7 Day Film Sprint Inspires Filmmaking With Quick Turnaround

True to its name, the 7 Day Film Sprint is a week-long filmmaking event calling for the creation of original films in just seven days. Ideal for aspiring filmmakers, the upcoming creative event offers the opportunity to become part of the local filmmaking community and to explore filmmaking technology.

The second half of winter in western Massachusetts is filled with film-based learning opportunities. From upcoming events exploring film-and-music pairings to community-based resources for film education (including film clubs, festivals, and independent theaters), local film-based learning abounds this month as yet another film event joins the scene.

Northampton Community Television’s 7-Day Film Sprint is a mini-marathon of film-making, calling for the creation of short films over the course of a single week and culminating in a mini-festival screening event celebrating the hard work and creativity of those involved!

The 2016 installment of the 7 Day Film Sprint will take place from February 29th-March 7th, and the resulting screening will be held on Friday, March 8th. Films made for the sprint will be created by groups of creators working together, and in order to ensure that the entire film-making process (brainstorming included) takes place during the week of the event, participants will be randomly assigned a genre, a line of dialogue, and a prop to include on the first day of the event. Using these three things as a catalyst, participants will then spend a week creating an original short film (between one and five minutes long, credits included). Doubting the feasibility of creating a real film with such little time? Sample films from last year’s event prove the feasibility of rapid-fire film production!

While the 7 Day Film Sprint isn’t specifically designed as an event through which to learn about the process of filmmaking, teams participating in the sprint will have access to Northampton Community Television’s filmmaking equipment, so long as they attend a training prior to the start of the event – making the event a valuable opportunity for amateur filmmakers to expand their tech-related knowledge base. Filmmakers who generally utilize the options offered through cell phones, tablets, and/or camera to make films may be able to advance their filmmaking abilities by learning how to use more advanced and specialized technology – without having to buy their own.

Interested parties can sign up as a team, or can seek further information by using a contact form on the event’s website. Film aficionados who do not participate in the event can celebrate the rapidly produced creative work that the event generates by attending a celebratory screening at 7pm on Friday, March 8th at the Parlor Room, located on Masonic Street in Northampton.