The 4x4 Film Challenge
The film challenge formerly known as the 8 Hour Film Challenge
Four days to plan. Four hours to film. Four hours to edit. Four prompts.

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2023 Submissions

The 2023 4x4 challenge (formerly the 8 Hour Challenge) was held at Changfeng Park and Joy City. Here you can see each team's prompt, and how they handled the challenge in these compelling videos that were planned in four days, shot and edited in four hours.

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The 4x4 Challenge

• This year, students will have 4 days to plan a film, 4 hours to shoot it, 4 hours to edit and 4 prompts to shape their films.
• On MARCH 20th at 8AM students will be given information about our filming location for this year.
• Each group will also get a  random prompt from each of the following lists.  
• Students will choose whether they prefer their prompt from list A or list B.  They may use either or both.
• Students must use their random prompt from list C.​. 
• A PROP will be given to all groups. (Announced on the 20th, and distributed on the morning of the 24th)
• Films must use their two final prompts prominently throughout their final film and connect clearly to the provided ​theme. 

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LIST A
​Director Styles
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Tim Burton
Wes Anderson
Edgar Wright
Maya Deren
David Lynch
Wong Kar Wai
Michael Mann
Fritz Lang
Terry Gilliam
Andrei Tarkovsky
Akira Kurosawa
Yasujiru Ozu
David Fincher
Zhang Yimou
Spike Lee
Barry Jenkins
Julie Taymor

LIST B
Film Movements

• ​French New Wave
• Film Noir
• German Expressionism
• Mumblecore
• Avant Garde /Surrealism
• Magical Realism
• Japanese Horror
• 6th Generation Chinese Film

LIST C
Technical Requirements

• Whip Pans
• Match Cuts
• Rope Cuts
• Jump Cuts
• Sound Bridges
• Shoot through Frames
• Reflections
• Still Images
• Extreme Close Ups
• 360 Arc Shots
• Dutch Angles

Note: Some of these options may be updated or changed before the official drawing on the 20th. 
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Guidelines

• Students will work in collaborative teams with students from their own school. 
• Filming must not begin before Friday, March 24th at 8 AM  
• Films must be complete and submitted by March 24th at 6 PM.
• Films must be 3 minutes maximum.  There is no penalty for shorter films. Given the time frame, shorter films are recommended.
• Each production team may include up to 6 people, one for each role in the Film Portfolio and one more for students exploring other roles. 
• Films must follow IB Guidelines for safe and appropriate content and approach. 
• Any films that do not meet these guidelines will not be eligible for awards.