[IMC] More 2014 Tour Dates, Doc Challenge Finalists, and Acting Reels

Wed Apr 23 11:11:23 EDT 2014

48 Hour Film Project Newsletter
April 2014
Editor: Brian Bowers

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April 48HFP Newsletter

Get the skinny on YOUR city-48HFP Listserves

48 Minutes wins $10,000 in Viewster Online Film Fest

More 2014 Tour Dates

Doc Challenge Finalists

48HFP Video Gallery

Act Fast-Using 48HFP films in acting reels

Get the skinny on YOUR city-48HFP Listserves

Are you one of the people who have thought “How does everyone but me know
what’s up with the 48HFP in MY CITY?”  If so, we want to make sure you're
getting emails from your city's 48HFP City Producer’s listserve. In addition to
our monthly newsletter, each city sends out frequent emails about 48HFP
screenings, events, and other important info that you'll want to receive. Not
getting our emails? Make sure you're signed up
at [2]http://48hourfilm.com/newsletter/ for all of the cities you'd like to get
info from.

What if you’re signed up but not getting the emails? First, check to make sure
the emails aren't going into your spam folder. If you do find messages in your
spam folder make sure you click the "not spam" button so future emails make it
to your inbox. Also be sure to add yourcity at 48hourfilm.com to your safe sender
list (where "yourcity" is the name of the city you've signed up to get updates
from). Finally, make sure you mark your 48HFP messages as "Important." This
really helps us by letting email clients like Gmail and Yahoo know that you've
signed up to get our emails.

Follow these simple steps and you'll always be in the know on your local 48HFP!

48 Minutes wins $10,000 in Viewster Online Film Fest

Last month we reported on the feature film 48 Minutes, created by some of our
New Amsterdam filmmakers in just 48 days. The film was featured as a part of the
[3]Viewster online film festival. We are pleased to announce that thanks to your
support and votes 48 Minutes won 3rd prize in the competition, along with a cash
prize of $10,000. Congratulations to all of the filmmakers that worked on 48
Minutes, and thanks to all of you for supporting the film!
More 2014 Tour Dates
May begins in several weeks and with it over a dozen stops on our 2014 tour,
including the 48HFP city that started it all, Washington D. C. June finds us in
the thick of things, with almost 20 different competitions happening. Cities are
finalizing their tour dates and we're still adding more cities to our
schedule--don't forget that you can always view the most up to date of upcoming
stops on our website at [4]https://www.48hourfilm.com/en/tour/chronological.php.

Don't see your city on our tour?

Email [5]newcities at 48hourfilm.com to see

if we can bring the 48HFP to you!

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Doc Challenge Finalists
[9]Finalists in the [10]Doc Challenge have been announced, and now you can watch
them all online at [11]http://docchallenge.org. The finalist films will be
screened on May 1st at [12]Hot Docs in Canada, where all the winning films will
also be announced. A young male tap dancer, female MMA fighter, a therapeutic
riding center and more are all the subjects of these 12 final films. Support the
filmmakers and the stories they share by checking them out online.

[13]This year was also the first ever "Behind the Curtain" component of the Doc
Challenge where filmmakers submitted behind the scenes videos of the making of
their official Doc Challenge submissions. These shorts were posted online for
audience voting--congratulations to winner [14]"Behind Solar Dad" who topped out
with over 1700 votes. Check out their winning submission by clicking the video
on the right.

48HFP Video Gallery

We continue to feature some of our top (and funniest) 2013 films in this
newsletter. In addition to being the Best Film from each of their respective
cities, both of the films below are official 48HFP selections for Cannes Film
Festival this May.

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"Wishful Thinking" by The Big Honkin from Washington D.C.
Official Cannes Selection

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"Don't Shoot the Cat" by Hollyveld from Johannesburg
Best Use of the Character
Official Cannes Selection

Act Fast-Using 48HFP Films in Acting Reels

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Jennifer Gullick, Actress

Besides having an awesome time making a film and seeing yourself on the big
screen, acting in 48HFP films is a GREAT way to get material for your acting
reel. Don't have a reel put together? You may be missing out on some work. A
reel is a short sample of your best work that you can send to a casting director
to give them an idea of your look and acting range. A reel is no substitue for a
live audition, but in today's fast paced entertainment industry more and more
directors are using reels to make quick decisions on which actors they would
like to see in person. There have been many instances where actors were booked
for commercials or industrials solely on the basis of their reel, with no actual
live audition. In addition, a reel is a great way to get yourself out to a large
number of directors from all over the world--it's easy to send a link to an
online video or even drop a DVD in the mail, which could potentially open you up
to a variety of gigs that you wouldn't be considered for otherwise.

