So, You Think You’re a Filmmaker?

Amateur filmmakers compete in Miami Film Race

By Dan Hudak

Actors Kimberly Cox and Oscar A. Diaz meet on a blind date in a scene from Mysteries of the Opposite Sex, directed by last year's winner Will Vázquez.

South Florida filmmakers, it’s time to find out how good you truly are. The Miami Film Race, which begins at 10 p.m. Friday, May 30, challenges competitors to make a four-minute short film in 24 hours. To keep things fair, there are a few twists: When the race begins, a special theme and a surprise element are e-mailed to the participants, and each team must incorporate those elements into its short film.

“For the theme, we like to have something interesting, but not too narrow a topic — it needs to be something that can be interpreted differently,” said competition director Charlie Weisman, adding that past themes have been revenge, bad advice and misfortune. Previous surprise elements have been actions, such as hanging a picture or washing a window, or props, such as an egg or chopsticks, Weisman said.

Each team must write, shoot, edit and submit its film by 10 p.m. Saturday. All films will be screened for the public at the Cosford Cinema in Coral Gables on June 5.

“It’s exhilarating and nerve-racking and very challenging,” said Will Vazquez, whose team’s film, Mysteries of the Opposite Sex, won last year’s competition.

“As soon as the race starts, the clock is ticking, and I think being under pressure stimulates creativity and it’s a huge adrenaline rush,” said event producer Christy McCouch. “In the end, you can see the sense of accomplishment they all have, regardless of whether the film turned out well.”

Teams are not allowed to write a story or shoot footage beforehand, but they are allowed to secure locations, cast and crew (there’s no limit to the number of people allowed on a team) before the competition begins. In fact, history proves that the more structure and focus you have, the better your team will do.

“The film has to be approached methodically in order to achieve the proper end result,” said Vazquez, who currently produces and directs TV commercials for the Florida Marlins and plans to enter the competition again this year. “Filmmaking is a craft, and a lot has to do with discipline and following the rules of the craft.”

Weisman agrees. “A lot of people who’ve done this and directed features tell us it’s all about sticking to the schedule and preparation,” he said, adding that “it definitely takes a quality short film to win.”

Although teams are free to make any kind of movie, comedies tend to be the dominant genre. “Even zombie movies tend to be based in comedy,” McCouch said. “When you have such a short time frame and a strange theme and surprise element, the whole race lends itself to comedy.”

“It might also be easier to come up with something to make people laugh than it is to come up with a dramatic story,” Weisman said, noting that roughly 75 percent of the films are comedies. “But this is not to say that comedies don’t take as much work as the dramas, or that they’re necessarily any better.”

If you don’t finish the film on time, you likely will not be alone. “We never have all the teams complete on time,” Weisman said. “Anywhere from 50 to 75 percent turn in the film on time, and 10 to 15 percent don’t turn in a film at all.”

Miami is one of 17 cities hosting the 24-hour Film Race; the top three films in each city, as selected by local judges, will compete in a national competition later this year, where more than $35,000 in prizes will be awarded. The event is open to amateurs and professionals, although no SAG, DGA or other union members may participate. The entry fee is $95 per team; receive $10 off by entering the discount code “FILMRACER” (one word) when you sign up at  the Film Race website, www.filmracing.com/cities/miami.htm.