DVMISSION alumni Rob Ulitski recently gave us the low down on taking part in a 48-hour film challenge. He first took part in 2007 and took part for three years as part of DVMISSION regulars Truth at 88mph. He and his team were nominated three times and won best Sound Effects in 2010. At the time Rob was a student at St Vincent’s College and went on to study at UCA Farnham, before spending a few years working on films in LA. He is currently freelancing in the UK and making lots of amazing pop promos.
“Anyone who’s ever made a film knows it’s not easy. Anyone who’s tried to make a film in 48 hours knows its near-impossible. Yet some of my best memories of filmmaking are being deep in the trenches (metaphorically speaking), racing against the clock, making short films for DV Mission. I’ve taken part in DV Mission three times in total, and the experience has been extremely valuable. One of the key things doing the event has taught me is to be decisive and swift with decision making, and to make sure that things are always moving and dynamic on-set. Filmmaking can be a very slow process when shooting typical projects, because of the amount of decision making and personnel that are involved.
The great thing about DV Mission is that you are working in a small group, and have to make hundreds of tiny decisions as you go with no real time for second thoughts. You go with your gut and hopefully realise you’ve made the correct decisions in the edit! The best thing about the process, and the reason I have taken part in the event multiple times, is that it really fosters experimentation. There aren’t many opportunities to make these kinds of films out in the real world, and it’s something that is so easy to put off when you’re busy in your day to day life. But when you’ve got a looming deadline and prizes up for grabs, you really learn to dive into the process head first, and let all of your wildest and craziest ideas come to the surface.
I would wholeheartedly recommend DV Mission to anyone looking to challenge themselves creatively. One of the great things about the event is that there is a mix of professional and amateur filmmakers, some just starting out, and some who are already in the industry. However, everyone starts with the same key information, and if you are creative, there are opportunities for your work to really shine, regardless of your equipment or budget.”
Rob Ulitski 2018
You can watch Rob’s winning 2010 film here: https://youtu.be/1krgEU5u0jY
The 2010 Obstructions were – Genre: Steampunk; Title: Low head; Dialogie: “what we have here is a failure to communicate”.