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History of Film Racing
Film Racing began as a
competition called NYC Midnight Movie Making Madness in 2002.
Filmmakers from around the country were invited to travel to New
York City where they were challenged to create an original short
film in 24 hours. The competition was created by Charlie
Weisman and Craig Flamm, two New York filmmakers who wanted to
create the ultimate filmmaking challenge and answer a question.
Can a movie be made in a 24 hours? Not only was the answer
yes, but it turns out that making a movie in a day is extremely
exciting and inspiring. Thus, the concept of Film Racing
was born. Since 2002, Film Racing has expanded beyond New
York to 20 cities throughout North America and over 1,500 films
have been created as part of the competitions.
The Mission
Film
Racing is dedicated to inspiring and challenging creative minds.
We strive
to provide
exciting and rewarding competitions for the
filmmakers and to provide them with the prizes and exposure
necessary to take the next big step in the industry.
The 24 Hour Competition Format
In each city, teams receive a theme and surprise
element assignment for their films via e-mail at 10PM on a
Friday night. Examples of past
themes are "Revenge", "Bad Advice" and "Spare Change". The
plot of the film must revolve around the theme.
The
surprise element
can be a prop (ex. toothbrush) or an action which must be performed in the film (ex.
a slap).
The filmmakers have just 24 hours to write, shoot,
edit and score an original film no longer than 4 minutes (3:30
running time + 0:30 credits) based
on the theme and surprise element assignment. The films
are due back at the film dropoff location by 10PM on Saturday
night and
all the films are screened for the public at a local theater a
few days later. The top films go on to compete for
thousands in cash and prizes against filmmakers across North
America. For a more detailed list of technical rules,
click here.
Exposure & Prizes
Film Racing is dedicated to getting
as much exposure for the filmmakers and their films as possible.
Not only are the films showcased on the big screen for packed
theaters across the country, but the top films have received over
a million views online. Film Racing is constantly looking to
expand our partnerships with organizations and websites that can
showcase the films to new audiences around the world.
Since 2007, Film Racing has given
out over $150,000 in cash and prizes to the winning filmmakers
to aid them in their future projects.
Click here to see the prizes for the
2010 Tour. In addition to the prizes, teams vie for dozens
of awards in each city in categories including Direction,
Acting, Writing, Cinematography, Editing, Original Music Score,
Sound Design, Costume Design, Visual FX, Special FX and many
more.
How to Participate
Anyone can enter a team in Film
Racing, as long as the team representative is 18 years of age or
older. Teams must provide their own equipment, cast and
crew. Whether you are an amateur or professional, have
access to a plethora of resources or just your friend's
basement, it all comes down to creativity. So, get your
creative juices flowing and get ready for a wild day of
filmmaking! Space is limited in each city, so
make sure to register before it's too late!
Click here to see which cities are open for
registration.
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