48-Hour Film Project contestants make movies on fast forward

Todd Zeigler, in character as a talk-show host in the Jerry Springer mold, knelt down next to his show’s guest, Cherish, played by Kimby Peterson.
“Cherish, can you give us a complete character arc in five seconds?” he asked.
“I thought I wanted a man, but, seeing you, like this, with that fashion sense — I’m a new woman,” Peterson said to her fellow guest, played by Madeleine Dee.
Peterson then walked over to Dee, declaring, “I’m going to grab your boobs.”
Welcome to the 48 Hour Film Project, in which hundreds of teams in cities around the world throw together short films, from conception to final credits, in the space of a weekend. This team, fielded by the Alley Theater, was one of 36 working on films last weekend.

As Peterson reached for Dee’s chest Saturday afternoon, the Louisville competitors had entered their 20th hour.
The competition had kicked off at an event at Molly Malone’s on Baxter Avenue on Friday night, where Chad Thomas, organizer of the Louisville 48 Hour Film Project, distributed information to the teams gathered on the roof deck.
“This whole project is an exercise in constraints,” Thomas said. “If your color is no good, make it in black and white. If your sound is no good, use a voice-over.”
Beyond the time constraints, each team receives a genre that its film must fit — like horror, sci-fi or dark comedy — and all must find a way to incorporate a particular character, prop and line of dialogue.
For aspiring filmmakers, the project can be a way to quickly add a polished film to their portfolio. Since the winners of city competitions can go on to compete internationally, it’s also potentially a way to get good exposure for their work.

The films made in Louisville will screen Wednesday and Thursday at Village 8 Theaters (4014 Dutchmans Lane) at 7 p.m.
At the kickoff event, Thomas distributed the genre assignments and announced the required elements: They had to include a character named Chris or Christy Barlow, a key ring as a prop and the line “It won’t happen again, I promise.”