LeftLion at the 24 Hour Film Challenge

10.02pm

2008-05-11T22:09:00.001+01:00

The One Giant Leap people are ready for some sleep after a job well done.

9.22pm

2008-05-11T21:52:00.001+01:00

After the party it's the afterparty...

8.27pm

2008-05-11T20:38:00.001+01:00

And the winner is...

Honest Dave by Team Kananga! Well done guys. We're off to the the
party to get a few more pictures up, and that will finally be that.
Congratulations to everyone who managed to complete a film, it's been
a great experience, and a heck of a long weekend.

8.16pm

2008-05-11T20:19:00.001+01:00

The team's wait nervously for the judge's announcement...

8.00pm

2008-05-11T20:14:00.001+01:00

The film's have all been shown, and the judges are making their deliberations.

One Giant Leap, our boys' film, seemed to be well-received, but who
will be the ultimate victor? We're about to find out...

6.33pm

2008-05-11T18:38:00.001+01:00

We're in Cineworld and the screenings are about to begin. 'I think
you'll enjoy this,' says Nick from BritFilms, no depravity has been
left untouched.'

11.46am

2008-05-11T11:50:00.001+01:00

Well, all the films are in (or the vast majority of them at least),
the filmmakers are off to catch up on some much-needed sleep and we'll
all be back at the Cornerhouse at half six to taste the proof of the
pudding.

11.26am

2008-05-11T11:29:00.001+01:00

Desperate scenes as one team bring in their laptop and attempt to master their film to tape live in front of our eyes.

11.05am

2008-05-11T11:17:00.001+01:00

After missing his only bus and having to walk here, Paul just managed
to get the film in under the deadline. And he's happy with it. 'I
don't think we could have done better if we'd had weeks to film it,'
he says. And now it's a wait until 6.30 to find out which films will
be shown and who's won the prizes.

10.59am

2008-05-11T11:03:00.001+01:00

He's made it!

10.53am

2008-05-11T10:56:00.001+01:00

People are running up to the desk now. Apparently Paul set off with
the finished film over an hour ago, but there's been no sign of him
since... this really is cutting it fine now.

10.47am

2008-05-11T10:49:00.001+01:00

Tapes and tapes. 13 minutes to go now...

10.45am

2008-05-11T10:46:00.001+01:00

There's a steady stream of bleary-eyed filmmakers rocking up with
their completed pieces, but still no sign of our boys. It'd be
heartbreaking if they got stuck in traffic on the way from Derby or
something now, and they're cutting it fine.

10.35am

2008-05-11T10:38:00.001+01:00

Nick and Johnny process submissions.

10.27am

2008-05-11T10:29:00.001+01:00

There's a bit of a queue of finished filmmakers building up now.

10.23am

2008-05-11T10:24:00.001+01:00

Nick from BritFilms arrives, and we can start signing people in and
handing out tickets for the screenings.

10.11am

2008-05-11T10:12:00.001+01:00

Harry and Izzy, the first team to hand their film in.

10.01am

2008-05-11T10:09:00.001+01:00

The Cineworld shutters are open, but there's no-one here! Johnny
Oddball, one of the judges, arrives, and mans the submission desk.
Soon the first filmmakers arrive: Izzy and Harry with their film, Dawn
and the Dead. 'We're known for blood and cheese,' Izzy says. Great!
I'm looking forward to seeing it.

9.56am

2008-05-11T09:59:00.001+01:00

We're at the Cornerhouse to see the films being handed in, but nowheres's open!

00.00

2008-05-11T00:01:00.002+01:00

Stick a fork in us cos we are done! We are all pleased with the finished result but mildly concerned about our slightly less than liberal use of the 'prop' (T-Shirt). Although one of the main characters wore it throughout, it was only clearly visible in a couple of shots. Hopefully its not going to be a problem. Anyway, We are tired now and want to sleep and in the words of Amir (Jack in the film) not even an apocalyptic war will wake me up tonight. tata!

