Genres
We've done our customary genre shake-up again. "Buddy Film" and "Superhero" have been retired for the year. In their place we've added "Thriller/Suspense" and made "Historical Fiction" a regular genre. And it wouldn't be the 48 Hour Film Project without those three beloved words: "Musical or Western"!
After genres have been selected, filmmakers will be given the option to trade in their genre for a Wild Card Genre. Once you switch, you can't switch back! Wild Card Genres will be randomly assigned to each city. See the list below.
At the Kickoff Event, each team draws one of these genres from a hat.
- Comedy
- Detective/cop
- Drama
- Fantasy
- Film de Femme (see below)
- Historical Fiction/Period Piece
- Holiday Film
- Horror
- Musical or Western
- Road Movie
- Romance
- Sci Fi
- Spy
- Thriller/Suspense
If you are the lucky team that draws Musical or Western, you have the choice of making either a Musical or a Western. Or a Musical Western. (Or even a Western Musical!)
Your film must be true to the genre you have selected—and no trading with other teams! You may combine genres (e.g., a silent comedic holiday film).
2008 Wild Card Genres
- Animal Film
- Fable
- Fictional Biopic
- Ghost Movie
- Political Drama
- Silent Film (see below)
- Sports Film
- Tragedy
Film de Femme
Never heard of a Film de Femme? That's because we invented it! This genre is specifically designed by the 48HFP to encourage strong roles for females in 48HFP films. A Film de Femme is a film featuring one or more strong female characters. Romantic comedies or "chick flicks" are included in this genre, but are only a subset.
What's a strong female character? Think Police Chief Marge Gunderson in Fargo, Bette Davis in All About Eve, Reese Witherspoon in Election or Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. Smart and complicated. Try to avoid having a woman doing a man's job like a man would do his job. And contrary to public opinion, strong women characters are not required to kill someone!
Silent Film
From the dawn of cinema to the early 1920s, films did not have synchronized sound—they only had the live piano player. We're reliving that, but in 48 hours! A silent film made as part of the 48HFP may have music and sound effects; however, it may not have dialogue or nat sound (that is, sound recorded while shooting). So if a door shuts in your movie, you can use any sound effect you please as long as it's not the actual sound of that door shutting. And if a person talks, you can use any sound effect you please as long as it's not the sound of a person talking. Sound good?
