Photo By Graham Lienhart

Dynamic duo: Dog Day Productions' Mike Maney (left) and Ryan Lewis, creators of the acclaimed Glorious.

While big-budget behemoths like War of the Worlds and Revenge of the Sith spend mountains of money over several months with the help of hundreds of people, the 48 Hour Film Project goes in the opposite direction. The annual grassroots film contest is a reprieve from such large-scale spectacle, providing a welcome dose of down-home creativity. All one needs is a few friends, a camera and an idea.

"A couple of years I ago I got an e-mail about the Nashville contest, and I thought, 'If they can have one, why can't we?' " says the project's Cincinnati producer, Chris Strobel.

Begun in 2001 by a pair of Washington, D.C., independent film producers, the project has now spread to 34 cities on three continents. The premise is simple: Filmmaking teams have 48 hours, 7 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Sunday, to make a short film (four to seven minutes in length).

The frenzy gets underway with each team drawing a genre out of a hat. In addition, the same prop, character and line of dialogue must appear in each film. A few days later the finished creations are shown to an audience. (This year's screening takes place Tuesday at Newport on the Levee's AMC Theatres.) No test screenings, marketing meetings or meddling executives -- just pure creativity.

"Last year we were hoping not to pull either western or sci-fi," says Ryan Lewis of Dog Day Productions, winner of the 2004 Best of Cincinnati prize. "When we pulled sci-fi we thought we were finished. But over the course of the weekend -- and the subsequent screenings -- I realized that it worked out better to be forced out of your genre of choice, as it makes for a much more creative film."

Glorious, Lewis and partner Mike Maney's winning entry, tells the story of a federal agent who goes undercover inside a mysterious religious cult. Given the project's restrictions, it's a remarkably polished and cohesive effort.

Yet with the rapidly evolving nature of digital photography and high-powered computers, one shouldn't be surprised that Glorious' seemingly effortless results can be achieved. The pair, both of whom are Cincinnati natives, agrees that the new technology is changing the face of filmmaking.

"I believe anyone who possesses the skill can become a filmmaker these days with the introduction of digital technology," Maney says. "However, to have the tools isn't enough -- you need to understand how to use them. You still need to understand lighting, blocking, editing, etc. It's still an art. It just means that you no longer need hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring your vision to life."

"This contest never could have existed without the current technology," Lewis adds.

It's safe to say their experience has been positive.

"With Glorious, we were fortunate enough to be screened in festivals in Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinnati and at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose (Calif.), where the international finals of the 48 Hour Film Project were held," Lewis says. "We've made a number of friends all around the globe from a film that took exactly 48 hours to produce."

Though Glorious failed to bring home the top prize at Cinequest, it did go on to win Underneath Cincinnati's 2004 best-of-show honors.

But that was then, and the duo is eager to take part in this year's project.

"I've recently been working on getting larger scale projects off the ground, and there are a great deal of issues in trying to do so, many of which require an enormous amount of waiting and preparation," Lewis says. "I jumped at the chance to enter the 48 Hour Film Project because there are none of those same issues to deal with. You have to be ready to go by a set date, and you must turn the film in on time as well. No exceptions. You don't have time to second-guess yourself. On top of that, it's tremendously challenging and extremely fun to pull everything together in that short amount of time."

Strobel, coordinator of the Radio/Television program at Northern Kentucky University, says 36 teams are taking part in the 2005 version in Cincinnati, a number that doesn't surprise him.

"There's a lot of talent here that does commercial work that's interested in entertainment-based filmmaking," he says. "It's also a good chance for them to network with other filmmakers."

Lewis concurs.

"Although this was a competition, everyone I met was extremely supportive of other groups," he says. "It was great to get a chance to talk to other filmmakers and compare methods and ways in which everyone was able to produce their film."

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The 48 Hour Film Project screens at Newport on the Levee's AMC Theatres in three sessions -- 4:45, 6:45 and 8:45 p.m. -- on Tuesday. Tickets are $7-$15. For more information, go to www.48hourfilm.com.