FilmFriend & the 48HOURS
Well, we did it... after an incredible series of mishaps (like this) and failures to source essential equipment (like this), things actually started going really well. Our assigned genre was Crime, and after first having a crack at writing a heist gone wrong, we ended up twisting the script into a surreal kangaroo court story revolving around a misappropriated 1kg block of Tasty cheese.
This was my first go at taking on the role of producer, and I really enjoyed it. Filming and editing was the right balance of fun and craziness, and despite the mishaps, we all had a great time, and managed to cruise in to the finish line in a record time (for us) at 6:38pm. Our production and screenplay was managed through a new web application we've been preparing over the past few months. Originally codenamed 1x1, we can now reveal the new brand as FilmFriend. Expect to hear more about this over the coming weeks as we field test on various short film projects and further develop our online service offering. In the meantime, you can follow our progress on Twitter.
As usual, the most intense moment of the weekend was the last 20 seconds at the dropoff location (moved to Toi Whakaari this year, as there were now more than 160 teams participating in Wellington alone). With 11 seconds to go, a wild-eyed runner charged in, punching the air and screaming ecstatically. Then with 6 seconds to go, another team sprinted up, their faces lined with an expression of extreme terror. We all thought that was it, but with 2 seconds to go, the last team tore in the door, almost crashing into the desk in a total rush of adrenaline. A huge crowd of rubberneckers started screaming and cheering, as the countdown reached 0, and as soon as the cheering died down, a scooter pulled up at the door. This poor fellow seemed to think he had made it on time, and through his motorcycle helmet, he couldn't hear what the crowd was yelling! Heartbreaking, but an absolutely incredible moment of drama and pathos. This is what makes 48HOURS so brilliant. There's nothing like the feeling of obsessively watching the clock, running in the tape, not knowing whether you're gonna make it on time.
Massive cheers and respect to all the teams who completed their short and handed it in on time! Ant Timpson recently described this as "the greatest filmmaking weekend in New Zealand's history". He's not far wrong. The heats are happening over the next few days, so if you're in Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch, make sure you get along and take in a slice of the madness.
