Friday evening: We stand around in the Downtown Cocktail Room, waiting to draw a genre out of a hat, and get assigned a character, a prop and a line of dialogue. It’s the start of the 48 Hour Film Project, an international event (now in its third year in Las Vegas), in which teams are given just two days to write, shoot and edit a short film between four and seven minutes long. Two years ago, I worked with my friend Jason Leinwand (he directed, we both wrote) to make an award-winning sci-fi comedy.
Friday night: Armed with our assigned genre (superhero, not our first choice), we end up jettisoning the ideas we came up with in advance and in two hours churn out a script about a mental institution for superheroes. The cast gathers for a script reading, and, thankfully, there are plenty of laughs.
Saturday morning: It’s way too early, and I’m at the house of Jason’s friend Tom, who’s agreed to let us film in his spacious abode. Even with a rushed project like this, shooting a movie entails lots and lots of waiting around followed by short bursts of activity.
Saturday night: After around 12 hours at Tom’s, we finally wrap shooting. Despite a few bumps along the way, we’ve covered everything that we planned to, and everyone is in good spirits, if incredibly tired.
Sunday afternoon: Editor Paul, who also worked on the shoot, slept for a whole hour, but we’re still behind schedule and running into technical snags. We wait and wait as he painstakingly searches for the right sound to match up with the takes we’re using.
Sunday evening: I literally run into the Downtown at 7:30 on the dot, which is the deadline to turn in the movie. Jason claims to be 84 percent pleased with the result (titled Oak Pine Willows: Superhero Rehabilitation Center), but with only 48 hours, that has to be good enough. –Josh Bell................................................................................................................................The 48 Hour Film Project movies screen Thursday, August 9 in three groups (6, 8:15 and 10:30 p.m.) at the Galaxy Theatres inside Neonopolis. Tickets are $10. For more info visit 48hourfilm.com/lasvegas.