22.37

2008-05-10T22:38:00.002+01:00

We have finished the picture edit! We are now feeling a mixture of satisfaction and tiredness. We need to get the sound levels sorted out now, which hopefully won't take too long. Estimated time of total completion = midnight.
P.S. my arms are on fire. I'm tired and I need a shower.

20.34

2008-05-10T20:36:00.002+01:00

Rough edit completed! Its weighing in at 4 minutes 47 seconds... Not bad considering we shot 55 minutes of footage. We are now gonna go through it and chop it right down so that we get it to the three minute limit...No problem.
I think we are all really excited with how this is looking! The film aside for a moment, after shooting outdoors all day in the blistering sun, my face and arms look redder than that of a lobster. It really hurts! The definition of suffering for my art.
Anyway, back to the film and the fine tuning of the edit. We know what needs to be done so we just need to do it. No Concerns from any of us about the deadline...famous last words.

19.50

2008-05-10T19:51:00.002+01:00

We are now in the edit suite having gone through the rushes which have all come out well. We were a little concerned about the sound coming out ok but it is fine - phew. We are trying to put a basic edit down before refining it but keep getting distracted by the comedy of the actors performances - must focus! We are all actually very pleased with the footage and I think we are all confident that this film could come out really well.

4.41pm

2008-05-10T16:47:00.002+01:00

Well, the film's in the can, the filmmakers are in their even more top secret edit suite somewhere in the beating heart of Derby, and I'm in the pub. I'll shortly be handing over to Owen and the others to talk us through the editing process overnight, and then I'll be back in the morning to watch the finished films being delivered.
Cheers!

4.39pm

2008-05-10T16:40:00.002+01:00

Done and dusted. Well done guys!

(l-r: Rupert, Amir, Owen, Jeanne, Paul)

3.44pm

2008-05-10T15:49:00.002+01:00

Stop the press! We've got the bird! We caught the pigeon! Owen has been scouring the rooftops with his camera when one swoops slowly overhead for a good three or four seconds. Then another turns and hovers above the secret location and surely they've got what they need. It's official, it's a wrap, and in less than a normal office working day. Maybe next time this should be a twelve hour film challenge?

3.25pm

2008-05-10T15:31:00.002+01:00

And, incredibly, that's looks like it's pretty much that. There's still a bit of sound that needs re-recording, but the crew have got nearly all the shots they need (no, still no sign of a suitable bird), and it'll soon be on to the editing...

3.19pm

2008-05-10T15:21:00.002+01:00

Rupert smashing his bottle. Luckily he's a first take professional and nails it at the first time of asking. Which is fortunate, as there's no back-up bottle in case anything goes wrong.

3.07pm

2008-05-10T15:08:00.002+01:00

The crane's being constructed for the final shot. I'm still amazed at how calm the process has been. Still no sign of that bird though. And my phone seems to be getting worryingly low on battery...

3.04pm

2008-05-10T15:05:00.002+01:00

Paul and Owen reconstruct the crane for the final shot.

3.00pm

2008-05-10T15:00:00.002+01:00

The crew try to block out the final shot.

2.54pm

2008-05-10T14:57:00.002+01:00

It's clear that Amir's filmmaking experience is really useful in terms of knowing what's expected of him in terms of his acting and coming up with ideas for ideas. Paul's admitted though that it can be a bit intimidating directing someone you rate so highly as a director yourself.

2.48pm

2008-05-10T14:50:00.001+01:00

Apparently this crew aren't the first people to make use of this secret location...

2.40pm

2008-05-10T14:42:00.002+01:00

Things are going very quickly here now, which is surprising, considering the heat. The cloud's cleared and our top secret location is swelteringly hot. Rupert must be baking in his army jacket, but he's a pro and his acting's holding up admirably.

2.23pm

2008-05-10T14:29:00.001+01:00

I head down to ground level to find a toilet, and recieve a message
that LL snapper Dave is on his way soon. When I return, the crew are
starting to film the final confrontation between the two characters.

