Competition is Scary in Southern Utah

It’s time bring the lights down and get your scare on as the Halloween Edition Guerrilla Shorts Showcase returns to St George this Friday to delight audiences and filmmakers alike. As most cities have some sort of quick filmmaking competition, St George has embraced the tradition while adding a dash of horror to the mix. 

In the early 2000’s, filmmakers Nate Fackrell, Matthew Fackrell, and Jason DeVilliers launched the first competition prior to continuing their education at film school. Adam Mast brought the competition under the umbrella of the non-profit  The Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah (FMASU.) in 2005 as part of The Guerilla Filmmaking Challenge.

The filmmaking challenge takes place three times during the year: Summer, Halloween and Christmas. Teams of filmmakers are given a topic and have about 4 weeks to conceptualize, cast, shoot, edit and deliver their film before screening it to audiences. The films typically rung 5-6 minutes each. 

When asked how the filmmakers in southern Utah responded to the showcase in recent years, Adam Mast said, “The Challenge has proven to be quite a wonderful experience for those who take part because it offers hands-on experience. Additionally, filmmakers who have taken part have not only responded favorably, but they have been quick to point out that the challenges are a terrific creative outlet and that they’re also essential in regard to learning the art of problem-solving and collaboration.”

Shaun Labrecque, the 2021 audience award winner said, “The art and process of filmmaking has fascinated me since I was a kid. The possibilities are endless and it’s a great form of expression and creative release. A tone, an atmosphere that moves people or scares them, or makes them laugh or cry is beautiful to me.”

“The showcase draws me back because it’s a great opportunity to create something that I know will have an audience,” says filmmaker Caleb Hatton. “The atmosphere and people are so great that it’s always been a positive experience that boosts my creativity.”

Being a professional filmmaker is not a requirement to participate in the filmmaking challenge. “The Challenge often appeals to storytellers who have regular 9 to 5 jobs but find making films of vital importance in an effort to be consistently creative and to keep their sanity” said Mast.

“Making a short film is very satisfying to me, says Hatton, “I get a quick turnaround project that I see through in about the space of a month, my larger projects drag on for sometimes years and I can get very burned out, so creating a short film in a short amount of time really helps once again to boost my creativity and helps me to maintain the effort on my larger projects.”

This year the festival will screen films made by 25 filmmaking teams, 8 of which are first time participants in the filmmaking challenge. All of the films will be screened at a special showcase event on Friday, October 13th at the Eccles Mainstage Theater on the Utah Tech University campus in St. George, UT. That’s right…On Friday the 13th! What better day to celebrate Halloween-inspired filmmaking creativity? The topic for this particular challenge was “Urban Legend.” 

“The big draw for the showcase for me is to get an audience to see a film I made, says filmmaker Lonie Black. Black has participated in the Guerrilla Short Showcase since it began in 2005 and has not missed a competition yet. 

“Back when I started there was no online distribution option. You couldn’t afford to rent out a theater and get people into it to watch a 5-20min film. So when Adam started doing the Guerrilla showcase that opened up an audience to us. The audience was there and they were all fans of film making. Getting an audience to react is always great. There have been some good friendships in the filmmaking community too. I have directed 45 films for the showcase but have worked on an additional 25+ films for other filmmakers in the showcase” said Black. 

The films will be judged by a handful of storytellers ascending upon St. George, UT for the 21st annual HorrorFest International Film Festival, running from October 18th through October 21st. Judges include “Succession” wordsmith and “Glue Trap” writer/director, Justin Geldzahler as well as “The Weird Kidz” writer/director, Zach Passero.

“Some are designed to frighten while others set out to make you laugh and to make you think,” said Mast “but one thing that all of these short films have in common is that they were made by truly passionate, dedicated, and creative individuals looking to challenge themselves and inspire one another in equal measure.

All of these short films will be archived on “Southern Utah’s Guerrilla Filmmaking Central” YouTube Channel. You can access the channel by clicking here.

If you are interested in participating in The Guerilla Filmmaking Challenge here is some advice from filmmakers that have participated over the years:

“You should do it if you have any interest in filmmaking. It is a great way to try all types of production work. You can specialize in something or try different things. One of the great things about making a film for the showcase is there is a deadline.It helps keep you motivated to get it done. Having a finished film to show off is a fun thing.” – Lonie Black

“Anyone looking to make a film for the showcase just do it!  I have never regretted making a short for it, it’s a great way to start.  Your film has a guaranteed audience and will play in a theater, I would say set aside all the fears surrounding making a film and take that step and make it happen.” – Caleb Hatton

“Be yourself. Don’t conform. Do whatever truly inspires you, however strange, or against the norm it may be. Also, don’t bite off more than you can chew for such a competition or challenge. With such limited time, you don’t want to get in over your head and create something that doesn’t connect with your audience.” – Shaun Labrecque