Do you have one of these? I'm pretty certain you do.
Then why aren't you putting together a team for the 48 Hour Film Project? (Particularly in Seattle or Montana right now?!)
Seriously? Why aren't you putting your own team together right now?
You might say to yourself, "But I don't have a camera!"
You might say that, but you would be wrong. We just went over that in the intro paragraph. There's a decent camera in your pocket right now! Maybe it's not a Red, or an Arri, or a fancy DSLR or mirrorless, but modern smart phone cameras are pretty badass! Take that phone out of your pocket, and point it at an actor!
Maybe you're thinking, "But I'm just an actor? I don't have a DP or a best boy, whatever that is!"
Fair point, but that shouldn't stop you. You've watched a lot of movies. You've performed in a lot of movies and plays. You know what a good performance is. Camera work doesn't have to involve cranes, miles of dolly track, expensive drones, and enough lights to properly expose a Nebraska wheat field at night. If classic movies (Catch 22 comes to mind) have taught us anything, it is that a long, locked down wide shot can carry a scene when filled with good blocking and performances. On a day to day basis, you may be the one in front of the camera, but you have the iPhone, Pixel, or Android phone burning a hole in your pocket. Pull it out, lock it down, and act in front of it with your actor friends... or even with your non actor friends and family. #dontwaitcreate
Channeling your inner contrarian, you retort, "Ok ok. I have a camera and I can lock it down and act in front of it with my friends and family, but I don't have an editor with a $10k editing system, smart guy!"
Now, I'm an editor, and my system only cost around $5k, but you don't need my system (or an even fancier one) to make a film for the 48HFP. See that phone? Chances are there's a video editing app on it already! If you're shooting wide shots filled with amazing performances, your editing needs are minimal and the learning curve to edit a series of locked down wide shots is minimal. An hour on YouTube and you're good to go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIkc6vo4I7k - iPhone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzeP8Nl02aw - Android
"Ok. Ok. Ok. I get it! Smart phones are great, but I'm only 9 years old!"
So? In Seattle, we've had teams run by groups of teens and children as young as 8 years old! It's 2022, if you're 8, you've been more smart phone literate than your parents since 2018! Your relatively small amount of time on this planet spinning around Sol is not an issue! Also, your petulance is a little disarming, my young padawan!
All levity aside, your mind can conjure all sorts of reasons to NOT make a 48 Hour film. Your mind can be a real jerk at times! Access to a camera is NOT one of those reasons. Tell that critic inside your grey matter to shut up, grab your smart phone, gather your friends and family, and have fun together in front of that camera!
Get out there! Make movies! Have fun!