Not a year goes by where Team J’s chief, Bjorn Munson isn’t asked, “Say, do you know some actors who would be interested in being in a 48 Hour Film?”
Well, now we’re going to do something about that.
The Washington DC 48 Hour Film Project will be the weekend of April 29 to May 1st this year. What’s the 48 Hour Film Project you ask? It’s an adrenaline and caffeine-fueled weekend where over 100 teams will be filming 4 to 7 minute films all over the DC Area — and some teams always need more actors.
We’ll be using Stonehenge Casting to collect rosters of actors who are interested in principal or speaking parts as well as background performers (hey, many of these 48 filmmakers have grand visions!).
Two important things actors should remember regarding the 48 Hour Film Project:
First, all the creative work is one within those 48 Hours. No scripts will be written until Friday night, and will need to incorporate a randomly drawn genre, prop, character, and line of dialogue.
Second, the 48 Hour Film Project is an all-volunteer contest. No one on the cast or crew gets paid. Historically, this means both union and non-union actors can and do appear in 48 Hour Films, but SAG-AFTRA actors appear via a short film agreement with deferred pay per the agreement.
There are two different categories you can submit for:
48 Hour Film Project | Washington, DC – 2016 | Principal and Speaking Roles
These are for any and all speaking roles. It could be a big role, it could be a small role. You don’t know any more than the screenwriter does. There might even be frantic script changes when you shoot on Saturday.
48 Hour Film Project | Washington, DC – 2016 | Background Performers
Any 48 Hour Film is, by one measure, an exercise in fun and glory. If you’re up potentially helping out a film — and potentially getting an email blast late Friday night or early Saturday morning seeing if you’re available to just hang out and have fun as a cowboy, a martian, or simply a bar patron, this is for you.
Submission Directions
0) Create a free actor profile on Stonehenge Casting if you haven’t already
We have a FAQ on Stonehenge Casting as well as plenty of How To articles here on the Team J blog.
1) Update the Availability Calendar on your profile
Before you even submit, make sure you’ve listed any conflicts on April 29th, April 30th, or May 1st. 99% of the teams will be doing almost all of their shooting on Saturday, April 30th. If you’re not available then, it’s best to skip this year (hey, there’s the Baltimore 48 in June).
2) Click one or both of the links above to submit to that category
Or you can do it while you’re in Stonehenge Casting. We have an article about it.
3) Fill out Roles (it’s a required field)
In the “Roles” field, you can just look at your logline and tailor it for here. If, after looking at the required genres, you know you can bring something special to something like Western (you’re a horseback rider) or Martial Arts (you’re a black belt), list it. But remember, you’re still limited to 200 characters for that field, so if you want to list every genre, just put “any genre.”
4) Fill out the Video Audition URL (optional)
If you want to put a demo reel from your main profile here, that’s fine.
5) Click Submit
6) Join a team as you see fit
The casting notices will be open from now until Friday afternoon, April 29th. 48 Hour Filmmakers may contact you beforehand, hoping to lock you into their ensemble — or they might contact you frantically Friday night as they realize they really need someone who knows karate and has clowning experience (for example). It’s completely your call.
We hope you have fun… and frankly, we’re hoping this helps at least one crowd scene happen.