48 Hour Short Film Projects

During my time working on independent film projects in Brisbane Australia I’ve been part of several 48 short film projects and I have included a few of my favourites here. In the course of 48 hours a team has to write, direct and edit a short film and compete against other film crews. This type a project is a great test of your skillset, ability to work in a team and under great time pressure. These projects unquestionably pushed me to grow in my skills as Director of Photography and Video Editor.

Two people seek to reconcile their broken past before a meteor hits earth and ends all life. DIG is a short film entered into the 48 hour short film competition in Brisbane 2016. For this project I was the Director of Photography, we had 2 camera operators, 3 assistant camera operators and several grips. One of the biggest challenges on this project was creating a consistent look with changing weather conditions and the sun moving through the day (we had only one day to film!). The project was nominated for a few awards including best actress.

In Sinking Under, a life guard is brought in for an interrogation on grounds of suspected murder. Sinking Under was a student project entered into a student competition. My roles were, Co-Writer, Director of Photography and Co-Editor. We were unable to secure a location that looked like an interrogation room in time so we had to be creative. I lit a table standing by itself in the middle of a large room from above with a soft box and the walls became “invisible” giving the impression of an isolated and uncomfortable space as if the darkness was a wall itself. The harsh shadows also lend themselves well to the genre of the film.

In Immortal, a woman is cursed with the gift of immortality and is on a quest to find the antidote to her painful existence. Immortal was a student project entered into a student competition. On this project my roles were, co-Writer, Producer, 1st Assistant Director and Editor. Editing the ending of this film was particularly fun, I wanted to leave the audience hanging and use the absence of sound to create contrast and keep the tension high.