Meet the 48-Hour Film Project Teams

Bad Baby, Cropland, Funky Little Shack, Ghosthouse, Phocus Media — they’re among the 11 moviemaking teams resting up and refining their strategies in anticipation of the 48 Hour Film Project kicking off at 7 p.m., Friday, August 14, at Maiden Alley Cinema.

Basically, all the teams gather at Maiden Alley and pick one of 15 genres — anything from horror, sci-fi, romance, comedy, detective/cop, holiday or the ever popular, musical or western. Then they get a character, a prop and one line of dialogue that MUST be used in the film. They then have, yes, 48 hours to do all the creative work on the film — pretty much everything, except they can use music that was made prior to the weekend as a soundtrack if they have permission from the artist.

Then on Tuesday, August 18, and Wednesday, August 19, all the movies will be shown at Maiden Alley Cinema. The movies will be judged by local film buffs. The awards ceremony is Thursday, August 20, with the winner going on to compete against other entries from around the world at Filmapalooza in Las Vegas in April 2010. There’s even a screening of several selections of 48 Hour films at the Cannes Film Festival.

Here’s a look at a few of the teams we’ll see running around all weekend:

Bad Baby Productions

Based in Paducah

Carl McNew
Heather Ryan

This group includes writers, a camera operator, an editor, actors, a production coordinator, a production assistant and crowd control. “Each person has a designated duty, but their duties will likely expand if needed,” says Heather, who has competed in 48 Hour projects in Nashville and Washington, DC. “We are intimately familiar with this project and decided to participate since it was so close to home.”

Strategy
“Lots and lots of Mountain Dew and Vivarin,” Heather jokes. “Beside that, our strategy is to allow the creative folks on our writing team to work their magic with the script and hopefully shoot a semi-quality product with the constraints of the required elements and genre. We have some fun and talented actors on board who will allow us to script just about anything as long as it looks good on the big screen — which makes for great flexibility.”

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Cropland Productions

Based in Rochester, Ill.

Ben Romang
Jonah Walker
Ramsey Hindieh

High school friends Benjamin and Jonah will shoot and edit the picture while Ramsey composes the musical score. “We have a small but very efficient group,” Ben says.

Strategy
“My strategy is to use my creativity to make up for our lack of equipment and experience,” Ben says. “We may be a couple of teenagers with a $200 camera, but we will no doubt create something entertaining. That’s the most important part! I usually make all my videos with in a short amount of time, but to be in an actual film competition is a new and exciting experience.”

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Enclave Media

Based in Paducah, Murray and Louisville

Allan Ramsey
Brandon Boyd
Chuck Tate
Brent Boyd
Chris Preston

This group of friends found out about the project from the Maiden Alley Cinema Web site. “We thought it would be a great chance to have some fun and make a movie!,” Allan says.

Strategy
“We’re going to try to write Friday, shoot Saturday and edit Sunday.”

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Funky Little Shack Productions

Based in Paducah

Tom Dolan, producer, director, editor, actor
Adam Gilliam, producer, director of photography, editor
Marsha Cash, writer, actor
Elyse Millizer, writer, actor
Steve Schwetman, crew, planning, actor
Kim Yocum, actor, props, costumes
Daniel Yocum, photographer, editor
Emily Yocum, actor, crew
Mike Brewer, actor, crew
Audra Hall, actor, crew
Matthew Dolan, music, crew, boom operator
Ben Dolan, crew, boom operator, actor
Brian Medlin, lighting, production, editor

All members of the team will serve as crew and most likely will appear in the film as well. “There is a little sense of nervousness, but we’re really excited about doing the project on the fly,” Tom says. “48 hours is not a lot of time, but we have a great group of very talented people and we’re all really psyched about it.

Strategy
“Adrenaline will carry us most of the way, I hope, and there’s always coffee, caffeine-laced soft drinks and energy drinks,” Tom says. “The prospect of putting together a film in 48 hours really sounds like a lot of fun and also a great challenge. It will test our skills in many different ways.  Of course, we hope to take top honors, but also to see how well we can work together and what kind of product we can crank out.”

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Ghosthouse Records

Based in Clarksville, Tenn.

Jason Shoulders, producer, writer, actor
Ryan Shoulders, director, cinematography, editing, sound
Meghann McFadden, assistant director, writer, actor
Kevin Scahill, writer
Larry Kendell, writer
Chad Troy, writer, actor
Matt Watkins, actor
Zach Lerman, actor
Aaron Groves, music, theme

This group likes to do many creative projects from playing music to stand-up comedy to filming and acting. “We thought this project would be a fun way to collaborate and create something we could share with others,” says Jason, who’s competed in the Nashville 48 Hour project three years in a row. “Sometimes good projects seem too large in scope to get done around everyone’s schedule, but the 48 Hour festival forces you to be creative and make something tangible in short order. It’s also fun to see what other teams produce in such a short time.”

Strategy
“Our general strategy is to write the script Friday night, film it Saturday and then edit and turn it in on Sunday,” Jason says. “Trying to stay on schedule is important and it’s also key that all members be prepared to wear many hats whether it’s to set up a scene, get props, act, direct, hold a boom mic or even get lunch or coffee for the cast and crew.”

View Ghosthouse Records Samples
2009 - The Wingman (Romance Genre)
Won Best Romance Genre, Best Use of Genre and Best Choreography

2008 - Red Room (Horror Genre)
Won Best Horror Genre

2007 - The Duel of D.J. Rye and M.C. Wheat (Super-Hero Genre)
Won Runner-up Best Super-hero Genre

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Phocus Media

Based in Paducah

Jonathan Warren, director, producer
Curt Stewart, director, producer, writer
Michael Driver, photographer
Casey McIntosh, writer
Patrick Brigman, writer

Most members of this team work at WPSD-TV, with a few friends that will be gripping. The group is looking for volunteers, especially actors. “I’ve done a short film before but never in 48 hours,” Jonathan says. “I’m excited!

Strategy
“Our strategy is simple: Win!,” Jonathan says. “I’m lucky to have the team (friends) that I do. From great photographers to actors, and even folks who just want to lend a hand! It should be an experience of a lifetime and I can’t wait!”

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Here’s a complete list of all 11 teams:

A Good Size Productions - Jeffery Vinson
Always a Paradox Productions - Summer Doles
Bad Baby Productions - Carl McNew
Can You Loan a Friend - Paul Wurth
Cardinal River Rocket Squad- Avery Crounse
Cropland Productions - Ben Romang
Enclave Media - Allan Ramsey
Funky Little Shack Productions - Tom Dolan
Ghosthouse Records - Jason Shoulders
Phocus Media - Jonathan Warren
Terror Vision Films - Don Owens

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