Good Advice

There's loads of ways to approach 48Hours and every team will do things their own way. Its good to learn from past mistakes though, so we've put together a list of good advice that we've heard from successful teams over the years.

Teams

When you decide to enter 48Hours, you can do so in one of two ways. You can either register and build a team or join a team.

If you decide to start your own team, you will need to register your team when registrations open and then find people to help. Teams range in size from 1 person to over 30 people. Obviously which suits you best will depend largely on your skills and preferences.

If you would rather join a team, and don't know anyone who is entering, or can't find anyone to join your team, join our facebook group or get in touch with your city manager. 

Be Prepared

There are a number of things you can do before the weekend to make thigns easier over the weekend.

  • Plan how you will keep yourself and your crew fed. Hungry people are mean.
  • Line up some actors who are free all weekend. It's a bit inconvenient when your lead actor has to head off to to their shift mid-shoot.
  • Find locations and get permission in advance. Make sure you will be able to access them on the weekend.
  • If you are animating, then you are allowed to prepare character and location assets, the same as live action teams.
  • Expect not to sleep much, especially if you're the editor. (Make sure someone who has slept is free to drive you around).
  • Test your equipment. We can't emphasise this enough. Make sure you know how to use that camera with that microphone. Charge your batteries. 
  • Test your editing system. Test how long it will take to export a 5-minute movie. Make sure you have enough hard drive space. Use software you are familiar with.
  • Check your internet connection is reliable for the online handin, or find a connection that is.

Script advice

Don't always go with your first idea, it might be the same as everyone else's. Take some time to brainstorm different stories before you commit to the one you want to make. 

Here's some great advice from script expert Kathryn Burnett on brainstorming and writing for 48Hours. 

Younger teams

If you're a group of kids then make a film about kids - play your age and tell stories from your perspective. 

Use your resources

This is our top tip. Anything unique that you have, use it! Location, actor, idea, props, make your film stand out from the crowd. We want to see films that surprise and delight us.

48 Hour Survival Kit - Team Building

48 Hour Survival Kit - Beyond the Backyard

48 Hour Survival Kit - Technical Turbulence

Top Tips for surviving 48Hours 

(As told by triple Wellington Champions Couch Kumara)

Podcasts

The team at 48Hours love a good hearty podcast, so with the help of some friends, we made our own podcast channel. The channel features interviews with teams about their unique experience participating in the competition.

Teams interview other teams about their highs and the lows, their creative process while passing on some useful film-making advice to new teams. 

Listen to more of our podcasts here.