48 Hour Film Project Showcases the Best of San Diego Shorts and Awards Best Films of the Year

The crew from Bad and Classic Productions who won
the honors of Best Film and Best Actor
August 16, 2013

 By Megan Gallagher | SanDiegoVille Contributor

We laughed, we cried, we nearly jumped out of our seats from fear. This year’s 48 Hour Film Project had a little something for everyone. The red carpet rolled out for the 10th annual showcase on Saturday, August 10th at the Gaslamp’s Reading Cinemas where dozens of actors, filmmakers and film enthusiasts showed up to get a glimpse of the incredible short films put together for this year’s competition, and to find out who would be awarded “Best Film of the Year” and go on to compete internationally for the title of Best 48 Hour Film 2013.

For those not familiar with the 48 Hour Film Project, think of it as filmmaking on fast-forward. Teams who enter the competition, which takes place in 118 cities across the world, including 58 in the United States, are challenged to write a script, shoot a short film, edit the film and submit it in proper format, all within 48 hours. And that’s not all. In an effort to prevent competitors from starting on their project before the official start time, there are additional criteria that each film must meet.

This year, each film had to use a garden hose as a prop, incorporate an interpreter into the film, include a character named Mac or Margaret McCarthy, and utter the line “You know what I mean?” Each team also randomly selects the genre of the film they will make on the eve of the competition. This year, films included comedy, musical/western, crime/gangster, fantasy, horror, vacation, superhero, romance and thriller/suspense. A total of 71 teams submitted a film to the San Diego competition and were narrowed down to a final 12 by judges John Hildebrand, Martin Johnson and David O’Leary.

Arriving at the event, the lobby was full of excitement as guests posed for photos on the red carpet, browsed the film posters and eagerly awaited the final screenings. San Diego Songwriters partnered with the group to provide entertainment during the introduction and intermissions, and musician Nick Valentini serenaded the crowd as they found their seats.

The screening was the ultimate showcase of talent and creativity. Viewing the films, it was hard to believe that they were strung together in a mere 48 hours, as it was apparent that the films presented could compete against shorts that have taken months, if not years, to make. We spoke with one audience member who lent his house as a filming location for Inmate 14658, and mentioned the team showed up at 9am and didn’t leave until 4am. Talk about dedication!

The films touched on an array of subjects - from dealing with writers' block to love at first sight to taking down bad guys and dealing with inner demons. Though all of the films were standouts in my book, A Man Called McClane by Bad and Classic Productions stole the show and not only won the honor of best film, but also best actor, John Redlinger. This western film struck the perfect balance of action and comedy and had a beautifully portrayed fight scene. While A Man Called McClane was action packed, Deranged by Society Art had enough suspense to make me want to sleep with a night light, and Effective Weapon by Kilna Companies had the entire audience bursting out in laughter from the antics of a clueless, yet dangerous, Russian weapons dealer. Some of our other personal favorites included Chirp Chirp Buzz Buzz by Doorbell Productions, which told the story of a couple forced into sleep deprivation after birds decide to make a home outside their window, and Pushover by Film Antics which followed one man’s awkward spiritual journey to take back his life after a breakup.

In between screenings, 48 Hour Film Project San Diego producers Robyn Schatz Sarvis and Duane Trammell spoke of the progression of the program in San Diego and gave out additional awards including best actress, which went to Lorien Hill-Purcell of Inmate 14658, Best Fight Choreography, which went to Love Language by Almost Good Films and Best Directing which went to Matt Jensen for Thin Places by FortyOne Twenty. (See below for complete list of award winners). Organizers also took time to honor Festival City Films and Cane Toad Productions, who have participated in the event all 10 years, with a montage of their entries.  With each award given out, it became clear that although the films were in competition, everyone was really supporting one another – a great testament to what the San Diego film community is all about.

A wrap party followed at the new SummerSalt Pool Deck and Lounge at Hotel Palomar where the actors and actresses gained temporary celebrity status as family, friends and other guests took the opportunity to congratulate them and learn more about the filmmaking process.

As winner of best film, A Man Called McClane will go on to compete in the international competition for a chance to win $5,000 and a screening at the Canne Film Festival.

Learn more about the 48 Hour Film Project in San Diego by visiting 48hourfilm.com/en/sandiego and by following on Facebook page for the latest news and videos.

A complete list of the 48 Hour Film Project San Diego winners:

  • Best Use of Character: Inmate 14658 by Amalgamated Grommets
  • Best Use of Prop: Love Language by Almost Good Films
  • Best Use of Line of Dialogue: Captain Hand by Snarky Films
  • Best Costumes: Gretchen Bayer for Hands of Fate by State of Flux
  • Best Choreography: Captain Hand by Snarky Films
  • Best Fight Choreography: Fernando Jay Huerto, Anthony Noceda, Eric Nguyen for Love Language by Almost Good Films
  • Best Special Effects: Cole Pittsford and Justice Parman for The Interpreter by Sid Films
  • Best Graphics: Nick Abrams and Brandon Hensgens for Captain Hand by Snarky Films
  • Best Sound Design: Thin Places by FortyOne Twenty
  • Best Musical Score: Unison Goody and Jason Haury for Captain Hand by Snarky Films
  • Best Cinematography: Bill Bork for Inmate 14658 by Amalgamated Grommets
  • Best Editing: Mark Anthony Gadia for Love Language by Almost Good Films
  • Best Writing: TIE: Paul Crim for Victimless by Royal Shovel AND Cristopher Spencer and Travis Chesney for Effective Weapon by Kilna Companies
  • Best Actress: Lorien Hill-Purcell in Inmate 14658 by Amalgamated Grommets
  • Best Actor: John Redlinger in A Man Called McClane by Bad and Classic Productions
  • Best Directing: Matt Jensen for Thin Places by FortyOne Twenty
  • Best Use of a GoPro Camera: Pushover by Film Antics
  • Second Runner Up for Best Film: Thin Places by FortyOne Twenty
  • Runner Up for Best Film: Inmate 14658 by Amalgamated Grommets
  • Best Film: A Man Called McClane by Bad and Classic Productions