2007年VOA标准英语-48 Hours or Bust - Filmmakers Vie in Extreme Co

By Brent Hurd
Washington, D.C.
29 March 2007
 
Watch 48 Hour Film

The 48-Hour Film Project contest gives local filmmakers a chance to showcase their creativity and talent by producing a short film in only two days. Since its start in 2001, the contest has grown from just a few teams participating in Washington, D.C., to locations across the country and now the world.  VOA's Brent Hurd reports on what has been called "one of the most intense film schools on the planet."

 
A cast member in a 48-hour film project
Imagine if you only had two days to write, film and produce a short film from scratch.

That is exactly what more than 1,000 film teams will be facing this year in 58 cities across five continents. 

Mark Ruppert is the creator of the 48-Hour Film Project. "Back in the late 90s, I read an article about two of the women who started the 24-hour play competition, and I thought this would be fantastic for video,” he explains.  “I knew, however, that we needed more time, so the idea of 48 hours came to me."

In May 2001, he enlisted¹ local filmmakers in Washington to try out the experiment.  In a matter of years, the 48-hour film concept has spread around the world.  

 
Mark Ruppert, creator of the 48-hour film contest
Ruppert says one of the reasons for its popularity² is the recent filmmaking boom³.  With technology less expensive and readily⁴ available, more people are breaking into filmmaking then ever before.

The contest is simple – teams attend a launch ceremony where they draw a film genre⁵ from a hat.  Until then, they have no idea the kind of film they will produce.  Before the contest begins, the only elements that filmmakers can plan are film locations and teams.

Kelley Slagle is a computer programmer by day and a burgeoning⁶ actress by night.  She has also directed several 48-hour films.  In the last contest, her team initially⁷ chose what she considered the worst-case scenario⁸ genre. 

"We actually pulled western musical as our first genre and decided⁹ that we did not want to do that,” she says.  “So we went for the wildcard genre, which increased the mystery even further for the kick-off meeting.   And they assigned us historical fiction.  At that point we were left with very few choices since our only location was an office space and a recreational vehicle."

 
Contestant Kelley Slagle
Since much of her team belongs to an acting¹⁰ troupe¹¹, she quickly checked if they had costumes to create historical characters for the film.  Once costumes were established, the writing began.

For many, including Slagle, writing the script is the most challenging aspect of the contest, as filming must begin the following day for teams to make the deadline.  Slagle's script tells the story of famous historical characters meeting each other in a reality television show parody¹².  In one scene, the Roman Emperor Nero beseeches¹³ Betsy Ross, famous for sewing the first American flag, to create a new flag for the Roman Empire.

Her team finished their film on time – as did about two-thirds of the 100 teams that participated last year in Washington.

Despite a lack of sleep, most people in the contest loved the experience.

"I think it's kind of like skydiving,” Slagle says.  “It's an adrenalin rush except it takes a couple of days instead of just a few minutes.  A lot of times people attempt to make independent films, but cannot keep the crew interested or the cast on board or the equipment available.  And doing it in one weekend with a deadline makes you get it done.  And that is the best part for me, because I know I will have a finished product at the end that I can show people."

 
 
"The greatest satisfaction is hearing the filmmakers after the weekend about what a great time they have had, how excited they are to see their film,” 48-hour film creator Ruppert says.  “I still get excited about the films.  And quite a few people come to us and say, ‘This is the best weekend we have ever had.’  There is nothing better than that."

Shortly after Kelly Slagle and others finished the 48 hours of filmmaking, the films from each city were screened at local theaters.  Past winners have gone on to make feature films and direct television shows.

1 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

3 boom   

n.隆隆声；vt.发隆隆声

参考例句：

• The country is having a great boom in industry.这个国家的工业正蓬勃发展。
• Boom!Boom!Boom!A series of explosions shook the valley.轰！轰！轰！一连串爆破声震撼山谷。

4 readily   

adv.欣然地，容易地，很快地，立即

参考例句：

• I promise all costs will be readily returned.我保证所有的费用会迅速偿还。
• Most plastics do not readily conduct heat or electricity.大多数塑料不易传热或导电。

5 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

6 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 troupe   

n.剧团，戏班；杂技团；马戏团

参考例句：

• The art troupe is always on the move in frontier guards.文工团常年在边防部队流动。
• The troupe produced a new play last night.剧团昨晚上演了一部新剧。

12 parody   

n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文

参考例句：

• The parody was just a form of teasing.那个拙劣的模仿只是一种揶揄。
• North Korea looks like a grotesque parody of Mao's centrally controlled China,precisely the sort of system that Beijing has left behind.朝鲜看上去像是毛时代中央集权的中国的怪诞模仿，其体制恰恰是北京方面已经抛弃的。

13 beseeches   

v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：