2.11pm

2008-05-10T14:12:00.002+01:00

Right this minute, somewhere in this city, something like thirty different films are being made. Ace!

2.06pm

2008-05-10T14:08:00.002+01:00

Three birds fly low, directly overhead. Owen's concentrating on something else though, and just misses them.

2.02pm

2008-05-10T14:05:00.002+01:00

There's a pigeon sat right on the ledge of the secret location. It flies down rather than up though, and it's important that the bird is seen against a pure sky, with no buildings in the background. So
that's still on the shot list.

1.50pm

2008-05-10T13:59:00.002+01:00

Filming restarts, and Owen is concentrating on getting shots of Rupert being weird.

1.45pm

2008-05-10T13:47:00.001+01:00

...while Rupert runs through his lines with Paul

1.44pm

2008-05-10T13:45:00.002+01:00

Owen and Amir discuss the final shot...

1.20pm

2008-05-10T13:27:00.002+01:00

In fact, things are going so well we've now broken for lunch!

The only thing that would throw a spanner in the works now would be if we got turfed off the secret location. And it would be a massive spanner. Even if a backup location could be found, there's not enough time to start again from the beginning now. The only option would be to bribe whoever found us...

12.50pm

2008-05-10T12:52:00.002+01:00

Rupert wearing the all-important prop.

12.32pm

2008-05-10T12:42:00.003+01:00

It's a lovely bright day today, and even though we're totally exposed to the elements up here and the sky has begun to cloud over, it still seems unlikely we're in any danger of rain stopping play.

In fact, it's starting to look like this might not be the caffeine crazed, mad-cap dash to the finish I was expecting. Which is a tribute to a crew who are obviously well prepared and know what they're doing, I suppose.

Still, we're not into filming the stunt shots yet, and there's an extremely important shot of a bird in flight which needs to be snatched at some point. So anything could happen.

12.16pm

2008-05-10T12:18:00.002+01:00

Owen and Jeanne receive direction.

12.05

2008-05-10T12:10:00.002+01:00

Rupert, on the other hand, is a bit of a veteran (his previous LL interview was following his role in Chris Cooke's fantastic One For The Road). He's based in Cambridge but says he comes up here at least once a year to work, and is impressed with the quality of the talent in Nottingham, saying it's one of the best places to film outside London, which is lovely to hear. Thanks Rupert!

12.00pm

2008-05-10T12:03:00.002+01:00

This is Amir's first proper acting role, although he's already an experienced filmmaker in his own right. As he says, 'I usually stay on the safe side of the camera.' He's doing a good job though, from what I've seen so far.

11.54am

2008-05-10T11:56:00.001+01:00

Recording Amir's dialogue, which at this stage consists mostly of 'fuck off.'

11.48am

2008-05-10T11:51:00.002+01:00

Rupert makes his first entrance on screen, and we get the first line of dialogue: 'So, are you going to jump or what?'

11.46am

2008-05-10T11:47:00.001+01:00

Amir gets into character, and waits for his next shot.

11.30am

2008-05-10T11:32:00.001+01:00

'Action!'

11.20am

2008-05-10T11:29:00.002+01:00

First shot is in the can. And we're on to the next set-up.

The film is about an office worker (Amir) deciding whether or not to jump off a roof, before being surprised by a homeless guy (Rupert). I've never met any of these people before, but Nottingham being what it is, it turns out me and Amir have a friend in common and Rupert is a previous LeftLion interviewee. It's a small world, but an even smaller town.

11.17am

2008-05-10T11:19:00.002+01:00

'Cut!' And they're going for another take...

11.15am

2008-05-10T11:16:00.002+01:00

'Ready to shoot in about a minute,' calls Paul. And then, a minute later,
'Action!'

Here we go...

11.02am

2008-05-10T11:02:00.002+01:00

Owen and Paul set up the opening crane shot.

