By NICOLE VALICEK
A PASSIONATE filmmaker from Laverton joined more than 60,000 people on six continents over one sleepless weekend creating short films at breakneck speed.
Haydn Growden recently participated in the 48 Hour Film Project competition.
The project involves a team of amateur and professional filmmakers getting together and writing, shooting, editing and scoring a five-minute film in just 48 hours.
On Friday night, amateur and professional filmmakers were assigned a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre that must be included in each movie.
Just 48 hours later, contestants must submit films that are shown on the big screen of a local theatre.
The registered high school English teacher writes for business magazines and provides training to the legal and accounting profession, said he wanted to tell his stories through film.
Mr Growden attended filmmaking courses and said he loved everything he experienced from doodling concept ideas to script, directing actors and bringing their talents to the screen and the craft of filmmaking.
“It is just great great great fun. I am totally addicted to filmmaking. I love everything about it. Films are the highlight of my year.”
Haydn was encouraged to join the 48 Film project by a course teacher.
Armed with a new camera he was ready to take his learning about film to the next level.
This year, the draw criteria for his team called “First Cut” was fantasy for the genre, the character was a photographer named Simon Dawkins, the prop was a brick and the line was “there is another way to do it you know”.
Haydn admits it was a challenge to apply the creative process to these strict criteria.
“What started out as a bit of fun has become a serious professional filmmaking project,” he said.
“An award will be a passport to a fame and fortune.”
“It is an absolutely great experience to see your own film aired in a packed-out cinema.”
Haydn attended the screening of his film last Thursday at the Cinema Nova where the award night will be held on 8 November.
First prize is a flight to the US to compete at this year’s Filmapalooza in New Orleans.
