The Big Deal with Big Jones Productions

It probably only took 48 seconds for the filmmakers at Big Jones Productions (BJP) and Kinook Creative to receive the award for Best Film. Which is good, seeing as how it took 48 hours to make the movie that took home the prize: The 4th Floor.

But let’s get a little more specific.

The BJP and Kinook team burned a weekend last summer (2009) to compete in the popular 48 Hour Film Project, a self-described “wild and sleepless weekend in which (a team of filmmakers) make a movie — write, shoot, edit and score it — in just 48 hours.”

Moments before the contest begins, filmmakers are given a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre to include in the movie. The completed film – editing, music, credits, the works – must be turned in before the deadline.

In 2009, nearly 40,000 filmmakers made 3,000 films in 76 cities. In Cleveland, that included BJP and Kinook’s team. And by the end of it, they took home the prize for both Best Film and Audience Favorite.

“Winning ‘Best Film’ was totally unexpected,” says Sage O’Bryant, BJP’s director and producer. Recently, Midwest Movie Maker sat down and chatted with O’Bryant about the 48 Hour Film Project and making movies in Northeast Ohio.

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