10.58am

2008-05-10T10:57:00.002+01:00

Owen the DP has arrived, and is already busy setting up his first
shot. Meanwhile, Jeanne the sound engineer looks like she's strapping
a boom mike together. It appears things are about to start
happening...

10.50am

2008-05-10T10:50:00.002+01:00

The cast, Amir (l) and Rupert (r), run through their lines. Rupert still doesn't know quite what to make of the essential T-shirt prop.

10.45am

2008-05-10T10:47:00.002+01:00

All crews have been given a prop - a T-shirt - which must appear in every shot, in order to prove that all filming took place today and nothing was prepared in advance. At the moment the crew are trying to decide whether the T-shirt (which they've dirtied up to keep it real) should be on the ground or whether Rupert should be wearing it.

10.42

2008-05-10T10:44:00.001+01:00

Paul (centre) discusses how to use the T-shirt with the cast.

10.37am

2008-05-10T10:40:00.001+01:00

I make it to the location and meet Paul, the director, and the cast
and crew. They're waiting for the Director of Photography, who's
arriving from Derby.

10.23am

2008-05-10T10:26:00.001+01:00

En route to the secret location. I can't say where it is yet as this
shoot is proper old-school guerrilla style, and I'm not sure all the
necessary permissions have been obtained.

10,17am

2008-05-10T10:19:00.002+01:00

Nick from BritFilms at the registration desk. That's a tube containing a T-shirt on the left, not a pint of Guinness, don't worry.

10.00am

2008-05-10T10:01:00.002+01:00

And we're off!

I've forgotten my sandwiches, but I'm headed into town with a notebook, pens, a jumper, phone charger, the nifty little device I'm writing this on and a jar of coffee.

God knows if I'll end up anywhere near a kettle though. All I've been told is that filming is taking place all day in a secret location...

The 24 Hour Film Challenge

2008-05-07T17:15:00.002+01:00

Most short films never get made. Or at least, never get finished. Whilst the cost of digital film-making equipment has plummeted even faster than its quality has risen, one fact remains: time is still money. When you're putting together your magnum opus at weekends, having to wait on the availability of family and friends to provide you with favours and wanting to fiddle with the editing until you've got all those cross-fades, whip-pans and reverse dolly shots slotting together like a well-oiled jigsaw, it's easy to let things to drag on to the point where you forget why you wanted to make the thing in the first place. And then not bother. But what if you didn't have time? What if whatever you started had to be finished by exactly the same time tomorrow, or else?

On Saturday May 10, fifty caffeine-crazed film crews from all over the country will descend on Hoodtown in an ultimate battle to prove who has the shiniest, swiftest cinematic ninja skills. There are two catches: if their final efforts come in even a second over the three minute mark they'll be instantly disqualified, and they have just 24 short hours to shoot, edit and process their mini-masterpieces.

The event's been organised by the good people at BritFilms, in association with notorious guerrilla filmmaker and film challenge guru Johnny Oddball. BritFilms is a Nottingham based website which doesn't just review movies and keep you up to date with everything that's new on the silver screen, it's one of the best place on the net to see new short films too, especially their Made in the Midlands section, featuring a whole host of local talent making movies on location in England's midriff.

Here at LeftLion, we're big fans of theirs, and we decided this idea was too exciting not to spend a full rotation of the Earth documenting in full. We'll be on the scene for the whole long haul with one lucky film crew, bringing you all the dizzying coffee highs and terrifying blood sugar crashes live, as they happen. Then (after a brief rest for sleep/food/psychiatric counselling) we'll be smuggling our e-mail enabled camera phones into the gala screening at the Cornerhouse's glamorous and exclusive Cineworld Cinema to find out whether our chosen crew can triumph in the evening's final award ceremony. It promises to be the longest Saturday night and Sunday morning in LeftLion's journalistic history. Who will survive, and what will be left of them? Join us here from 10:00am on Saturday 10 May and find out...