Earlier this year with a film under his belt and looking for a place to screen it, Anglim, an actor and comedian originally from Dublin, remembered the conversation and approached Hastings, an event organiser and ceramicist originally from Vermont, and together they decided it was time to start something up themselves.
Nichole and Dominic are the pair behind Madrid's most collaborative film project. Photo: Tilly May / Anya Shvetsova
This is how the 48-hr Madrid Film Slam, now in its second edition, came into being, an event that last weekend saw seven teams of complete amateurs rushing around Madrid filming on location with a mobile phone, their creative juices flowing.
For those who aren’t familiar with the term “film slam”, Hastings explains: “At 7pm last Friday the teams were given their challenge; to make a complete short film in the genre of a horror – because it’s Halloween, naturally – and to include within that film one specific line of dialogue, a prop and a location.”
A still from one of the movies in competition includes the compulsory prop, a thimble. Photo: Andrés Diaz Guerrero/ Low Battery Films
The chosen prop was a thimble and the location was the Madrid metro and the only rule was that each must be included within the short film of between 3 and 6 minutes long.
Each team, of between two and six participants, was also given a mystery sub-genre and told to return by 8pm on Sunday to submit their entry, fully edited and subtitled (either in English or Spanish depending on the language used for dialogue).
The result is seven short films which will all be screened this weekend and judged by a paying audience.
A still from one of the movies in competition. Photo: Andrés Diaz Guerrero/ Low Battery Films
“It’s great fun and really promotes creativity,” Hastings told The Local. “It proves that people don’t actually need a lot of equipment or experience to create a short film. All you need is an idea, a phone and some very basic editing equipment.”
The screening will take place on Friday at the Artistic Metropol, a 67-seat independent cinema in Madrid’s Acacias neighbourhood.
“The wonderful thing about the project is that it’s totally collaborative. The audience is the judging panel. They will be given voting cards and award each film points based on certain criteria, such as how well they used the prop,” explains Hastings.
“And then the two films with the highest score will get cash prizes and of course glory and recognition!”
For more information about the Madrid 48-Hour Film Slam Contest and to attend the Premiere this Friday at 10pm. CLICK HERE.
READ ALSO:
Please whitelist us to continue reading.
Member comments