Another 48hrs

Making a short film can be quite difficult. Problems can occur almost anywhere. Actors, equipment, lighting, weather, film the list is potentially endless. Making a short film in 48 hours, and doing it well, could be described as nothing short of a miracle. But there are, it seems, a queue of people crazy enough to attempt such a feat and a magical few who can skilfully pull off such a fast turnaround off in fine style.
Smoke and Mirrors London recently held their 3rd annual 48hr film festival, and we were there to see the winners unveiled…

A poke in the eye to short film makers who have spent months of toil on theirs, this years 48hr film submissions were of the highest possible calibre. Each year Smoke and Mirrors provide a theme which filmmakers must use as the thread for the film. Entrants have 48 hours to write, shoot and edit the film which must amount to no longer than 5 minutes. The winners are provided with all they could possibly need to create a short, including lights, camera, stock, processing and post.

Make a film, get one free. It’s that simple.

This years judges were also film makers and industry shakers of high calibre and included:

Andy Jex – Mother
Bil Bungay – BMB
Brad Woodus – VCCP
Claire Cook – BBC
Miles Wilkes – Park Village
Danny Brooke Taylor – MCBD
Kai Hsiung – RSA
Johnnie Frankel – Rattling Stick

But anyway… WHO WON!? WHERE CAN WE SEE IT!?!

This years well deserved winner was 'i stood up' by Lucy Tcherniak and James Willis form Partizan. Runners up included Jamie Chung form Home Corp with ‘Happy go Lucky’ and Wayne Yip from Addiction with ‘Be Lucky’.

We will be hosting 6 of the best in the next issue of The Reel (obviously), but if you can’t wait until then you can see the three victors here:

http://www.smoke-mirrors.com/smweb/48hours/

With such high quality and variety created in such a short period of time, we can't wait until next years competition!!

The Reel would like to extend some praise to all involved!
Well done!

Newsreel 31/10/08

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Whitey is a Hungry Man

D.C. native Whitey (of Jackass fame) is the latest helmer to be added to Hungry Man’s exceptional roster. After seeing his latest YouTube stunt, the production company knew they had to get a hold of the guy behind Kobe Bryant's mammoth leap of faith. The video in which Kobe jumps over a moving Astin Martin, received over 1 million views and flooded inboxes of coworkers in virtually every global work place. Although the stunt was nothing like Kobe had ever attempted before, it was just a day on the job for the former MTV Jackass writer & director.

Whitey’s drive to become a director stemmed from his frustration at the lack of cool skate & snowboard videos, leading him to establish his own company Kingpin Productions & producing around 17 films to date with them. Immersed in the Boarding/Skating culture, Whitey became the photo editor at Blunt Magazine (later picked up by Big Brother), which helped him gain recognition by the Jackass crew. With the success of Jackass came the opportunities to concept and write campaigns for Nike, Nike Plus, Zune and EA with teams from Wieden + Kennedy, 72andSunny & Cutwater.

Check out his showreel on the Hungry Man website

Tonge reaches a Crossroads

Comedy director Ben Tonge has just been added to Crossroad’s roster. Working extensively in Manchester for the last 5 years through Chief (who still represent him in the city), Ben has entered Crossroads for representation in London and eventually through the Crossroads network in the States. His worked has just secured his first London based job with AMV. With an in-camera style coupled with his flair for humour makes his work both accessible and captivating. That and the fact that he is a very funny and inspiring Guy will no doubt aid him greatly. Ben also has worked on shorts and comedy pilots and is currently working on a pilot for E4. Check it - http://www.crossroadsfilms.co.uk/bentonge

23rd London International Awards

November 10th – put it in your diary!! The 23rd London International Awards is taking place at the freshly done-up Hippodrome in Leicester Square. With a promise ‘to recognise and honour exceptional creative work in Advertising, Design, and Digital Media and those who have created them’ who could ask for more! Grab a ticket from the official site - http://www.liaawards.com/

Halloween Fun

Yep, as a special treat on All Hallows’ Eve, here’s a clip of a world-record beating 881 people dancing to Thriller in Austin Texas – enjoy.

...and another of a man performing an acapella rendition of the same song. 64 tracks - one voicebox - 2.5 months work. Amazing.