The Baltimore 48 Hour Film Project

But each year, about 50 teams in Baltimore pull it all off in just 48 hours. Started by freelance film and video professional Rob Hatch, the Baltimore 48 Hour Film Project gives participants exactly two days to write, shoot, and edit a four- to seven-minute film.

Here’s how it works: Everyone gathers on a Friday night, and each team draws a genre—romance, horror, comedy, etc.—from a hat. Then all the teams get assigned a character, prop, and a line of dialogue that must appear in their movie.

In 2011, the character was Wayne or Wanda Hooper, who was a collector. The prop was a hula hoop. And the line of dialogue was “That’s not how I would have handled it.”

Teams then write the script on Friday night and begin production and shooting on Saturday morning. By Saturday night or Sunday morning, they have finished shooting and begin editing. The films are due no later than 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

“We encourage teams to be as crazy as they want,” says Hatch.

The films are judged by a panel of local people involved in some way in the film community. The winning team gets cash and cameras donated by Panasonic. They also get the chance to compete nationally against the winners from other cities by making another 48-hour film.

About a week after the Baltimore competition ends, all the films are screened, and one is chosen as the “Audience Favorite.” The prize? Bragging rights, says Hatch.

This year’s 48 Hour Film Project takes place June 1-3. For more information, visit www.48hourfilm.com/baltimore.