Film Challenge 2015

The Milton Keynes Film Challenge 2015

MKFN is organising the first ever Milton Keynes 48 Hour Film Challenge this November.

This is a competitive filmmaking challenge enabling teams of filmmakers to come together to create a short films from scratch in just 48 hours.

It’s a great opportunity for experienced and new filmmakers alike to try their hand at making a short film over a weekend.

We welcome live action, animations or other artistic styles.

It’s a tough challenge, but also a great deal of fun for all involved, so why not form a team and get involved.

Plus there will be prizes for the winning teams !

How To Get Involved

Find a team (actors, director, editor, writers, camera operators, make-up etc) and register the team here. You can use our Facebook page to find members of our team, or email us and we may be able to help.

Each team will need to have a nominated ‘Team Leader’ who is the point of contact between MKFN and the team. You can also choose a Team Name for the challenge – so think of something original and creative !

There is a small registration fee (to cover our venue costs) of £10 per team (free for Young Filmmakers - teams made up of people all 19 or under) which will be payable at the Kick off Event.

This year we have some exciting judges who will review and judge each film and award prizes (more info on our exciting list of judges shortly).

A Team member will be invited to attend the Kick-off event (see below) in order to get your team’s film criteria and then let the filmmaking begin ! (we can also support teams who cannot attend this event)

All of your team will then be invited to the film Screening and Awards evening which your team should attend in order to receive any prize awarded (see below).

It will be a weekend of filmmaking taking place right across Milton Keynes - a weekend that will be great fun for all involved - plus you'll have a finished film to show for it !

Dates & Times

Film Challenge Weekend

The challenge takes place over the weekend of: 20th – 22nd November 2015 (the 48 hour period)

Kick-off Event

A ‘kick-off’ meeting takes place on the Friday at the start of the challenge. This meeting will be where all the teams complete their registration and receive their unique criteria for the challenge. All teams will receive their film criteria by 7pm so you can get started. We highly recommend having at least one team member attend this kick-off event, but if you are unable to make it we can send you your team criteria electronically.

When: Friday 20th November 2015
Time: 6:30pm
Location: MK Gallery, Central Milton Keynes (link to venue here)

Film Submission

Each team will need to submit their finished film by 7pm on Sunday 23rd November. Films submitted after this deadline will not be deemed eligible for awards.

When: Sunday 22nd November
Time: 7:00pm (sharp)
How: Electronically (via internet) details on Rules page

Film Screenings & Awards

On the Saturday after the film challenge weekend there will be a screening of all the submitted films at the MK Gallery. This will be a chance to see your film on the big screen and see all the other films that other teams have made over the weekend.
It should be a really fun evening and will conclude with the winning film's being announced and prizes awarded!

This year Tim Searle will be handing out awards to the winners !

We have two categories for this years films awards:

'Best Film - MKFN Filmmakers Challenge 2015'
'Best Film - MKFN Young Filmmakers challenge 2015' (19 and under)

When: Saturday 28th November
Time: 7:30pm – 10pm
Location: MK Gallery, Central Milton Keynes (link to venue here)

Film Challenge Judges

Tim Searle who will also be handing out awards to the winning filmmakers.

Tim is the Creative Director of Animation and Childrens at Tiger Aspect and is currently Series Director of the second series of the animated Mr Bean, a 52 x 11 min series for CITV.
Tim has worked in animation for 25 years. He set up Triffic Films within months of leaving West Surrey College of Art & Design. Tim quickly found himself producing animation and graphics for a wide range of broadcast comedy shows including: Absolutely, Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Harry Enfield’s Television Programme, Paramount City, Murder Most Horrid, Two Fat Ladies, Fist of Fun, The Catherine Tate Show and many others. Triffic moved into narrative comedy in 1999 with: The Outlaw for C4.
In 2001 Tim helped create 2DTV, directing five series of the successful topical series for ITV, he also founded Baby Cow Animation in that year with Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. Credits include: I am not an Animal, Horrible Histories, Alan Partridge (BBC), Dara O’Briain’s School of Hard Sums (Dave), Man Down (C4), The Cow that Almost Missed Christmas (CBeebies), Uncle Wormsley’s Christmas (Sky Arts) and Warren United (ITV).
Tim is a board member of the Skillset Animation Group and Animation UK – the group that successfully lobbied government for the UK tax break in 2014/15.

Johnnie Oddball

Johnnie Oddball is a producer and actor, known for When London Sleeps It Came Alive (2010), The Dark Hunter (2003) and Cosplayers UK: The Movie (2011).

Andrew Armes

Architect and Urban Designer and Film Producer ( well just the once really)…life-long film and cinema fan , ‘ going to the pictures’ 5 times a week as a kid in living in Norwich in a house with out a tele.
Chair of ICMK. Trying to bring independent film to Milton Keynes, which in my view is the only thing we don’t have.

Honoured to be a judge and looking forward to the whole event….keep it interesting as I don’t want to doze off…

Davin Jeayes

Davin heads up MKFN.
An award winning Filmmaker, producer on forthcoming feature film "The Shrieking Horror".

Davin also produces corporate videos for international brands.

A Trustee of the charity Independent Cinema Milton Keynes (ICMK)...

and all round promoter of film and creativity.

The judging panel is also joined by URSULA WHITE (Director ICMK) and SIMON WIGHT (MK Gallery).

To Register your Team for the Film Challenge go to the Registration page here.

To see the Rules for the challenge go here.

This work has been supported by funding
from MK Community Foundation