to participate in this contest is due in no small part to all of the fantastic work you’ve done for us of late. But this will give others a chance to shine, and rest assured, we’ll have more opportunities soon!
Given the comparatively short prep time, we’ll naturally be giving preferential consideration to those with whom we’ve worked before (particularly on our most recent projects, “Number One With a Bullet,” “All Roads Lead Away,” and “Please Forward”). But — especially since several of our regulars are otherwise committed — if you’re interested in joining in, drop me a line ASAP! (And yes, I’m planning once again to tweet our progress across the weekend on my Twitter feed.)
Time to start shooting!