LDSFF 24 Hour Marathon Screenings

It was a relief to find out that I hadn't gone mad and in fact several of the films that were screened tonight at the LDS Film Festival's 24 Hour Marathon session were longer than the allotted 3 minutes. Marathon session indeed, as it took the better part of 3 hours to screen all 49 completed entries. Overall, the competition was a smashing success, not due to an abundance of highly polished, Hollywood-ready films, but for the effort and creativity shown by the competitors.

I should mention that I'm a bean counter by training and that all of the hundreds (seemingly) of hours of videotape that I have shot are of my family. Through my association with Provo Creative I have been exposed to some of the elements of filmmaking and it's with that eye that I can appreciate that each of these films were created start to finish in less than 24 hours. Someone had to write the scripts, act out the parts, and produce and edit the film. Those "someones" have a lot more talent than I do at making films and tonight's screening was a fun celebration of said talent.

I had the good fortune of bumping and sitting next into a friend from Southern California, Alma Mills, an LDS filmmaker and producer, who was in town for the festival. He, along with well-known actor-producer Jeff Chamberlain (who just happens to be my brother-in-law), both saw the 24 hour marathon for what it is: a chance to practice one's skills as a filmmaker or actor. They were both kind in their reviews of the screenings, likely due to having been there and done it (or something similar) themselves.

There were some films that stood out and will likely win one of the awards, which will be presented on Saturday night. I haven't yet seen Avatar, but it was easy to see that entry #18, "Ratava" was spoofing it. Entry #10, "Blind Date" was one of my early favorites based on a nice use of split screen editing and funny story line. The audience seemed to really like the Zombie tutorial (#13 Boo?), although to me it was representative of the many entries that virtually ignored the theme of the competition(Charity) and the theme of film festival (LDS).

No, I wasn't expecting to see 50 seminary-worthy films, but for my taste there were too many that essentially ignored the specified or implied themes, cashing in on cheap humor, violence, or stale story lines. Sound issues got the better of many of the entries, and the acting was generally ok, with a few excellent standouts, like #44 "A Favor for Edgar."

I was happy to be associated with the 5 Provo Creative teams (#26, #27, #28, #38, #) whose entries can be seen on our YouTube Channel. Our films ranged from fairytale-ish (I cried) to spoofs (I laughed) to sexy ninjas on a green screen (I'm still confucius-ed). Yes, I am biased due to knowing the participants. No, my votes for favorite didn't just go to the Provo Creative group...but the film I liked the best was #26 The Princess and The Stone. Was it because Pete Hansen, my Provo Creative partner, was the DP? Maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that the film moved me, stayed on theme, and could be shown to family members of all ages. Good stuff Pete, Susan Phelan, Kami Coleman, Marlys Fladeland, and Kjirstin Youngberg.

Below is the official list of completed entries. I'll link them as the info becomes available. Please feel free to comment with a link that I don't have yet so I can update the list.

#1 Absolam
#2 The Guitarist
#3 The Rock of Charity
#4 Eternity Star
#5 For the Children
#6 The Day
#7 The Imposing Rose
#8 The Cave of the Chupacabra
#9 Father Dearest
#10 Blind Date
#11 Secret Santa
#12 Wednesday in Replay
#13 Boo
#14 I Want a Rock
#15 To Be Seen of Men
#16 Crank It Back Up
#17 Might Mind Strength
#18 Ratava
#19 Stone's Throwaway
#20 Rug Rocks
#21 The Jumper
#22 Sensible + Polite
#23 Special Delivery
#24 Decent Proposal
#25 A Bad Case of Virtues
#26 The Princess and the Stone
#27 Button
#28 Reginald
#29 The Friendless Monkey
#30 (Did not finish the competition)
#31 Big Trouble in Little Comic Shop
#32 Rock Wow!
#33 Brothers
#34 Reflections of Teenage Philosophy
#35 Citizen of the Week
#36 Love Thy Self as Thy Self
#37 Let Not Your Left Hand Know
#38 The Ninjas, the Green Screen, and the Pebble of Wisdom
#39 All Rocked Out
#40 On the Rocks
#41 Art Gallery Ettiquette
#42 Stone's Throw
#43 Plan B
#44 A Favor for Edgar
#45 Helping Happy
#46 La Leyenda De La Tortilla
#47 The Cupcake Helper
#48 What Makes a Great Man
#49 Prairie Dawn
#50 I'm the One Who...