Overview

At 6PM Friday July 23rd novice and seasoned filmmakers alike will gather over a weekend, pick up to 5 stories and set out to make them into short films all in a single weekend. With generous support from Nikon, Emerge Memphis and the Memphis and Shelby County Film and Television Commission, Fuel Film will provide the space, the equipment and the fuel for participants to turn the story ideas of their choice into short films.

Who Should Be There?

We need seasoned or aspiring PRODUCERS, WRITERS, DIRECTORS, CINEMATOGRAPHERS, SOUND RECORDISTS, LIGHTING and GRIP CREW, EDITORS, MUSIC COMPOSERS and (very important) ACTORS!

FILMMAKERS - What if you could have 20-30 people working on your short film over a single weekend?

NOVICES - Have you ever wondered what it would be like to make a movie? This single weekend could give you a new perspective and an awesome array of contacts in the industry.

Specialties welcome - MAKEUP, HAIR, COSTUME, PROPS, ART DIRECTION, GRAPHIC ARTISTS, LOGISTICS, MARKETERS, PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS.

How It Works

FuelFilm:Memphis will provide the Equipment, Space, Food, Coffee, Red Bull, Soft drinks, Water, and of course BEER.

THE PITCH: All participants will meet at 6PM at Emerge Memphis - those with ideas (from notion to complete short script or scene from a larger script) will pitch to everyone else. All participants will VOTE for their 5 favorite ideas. The 3 to 5 with the most votes will be greenlit for production.

DEVELOPMENT / PRE PRODUCTION: That same night, the bringer of each chosen film-concept will be able to choose one role (producer, director, etc.) and select from our participants to create a team (pre-production, production, and post teams) and cast, hammer out the story details, script and shot list and plan the shoot day.

PRODUCTION / SHOOT: Saturday 7/24- It's time to shoot - all in one day and evening.

POST PRODUCITON / EDITING: Sunday 7/25 Bring in your footage and start editing with your post production team. (Run out and shoot some pickups if you need to.)

SCREENING / WRAP PARTY: 6PM on Sunday, time to stop and show what you've got. All our teams will show their films.

FAQ

(Not that anyone has really asked us, but we know the drill.)

WHO OWNS THE FILM WHEN IT'S DONE?
The Production Team for that film, plus FuelFilm (for promotional purposes). Also, our equipment sponsor NIKON will have unlimited license to use the footage or final film in promotional materials if they so choose.

YEAH, BUT WHAT IF MY GREAT IDEA IS PICKED
Well, ideas aren't copyrightable, you can always make it again - you can even use the LAUNCH film to show a potential investor or partner the potential of your idea. If you bring in a completed script or piece of one, and it's picked, then you still OWN the copyright, but the resultant film is not solely owned by you.

CAN I BRING MY OWN CREW AND CAST
You can bring them, of course, though they have to register and pay like everyone else. All your people can vote for your project too - but they (and you) must also vote on 4 others, so there is no guarantee that YOUR film will be chosen.

BUT I WANT IT TO BE ABOUT ME! ME! ME!
That's ok, but the 48Hour Film Launch is both a competition of sorts, and a collective experience. Part of being successful in the film industry (at least in these parts) is being willing to do whatever it takes to make a film. Bring the great attitude, and leave the ego, and let's make this good for everyone.

What does it cost?

Glad you asked, though we have sponsors supplying equipment and a little cash, it just ain' t going to cover the beer and food and craft-services table - not to mention disposable batteries and expendables.

We are charging a $35 participation fee - payable when you register here.