Two of the big challenges in filmmaking are coming up with an idea and completion. While these sound like the easy parts, most filmmakers will tell you otherwise.
There is nothing more daunting than Everything. Meaning that, when charged to make a film without any guidlines, one can literally make a film about anything. This kind of option - a bottomless chasm of "what-if"- freezes many people in a state of Potential Paralysis from which they never emerge.
The other trick is actually getting the film done; completing it. There are so many variables, schedules, obstacles and unknowns, that it becomes easy to put the film off or take a couple day break that ends up lasting a few years. It helps to have a deadline. The dead-er, the better.
And that is where things like Film Racing come in handy. A strict deadline coupled with and a specific topic, lines of dialog or props that must be included in the finished film give you just enough direction and urgency to get something done. Hopefully, something watchable.
There are a few of these types of things across the country, but the people at FilmRacing.com seem to have one of the better operations (and they own the killer url). The San Francisco version is coming up quick - get on it.
VIA
Film Racing is a nationwide
competition that challenges filmmakers to create original short
films under extreme time constraints. Film Racing visited
13 cities on the
2007 Tour, 17 cities
in 2008, and
will be visiting 20 cities on the 2009 Tour challenging filmmakers
to create short films in 24 hours. The films premiere on
the big screen in theaters across the country and the top films
advance to compete for thousands in cash and prizes here on
filmracing.com.
Check out last year's San Francisco winner, SWEEP, below. The embed code on the Film Racing site was non-op so image links to the page directly.