Apple Inc Online 24 Hour Film Festival

This year in October the Apple Inc company hosted an online 24 hour film festival. The film could be about anything the film makers wanted. There was one small parameter the production had to follow. On the Apple website they would release a group of items for each team to use in their individual film. There were about twelve items available and at least three of these items had to be used in the films.

Once the item list was revealed there was a 24 hour period to write, shoot, and edit the film before uploading it to the Apple website. Our group had been batting around three ideas about two weeks before the list was announced. The night before our writers had settled on their idea for the film and began to write the story.

The list was released on October the 13th at 8 A.M. We met as a team at the local IHOP for a good breakfast before we began. After that we went down to our office area and began to write and storyboard our potential ideas.

8 o'clock came around and we looked at the list and began to brainstorm. The writers put their ideas together with the items we decided to use. As they wrote the final draft my director of photography and myself began to storyboard to final draft. Around 11 we were ready to go and shoot our footage. However we didn't actually start rolling until 1. So always be prepared, because things never go as planned.

We had been taping all day and finally got the last shot we needed at 9 P.M. We quickly packed up our gear and drove back to the edit suite as fast a legally possible. The final edit had to be uploaded by 7:45 just to make sure online traffic wouldn't stop the film from being submitted. We got back and began to import footage from the tapes. I took a nap as did many of the cast and crew members. I woke up about midnight to find out the footage was just put on the computer. I went back to my office space and fell asleep again. I woke up at 1 A.M. and checked on our editor, he had 30 seconds of footage out of a three minute film edited.

The team quickly decided to change editors so the film would be finished in time. While the new editor got to work the others began ADR in our recording room.

About 5 A.M. we have a final edit and are working on the voice overs. Our actors graciously came into the studio at 2 and waited until 5 to begin to re dub their lines.

We finished the audio at 6:30 and began the final mix with audio and video. By now the crew was exhausted but we pushed hard to finish strong. We made the deadline with time to spare. Our final film was uploaded at 7:15. Then we headed back to IHOP to get some food and then go to bed.

This was a test of management of time and people. But I learned a lot from this experience. I will definately participate in the festival next year. And I hope to meet future directors of films through festivals like this.