48 hours of filmmaking is ‘all about having fun’

The 48 Hour Film Festival is a bit like a party - the sleep is limited, good yarns are spun and it’s all captured on film.

‘‘It’s just all about having fun,’’ Taranaki’s event coordinator Anand Rose said weeks ahead of the amateur filmmaking competition.

This year the annual festival will be held from August 25 to 27 and will see hundreds of teams throughout the country spend two days furiously writing, filming and editing a five minute film.

The 48 hours will begin on the Friday night when teams receive the film’s genre and a prop, line, character and type of shot that must incorporated.

‘‘They like to keep it fresh and introduce new and genres,’’ Rose said.

Fellow event coordinator Karlos Drinkwater said this year organisers wanted teams to take storytelling risks.

But groups should still follow the beginning, middle and end formula and avoid over complicating the script, he said.

‘‘The story is king,’’ Drinkwater said. exciting

‘‘Even though we love to pride ourselves on technical capabilities they’re looking for engaging stories and engaging characters.’’

Rose recommended teams kept their storyboard free from ideas until the competition had begun.

‘‘Back yourselves to create from that time.’’

But he did advise teammates get to know one another beforehand and also give the equipment they planned to use a test run.

Participants would need a camera, a microphone if available and a programme to edit the film on.

These days a film could be shot on an iPhone, Rose said.

The men hoped Taranaki’s contribution would reach at least 30 teams. They said in past years the region usually averaged 20.

For more info www.48hours.co.nz. see