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Making One Movie in Two Days

Fuzz! Team Member Joe Bruncsak.
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Fuzz! Team Member Joe Bruncsak.
48 Hour Film Project logo.
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48 Hour Film Project logo.

Since its inception in 2001, the annual 48 Hour Film Project has charged hundreds of amateur filmmakers with the task of producing a complete short film -- as the project's name suggests -- in just two days.

Joe Bruncsak's Fuzz! team won the 2003 Washington, D.C., event with its movie Weather Man. This year, Fuzz! was in the running again.

Starting on a Friday night, the Fuzz! team, along with all other Washington entrants, had to write, shoot and edit a movie by Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m.

Contest rules provide minimal yet crucial plot guidance: each team must draw at random a main character, a line of dialogue, a prop and a genre. The Fuzz! drew S. Baxter, professional photographer; the line "You know I love the _____" ; a rubber duck; and horror.

Bruncsak's frenetic audio diary documents the Fuzz! team's weekend-long ordeal. The end result: Photo Finish, clocking in at just over 5 minutes.

The 48 Hour Film Project was founded in Washington, D.C., eventually expanding to 21 cities, including Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand, and Copenhagen, Denmark. Winners chosen for each participating city are entered into a final judging to determine the "Best 48 Hour Film of the Year."

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