Write, shoot, edit, and screen a film in 24 hours – surely an impossible or insane task? The Fast Forward Film Festival thinks not. Aidan Beatty shares his experience of participating in this unusual event.

7 pm – As uncomfortably humid weather fell upon Dublin, a group of (possibly masochistic) filmmakers gathered in Filmbase to accept the rather difficult challenge set by the Fast Forward Film Festival – specifically to make a three minute piece based on an hitherto unknown topic and have it ready for screening by 8pm the following evening. Really, we're all old enough to know better.

The topic given was 'Once' – intentionally vague to allow for as much freedom as possible. Freedom's a horrible thing as we were all soon to discover.

9pm – With the theme provided, the various film teams dispersed pretty quickly. Our team decamped to a nearby kebab restaurant to talk shop around mouthfuls of shawarma. By 11, with still no plans of what we're going to do and angry stares coming our way from the proprietors, probably for hogging such a large table for so long, we moved to the safety of a friend's apartment on Clanbrassil Street. Surely here we'd finally come up with a definite idea for our film.

1am – After much deliberation and perhaps even more coffee we finally decided on an idea. Something about a girl and a guy and infidelity. I think.

It would undergo much revision before completion.

4am – Realizing that our crew are doing a damn good job and proceeding at a nice pace to boot, I take the controversial decision to slowly extricate myself form the production process – i.e. I have now passed out on the couch. A lesser person might have viewed this as selfishly abandoning my comrades. Not me.

5am – I am angrily kicked awake and ordered to start editing. As I sit working on an iBook set up on the coffee table, my colleagues snore happily around me. I have now undergone a massive 'Road to Damascus' type conversion. It is never acceptable to abandon your teammates like this.

8am – Something approaching a coherent structure has been edited together and I quietly exit (very quietly actually, for fear I wake the sleeping crew and they demand more editing be done). On my way to Pearse Street Dart Station I am gripped with paranoid terror – I think I might actually look more bleary-eyed than the Trinity Ball revellers I pass outside a certain early house.

8pm – We all regroup back at Filmbase. Some judicious changes have been made to my scant edit and an extra scene has been added.

The films screened certainly reflect the self-imposed craziness of their production. Niceties such as lighting and good quality sound are done away with in favour of just trying to get your film in on time. With that lo-fi caveat in mind though, there were some pretty good shorts on show. First up was a piece that ironically enough depicted a painfully recognizable attempt to make a film within an excruciatingly short timeframe. Much sage head nodding followed.

Photophrenia was an eccentric look at a man bedevilled by a rare medical condition that causes him to be able to produce photos through his mouth. It deservedly wins best film.

Relieved that it was all over, I struggled back to Pearse Street to collapse onto the last train home.

The Fast Forward Film Festival is the brainchild of Andrew McAvinchey, adapted from a similar competition he took part in, in Chicago. He hopes to organize another Fast Forward in July, possibly in collaboration with the Darklight Digital Festival. Bring on the next round of victims.

Aidan Beatty

http://www.fastforwardireland.com/