Screen Scene: Down to the Wire filmmaking competition
Down to the Wire: A 24-hour Film Race
▪ What is it? – A short-film competition where filmmakers have 24 hours to produce, write, shoot and edit a short film that is six minutes or less in duration. It’s presented by the Tallgrass Filmmakers Lab and CreativeRush. This year’s race changes in time, from 7 a.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. All films are required to include elements that are randomly selected at the beginning of the race.
▪ Who can enter? – Anyone, on a team or solo, with lots of experience or none. Registration is $125 per team, $100 for student teams. You can register online at www.dttwfilmrace.com or in person at Friday’s mandatory producers meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Mindfire Academy, 4031 E. Harry. The race officially begins after a mandatory directors meeting at 6:30 a.m. Saturday at Mindfire Academy.
▪ What happens after the race? – A five-person jury watches all the films and selects the top 10, which will be shown at the Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway, at 7 p.m. Sunday. The showcase is open to the public, and tickets are $10 online at www.tallgrassfilmfest.com or $12 at the door.
A panel of judges will live-critique each film and choose winners, with prizes given away (first place is a $1,000 filmmaking grant from Vimeo). The audience votes on an audience choice award. Last year, more than 800 people attended the showcase.
Movies opening Friday
▪ “I’ll See You in My Dreams” – Blythe Danner is getting raves in this drama about a widow and former songstress who discovers that life can begin anew at any age.
▪ “Jurassic World” – Did we learn nothing from the first three “Jurassic” movies? Apparently not, because we get this reboot of the franchise, this time with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as the human snacks.
▪ “Love and Mercy” – Paul Dano and John Cusack star in this story of 1960s Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson.
Summer of Spielberg film series
▪ “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – The 1981 action-adventure classic stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, mild-mannered archaeology professor by day, hat-wearing, snake-hating adventurer by night. Showing at 6 p.m. Monday at the Orpheum, 200 N. Broadway. Tickets are $5, $4 for students, seniors and military.
This story was originally published June 12, 2015 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Screen Scene: Down to the Wire filmmaking competition."