Creating anything is a wonderful way to explore one’s own interests and perhaps connect with others. Art can be kept to yourself – but how amazing is it to share with others? Once in a while you might be able to make a masterpiece and keep it in a bubble. Seldom is that possible, particularly with filmmaking. You could get your Ken Burns, Steven Spielberg or Jodie Foster hat on, but it would be tough without a team to collaborate with. And it might not be as satisfying if there weren’t an audience to show it to.
Enter the 48 hour film contest. Participants gather a crew, write a script, produce, shoot and edit a movie. In two days. That’s the 48 hour part. The catch? You can’t do any work beforehand. There are rules in place and random elements that you draw for at the kickoff party. Typically each team must include the same prop, line of dialogue or character, possibly a scene location. You are also assigned a film genre.
Nationwide there are events in most major cities with numerous teams. Austin, Texas to New York City to L.A., any metropolitan area with any sort of art scene has a contest including Des Moines, Minneapolis and Denver in our region.
Aberdeen was a site for the national event in 2005. Now the event is called The Fischgaard 48 Hour Film Making Contest.
Their 2020 event occurred in the middle of February. Enthusiasm for filmmaking isn’t limited to the Hub City in South Dakota. Vermillion has been the site of the Fool’s 48 Film Project since 2017 in the spring.
Jessi Hanson is the programming chair for the Vermillion Cultural Association (VCA). “I wanted to see something unique to Vermillion that wasn’t being done in a lot of places yet,” says Hanson. “When I joined the VCA as programming chair, it was like throwing spaghetti at a wall and seeing what stuck.” Hanson and colleague Michelle Maloney were inspired by the work being done in Aberdeen and contacted their organizer Tom Black to learn how to create a 48 Hour Film Project in southeast South Dakota.
Vermillion has been a welcoming audience and the event has grown each year. “The first year we had three teams and we were ecstatic!” Hanson recalls. “The second year we had five teams. We would have had more, but we had to reschedule due to a blizzard and then some students couldn’t participate because it coincided with finals.”
2018 was the first year that I participated in the Fool’s 48 at the request of my friend Kelsey Collier-Wise. I didn’t need much persuasion. I knew that it would be fun even though I didn’t know quite how it would go.
We were required to film in front of a downtown mural, use the line “It’s a great day to be Robert Mitchum” and include a character by the name of Iota Nunbush. We spent the weekend laughing and making a story with friends. Little of it was scripted as most of the lines were improvised.
It was a smidge stressful at times as I scrambled to edit. When this event began nationally, production was more analogue. You had to be physically present to transfer media off of a tape. I live 16 miles outside of Vermillion, and we’ve mostly been able to transfer and exchange files via the internet, except for occasionally needing to organize a mid-point handoff of a thumb drive. Nail-biting moments notwithstanding, it’s a good time.
Collier-Wise explains why she was drawn to the project. “It’s an opportunity to be creative in a way that most of us don’t normally get to do. Because of the short timeframe and the community atmosphere, you can let go of any idea of being perfect. And, you get to create something with friends, which is super fun!”
Fellow teammate Katy Beem, SDPB Station Relations Manager, is drawn to the project because, “Our Fool’s 48 group typically finds ways to put humor into our films. Humor is humbling and uplifting. It helps us not take ourselves too seriously.”
The event is fun for the organizers as well. Shannon Cole, Executive Director of the Vermillion Cultural Association says, “I chickened out of joining a film team in 2017, and by 2018 I had just been hired as the executive director, so I was on the organizing end. I get to cheerlead all these projects and programs into life, and then I just have to show up, greet the crowd , say ‘ta-da!’ and show off everyone else’s hard work. It’s a pretty sweet gig.”
Another appealing feature for Cole is that Fool’s 48 is accessible for everyone. “I think that there’s less pressure to feel like you have to have professional-grade equipment to participate. Got a smartphone? Congrats, you’re a filmmaker this weekend”
By 2019 Hanson feels that the event hit its stride, “We had ten teams, one was a group of nine-year old’s. We had over 100 people attend the showcase. It was everything we wanted to happen for this event.”
Flexibility and an ability to ‘wing it’ is built into the nature of the Fool’s 48 event. 2020 brought additional challenges. Scheduled for the first weekend in April, it became clear in mid-March there would be a few extra hurdles to cross. Hanson and Cole were resolved: if the community showed interest and had the opportunity, the show should go on. “I think people need something to focus on besides all of the negative news you are hearing on the daily,” Hanson explains.
Logistically, it took some time to figure out how to pull this event off due to social distancing. There couldn’t be an in-person genre draw and packet hand out. Teams were mandated to follow CDC guidelines and were forbidden to gather for their respective projects. These films had to be shot using the people in your house, or you could collect material via digital file transfer and stitch your film together.
