In the beginning there was Johnnie Oddball

Beginning with Johnnie Oddball we take a look at the history behind the development of the 48-hour film challenge: From then till now

Welcome to our new weekly blog series dedicated to the upcoming DVMISSION 48-hour film challenge, which I hope most of you will be joining. Each week there will be an update on the creation and the development of this innovative filmmaking adventure until get to today and the format which we all know.

Initially, the first documented event ever held like this was in 2001, in Washington, USA. Mark Ruppert and Liz Langston created the film project to see what filmmakers can do in a single weekend. They got the idea after a couple of friends along with them decided to make a short film in only 48 hours. For some of them these hours were full of fun, for others were a useful project to add in their reels. For Mark and Liz, however, it was the beginning of a filmmaking innovation. The results have been phenomenal and their 48 Hour Film Project has now been held in 130 cities all over the world and more than 325,000 people have participated in over 25,000 films.

Only one year later, the DIY filmmaker Johnny Oddball created the first 48-hour film challenge in UK. Frustrated by the difficulty of making a short film, he provoked British filmmakers to join the challenge in 2002. The title and the theme were picked on Friday, and they had 48 hours to create a short film which was screened two weeks later.

In 2003 Johnnie created one of the biggest filmmaking events in Britain – over 10,000 people participated, producing 488 short films. After the first edition of this event, Johnny, who the Fringe Report called ‘the most creative influence in the British Film Industry`, took the 48 hour film challenge to Europe – in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2004 he organized four additional filmmaking events across Europe in Berlin and Paris and staged the first 24-hour competition in Cannes in 2005. It later spread to other countries like Bulgaria.

In the period between 2003 and 2005, Johnnie Oddball was shadowed by Phil Smith for a college project. Because of the opportunity to be there on the ground as things unfolded, he gained some valuable insights which he later shared in his book –`Johnnie Oddball 2003-2005 Film Challenges’. Phil’s book answers lots of questions about the origins of the 48-hour film challenge in the UK. It is an inspirational read and you will probably recognise some of the ideas from your own experience of 48-hour filmmaking. Three answers worth knowing of Johnny Oddball.

When he was asked why he created these challenges Johnny replied:

‘To inspire others is one of the most rewarding feelings a filmmaker can do.’ (Paris, 2004)

‘I’ll stop filmmaking when I’m dead.’ (Berlin, 2005)

‘I Live for filmmaking and filmmakers, to inspire is to create’ (2005)

And that`s the beginning and inspiration behind the Portsmouth competition which has now challenged filmmakers for seventeen years!