It was born in 2014 out of the Reel Shorts Film Festival and this year will mark five years of the Frantic48 challenge. The filmmaking competition put on by the Peace Region Region Independant Media Arts Association (PRIMAA) allows teams to work through the creative process from start to finish in just 48 hours.
The goal is for teams to shoot and edit a project in the allotted time. There are rules guiding them including specific lines, props they must use as well as a genre that the film should fit in to. PRIMAA Board Member Chris Beauchamp says previous film experience is not required.
“If you’ve never made one it’s a great way to jump in and try. There’s also always teams that are looking for people to join. So if you just want to maybe get involved but you don’t have the guts to make your own film you can join a team. I guarantee we can help find a team for anybody.”
The influence of social media platforms and new media is leading to an increased interest in video production among youth. Beauchamp says they notice a pattern of grade 11 or 12 students getting interested in film but then leaving for larger centres.
“We’ve never looked at people leaving the region for opportunity as a bad thing. That’s a success story for Reel Shorts and for organizations like PRIMAA. But if we’re not continually doing that and making sure that the next generation coming up have the same opportunities as those kids who went off to film school, we’re underserving that next generation.”
Beauchamp says by continuing to develop the community locally he hopes that more Peace region filmmakers will return to the area. He says Terry Scerback and the Reel Shorts Film Festival always like to highlight the work of filmmakers who called the area home.
“Ultimately, the eco system is here to support local creators and tell local stories and we’re parts of that along with other organizations. And I think for it to be a true eco system it’s about those collaborations and partnerships, which is one of the strengths of our region.”
PRIMAA has recently launched an equipment rental program as well to support local efforts. They hope to use the rental storage area as a workshop and creative space as well. Beauchamp says it has taken five years of planning to bring it together.
“Our focus for getting the program off the ground was on basic equipment, lighting and grip gear. This allows local productions to really elevate the quality of their production and make a better product.”
The Frantic48 begins Friday and wraps up next Sunday. The two to six minute projects completed in the challenge will be screened as a part of the upcoming Reel Shorts Film Festival . It runs May 8 to 14, 2018.