Here are a few quick tips for putting together a killer reel:
1. Get your clips
You can't put together a reel if you don't have samples of your work. The best
way to get these samples is to arrange to get copies of your work before you
step on the set. Find out from the director the approximate timeline on getting
a copy of the completed film, and make sure they have your address to send it.
Be patient--sometimes deadlines on projects can change as things go into
post-production and/or distribution, but you should follow up to make sure you
get your copy. It's also a good idea to double check to make sure there's no
reason why you need to wait to use any of the clips--sometimes when films go
into the festival circuit they're prohibited from showing clips in advance of
the screening. This is a little easier to contend with when getting your 48HFP
film clips, but you should still work something out with the director in
advance.
2. Curate your best work
A reel should be samples of your work--don't send casting directors a copy of
the feature film you were in, they don't have time to watch it. Many times
directors will decide if they like someone or not within the first 10-20 seconds
of watching a reel, so make sure you open the reel with your best work, and if
they do watch the whole thing, you want to close on a high note for them to
remember you by.
3. Tell a story
Like an actual film, a good reel has a beginning, middle, and end. It should
tell a story about you, not only as an actor, but as a person. Take the viewers
on a journey as you transition from character to character; show them the
comedy, drama, ups and downs of each persona, just like they would see in an
actual movie. Don't forget that this is often the first time a director is
"meeting" you and you want to leave them with the best impression. Be vicious in
the editing room--it's better to have a shorter reel with a few samples of
really great work than it is to have more material that isn't as interesting.
4. Have different formats
Before you send off your reel, find out what the director or casting directors
are looking for. Many times sending a link to an online video is fine, but some
still want a good old-fashioned hard copy DVD. Depending on the project, some
directors may want a longer reel, some will want a shorter one, some will want
to see your work in specific genres like comedy or drama, and some will want to
see the full range of what you can do. Jennifer Gullick, an actress from Atlanta
says "many CD's (casting directors) are preferring clips over reels these days."
Check out Jennifer's short clips in the video above. You should have several
different versions of your clips or reels on hand at any given time so you can
easily send something off to a director when you need to.
5. Don't keep it to yourself
When your reel is complete make sure you put it out there for the world to see.
Remember, nobody can cast you if they can't see your work. These days it's easy
to upload a reel or clips to Youtube or Vimeo, one of the countless casting
websites, posting it on Facebook, or posting to a personal website.

We hope these tips help! Look out for a future article to hear from the casting
directors themselves on what they look for in a reel.
Get Social!
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View web version

References

1. http://48hourfilm.com/
2. http://48hourfilm.com/newsletter/
3. http://festival.viewster.com/
4. https://www.48hourfilm.com/en/tour/chronological.php
5. mailto:newcities at 48hourfilm.com
6. http://48hourfilm.com/tour/chronological.php
7. http://48hourfilm.com/tour/chronological.php
8. http://48hourfilm.com/tour/chronological.php
9. http://www.docchallenge.com/
10. http://www.docchallenge.com/
11. http://docchallenge.org/
12. http://www.hotdocs.ca/
13. http://www.theaudienceawards.com/films/205/Behind-SOLAR-DAD.html
14. http://www.theaudienceawards.com/films/205/Behind-SOLAR-DAD.html
15. http://48hourfilm.com/en/about/press.films.php?film=1803
16. http://48hourfilm.com/en/about/press.films.php?film=2001
17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV_OIXkhQig&list=UUpl49C4zcDtYdHW2_qdNudg
18. http://www.facebook.com/48hourfilmproject
19. http://twitter.com/48hourfilmproj
20. http://www.youtube.com/user/48hourfilm

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