Get The Most Out of Your Three Elements

Have you noticed how you can watch a film over again and are blown away each time, yet other films are one-offs? What is the difference between the film that makes us cry or gasp, and the one that activates the cringe factor?

A Masterly Production

Great films waste nothing: every shot, prop, and line of dialogue works to move the story forward. Nothing is superfluous, and the more you watch them, the more you see. This means that there is more going on visually than the eye can absorb in one viewing. A great film is like a painting by a master. First we see the story, but then we notice the symbolism and imagery that echo the theme, the setting and the characterisation. This should be your aim when crafting your entry.

The Hidden Power of Props

When you enter the 48 Film Project short film competition, we allocate you three elements: a prop, a character and a line of dialogue. Make the most of your designated prop by using it to echo your theme, tell your story, or to depict characterisation. Don’t fritter it.

For example, while viewing a portrait by one of the masters, we see he has included symbols in the painting, which characterise the subject, such as a pile of books portraying an erudite subject. The best filmmakers continued this practice and so should you. You can prepare for your short film entry by swotting up on symbolism and imagery, so that when you get your elements you can use them subtly.

If your genre is Superhero and your prop turns out to be a stuffed owl, you could have your hero as Owl Man who overcomes the villains because he becomes wise and learned once he turns into the superhero.

A Moving Character

Make the most of your designated character by keeping him or her active to portray what type of person he is. For example, having two people facing each other over a cup of coffee while arguing relies too heavily on extraneous dialogue. It usually ends up with the dreaded talking heads - the kiss of death in filmmaking. Think conflict, think stress, think action! Perhaps clever gestures with scalding coffee, or smashing cups, say more about the scene than dialogue does.

Another example:  when two people are in conflict while climbing up a mountainside, they are doing something that pushes their tolerance to the limit. One well-timed killer glance to depict character intention will have your audience wriggling in their seats as they anticipate the sheer drop of the mountainside.

Moody, Mysterious or Nostalgic

Mood is mega-important in films, and in some genres more than others. A shot of an elderly woman in a wedding dress, in a cobwebby room, and mice feasting on her wedding cake, says more than a page of words ever could. We automatically associate that image with Miss Haversham - even if we have never read a word of Dickens - because of the way she has been portrayed on the screen.

To speak to your audience without excess words, use bold, dynamic images to deliver your message. These will stay in their minds long after the film has ended and could be key for your success in the 48 Film Project short film competition.

$48,000 Chance to be in on a Hollywood Feature Film

This year, we have put up a monster prize of $48,000 to make a feature film in Hollywood! Register now and shoot your film whenever you and your team feel ready. This is the freedom that 48 Film Project gives you. You can shoot your film day or night, weekend or weekday, from wherever on this earth you are.