Taupō man Joel Corbett on this year's 48 Hour Film Festival

The Great Lakes Film Society entry for this year's 48 Hour film festival. Photo / Corbie Films

They won last year, and pulled out all the technology this year to make a film during lockdown.

In 2019 The Great Lakes Film Society won the Bay of Plenty Vista Foundation 48 Hour film competition with their short film Extra Time. Postponement of this year's event led to competition organisers devising a mini filmmaking challenge that took place over the weekend of April 17-19.

With nine people in their group, eight from Taupō and one from Palmerston North, Taupō cinematographer Joel Corbett said the big challenge was to think what other contestants would do, and then think of something unique.

"How do you make a film while in a closed bubble?"

Meeting via the networking app Zoom, the group was ready when their genre was announced at the start of the 48 hours.

"We got 'horror', and I thought good, we've done a fair few horrors beforehand.

"Script writing was done via Zoom, and as a group we thought others might make a horror film about a pandemic [since we are in the middle of Covid-19 pandemic]. But we didn't want to do that."

"Art can elevate us, and take us beyond our personal circumstances, and as a group that's what we wanted to do," said Mr Corbett.

Without giving too much away, Mr Corbett said their entry is a horror film about a bunch of misfits who perform a sacrifice.

From the technical point of view, every person had to film themselves and then they sent the film to Mr Corbett who shrunk the people, combined the shots and set them against a background of his own backyard. He said it was especially hard, because no one had a professional camera, apart from him.

"The film was shot on cellphones, webcams and home computers!"

While talking about the script, the group decided they wanted the film to look like there was more than one person in the shot and to use illusion where possible. For instance, one person would kick the ball from the left side in their garden, and then another person would receive a ball from the right side in their garden.

"It's like the most spastic filmmaking I have ever done! But it [the film] is so good."

Mr Corbett says the 48 Hour film festival embodies what is beautiful about making a film in a short time.

"And you just take the limitations and run with it."

Some outdoor filming for last years entry Extra Time at a home in Sunset St led to a thumbs down in the Taupō & Tūrangi Weekender, with one onlooker apparently confusing it with an adult movie in production.

This year's film requirements saw Mr Corbett rush outside while wearing his boxer shorts.

"My wife gets a call from the neighbour, asking 'Is it that time of year again?'"

Winners will be announced by judge Peter Jackson on TV2 on May 8, at 9.30pm in a one-hour best-of show.

Between The Sheets bloopers

Starring: Roy Bowers, Lindsey Seaton, Angela Alexander, Dervla Gaddum, Leona Revell, Ella Revell, Katherine Ansley, Bailey Coutts, Kerence Stephen, Joel Corbett, Denise Edmonds, Kaja Bricklebank.
Camera Crew: Zoe Bowers, Ella Bowers, Grace Hadfield, Hamish Gaddum, Chloe French, Damien Coutts, Paul Bricklebank
Written By: Denise Edmonds
Directed and Edited by Joel Corbett.