Slug 48 is open to all UCSC undergraduates in all majors. You may participate as an individual, or can form a team. If you are interested to participate in a team but you don't yet have teammates, indicate that in your application and we will attempt to match you up with others!
The Criteria (released at 5pm on 4/25/2025)
Every Film must include this line of dialogue: "What just happened?"
Every Film must inclue this prop: lemon
The general framework for Slug 48 is Dogme 95, a film movement started by the Danish filmmakers Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterburg in, yes, 1995. They made a manifesto for film making and required filmmakers follow these ‘Vows of Chastity’ in order to be recognized as a Dogme 95 film; they are listed below.
Most Dogme films broke some of the Vows and Slug 48 films that break some will still be accepted, but there will be a special prize for Best Use of the Vows. These rules may seem very limiting, and they are, but sometimes it is more liberating to be limited because it forces you to concentrate more on content than visual sleight of hand. Also, with only 48 hours to make the movie, you won’t want to be spending all your time setting up and lighting intricate shots! It is difficult enough to create a compelling story in just two days.
In order to be eligible for the competition, all films created must adhere to these guidelines:
Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in (if a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found).
The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot.)
The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted.
The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable. (If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera.)
Optical work and filters are forbidden.
The film must not contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. mustn’t occur.)
Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden. (That is to say that the film takes place here and now.)
Genre movies are not acceptable.
The film format must resemble the Academy ratio (1.33 to 1) or Widescreen ratio (1.77 to 1).
The director must not be credited.
Notes:
A note on Rule 2, Music: because the films will be posted publicly, all music must be original. Reach out to your Music major friends for help!
A note on Rule 9, Academy Format: if you use an iPhone or iPad as a camera (totally acceptable), the image must be formatted horizontally, not vertically (4:3 or 16:9). Vertically formatted films will not be accepted.
Students are encouraged to use hand-held cameras such as smartphones or DSLRs for filming. You may also use another camera if you have access to one. If you would like to borrow a camera or use additional equipment please visit the Digital Scholarship Commons at McHenry Library. There are also A-V Equipment options offered by ITS.
—Your finished film should be 4 minutes or less!
—Form your teams ahead of time. We are encouraging cross department cooperation. There will be a sign up area for students who want to participate in any way (acting, shooting, editing, general production help) but don’t want to form their own team. Reach out to them.
—Find actors ahead of time! Good acting will make your movie better, and there are acting students in the Theatre department who would probably love to get experience acting in front of a camera.
—Strategize logistics ahead of time—what will you be eating over the weekend? What are some possible location(s) to film, both interior and exterior?
—Spend Friday night writing and planning the shoot. Craft a basic outline. Write a script. Shoot all day Saturday and begin editing as you shoot if possible. Finish editing on Sunday and do any quick reshoots in the morning.
-Don’t get too caught up in perfecting your shots/editing/sound- the focus should be creativity and crafting something original
-Be adaptable! The nature of this project is that it is spontaneous and forces you to think outside-the-box, so be open to the possibility of last-minute mishaps or change-of-plans and find ways to work around them
-A note on Rule 2, Music: because the films will be posted publicly, all music must be original. Reach out to your Music major friends for help!
-A note on Rule 9, Academy Format: if you use an iPhone or iPad as a camera (totally acceptable), the image must be formatted horizontally, not vertically. Vertically formatted films will not be accepted. Academy Aspect Ratio (In Pixels): 2k 1828 x 1332, 4k 3656 x 2664
-File naming: Please use the following file naming convention to make organization and judging easier. Name your file like this: 2024UCSC48_FilmName_TeamName
-Export settings: use .mp4 with h264 codec when you export your film for submission.
-Frame rate: Set your frame rate at 23.98-60fps (iPhones and other phones shoot video at variable frame rates by default, which may prove to be problematic during the editing process. If you are able to change and set the frame rate above, it will be helpful to you later.)
-Duration: 4 minutes or less.
Before the event: For questions about the application and event, please send an email to: ask-slug-48-group@ucsc.edu
During the event: we hope to have some experts available to answer your questions. More to come!