Tough sell, but easier to manage thanks to the internet. I was nervous about completing an edit because nationwide the internet is in high demand. With everyone on it at all times, would the area bandwidth allow for success? On the other hand, where was I going for the weekend? My couch, my kitchen, my yard, my bed. It is early in the shelter-in-place time period yet and already stress levels are elevated. Why would I turn down an opportunity to make something for fun with friends and my family?
Katy Beem seized the opportunity too, but did have some initial reservations. “Frankly, I wasn’t sure I was going to participate in Fool’s 48 this year. My husband is an essential worker, commuting to Sioux City each day. I’m working at home and trying to school our second-grader. I had work deadlines that can really only get my full attention when my husband gets home.” This project is a challenge to complete with young children at home, it is true. Beem is a trooper and leaped on board.
Following the genre hand out, I helped my 8-year old start working on his project. Thanks to Kids Facebook Messenger, he could chat with his buddy George. I thought it would be a great opportunity for my son Owen to practice his storytelling skills. He has often appeared in my previous projects. Due to travel restrictions and not being on the road for work, I also thought that I might have more opportunity to help him.
George’s mom Susan Hanson is another colleague at SDPB. You’re likely familiar with her voice during Morning Edition. George is finishing up kindergarten and has been learning about stories too. “I thought it was something the whole family could do together since we couldn’t go anywhere, and it was a way for George to learn about words, stories and following a narrative,” says Hanson. “It was a struggle, getting him to understand he needed to follow a script. Eventually George understood what a storyboard is and how you need to do one before you start filming. He wants to make more movies on his own now.”
Many kids have tablets to use for schoolwork. They are also a great tool for experimenting with filmmaking. Two new directors have the film bug and will perhaps learn editing skills in time for Fool’s 48, 2021.
In previous years, my team may have elected to have a brainstorming session at a local dining establishment or watering hole. This year we logged onto a group meeting platform, Zoom, to flush out a concept. I miss visiting in-person, but enjoyed sharing laughs via a webcam. It was that meeting that also helped spark a fire in Beem’s soul too. “After my Zoom meeting with you, (Melissa), and Kelsey, and the creative riffing we did, I caught the bug again. Fool’s 48 always gives me an opportunity to collaborate creatively, which I love, and to see a project through without time for being precious or overly precise.”
Connection to community is a significant factor in the Fool’s 48 project. As mentioned before, a mandatory scene is typically included. Filmmakers must make a connection to Vermillion and use a local landmark. This year it was our yard. Current events made their way into projects: the required prop was toilet paper and required character reference was a nod to pop culture with Carol Baskins from The Tiger King.
Interpersonal connection is another reason that Beem cites for her participation in this year’s Fool’s 48, “My department at SDPB oversees most of our public events, which of course we’ve had to cancel. These events were months in the making. I love the opportunity they give us to interact with people all over the state, face-to-face. I’m missing that, and I’m missing the satisfaction of seeing those projects through.”
Technology was another cast member. Thanks to the ubiquitous cell phone and relatively fast internet, even in a high demand time, we could include a large cast. One character joined from Mexico.
That same technology had to be wrangled a bit. Paul Ebsen, a director for South Dakota Public Broadcasting, competed in 2019. “I had never had the opportunity to try a 48-hour film before so I felt it would be a fun creative test. Some of my friends also wanted to learn how to film things and light scenes and so I thought, what a great opportunity to be able to do some hands on teaching. “
Ebsen’s team would have made a repeat performance this year. “We had such a blast last year, but there was just too much going on between helping at church and having a pregnant wife and a team spread throughout multiple cities.”
Instead, Ebsen jumped in behind the scenes and assisted Cole and Hanson’s efforts. There was a virtual team meeting and viewing party to work out. “It wasn’t too tough to get it together because I already knew and understood the digital resources that could be used to effectively make this event possible. The tough part was making sure everyone in the chain understood them enough to be comfortable with it. After a little training we were good to go.”
Submissions were offered to judges via Google Drive. Ebsen stitched them together and streamed them to a waiting audience using Facebook Live. Viewers could share the experience and offer their People’s Choice vote by way of Messenger.
Following a weekend of frenzied filmmaking, I think everyone involved in the production or viewing of this mini festival felt uplifted. Two of three groups, plus the children’s group, involved SDPB staff. I miss seeing their faces in our office. I miss being able to walk to their desk or office to chat.
Our community as a whole misses gathering in coffee shops or stopping to visit in the aisle of the grocery store. But, for a weekend we could come together to make a bit of art. Katy Beem would agree. “I love that our little community came together in our imaginations. Creative collaboration, even for a light-hearted endeavor like this, is powerful!”
Connection is the goal of this event, even during “normal” years with ideal circumstances. Vermillion Cultural Association’s Shannon Cole would concur. “I’m excited when the programs we offer become happy memories for people and tighten bonds between them. Filming a Fool’s 48 movie is full of laughter, problem solving and cooperation and is definitely unforgettable for participants.”