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WHAT IS THE PRAIRIE GRASS FILM CHALLENGE?

RECEIVE PROMPT

At the start of your 48-hour experience, registered teams will receive a prompt in their team portal giving specific items the judges will want to see in your film, like your genre, a line of dialogue, a prop and so forth.

WRITE AND SHOOT

With prompts in hand, it’s time to write your story and start shooting! Get your actors to the locations and gather the images you need to tell your award-winning story!

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EDIT YOUR FILM

The magic happens here. Use whatever software you have to combine your footage, music, titles and maybe even special effects!

UPLOAD FINISHED VIDEO

Finished film? Now go to your team portal and upload your masterpiece, then sit back and relax because PGFC’s judges across the country will take it from here. Get some sleep and wait to see if you take BEST OF SHOW at the upcoming Awards Ceremony!

…ALL WITHIN 48 HOURS

View

Past Films

O

ur magical elves allow you to travel back in time and watch competition films from years ago. See which films won and ask, “What did that team do that the judges liked so much?” Then go and do likewise.

GO TO FILMS

Our History &

Our Motivation

O

ur goal is really quite simple: we want to expose as many people as possible to the visual arts, moving images in particular. Telling stories with film is so thrilling and so powerful, we wanted to create an event or venue that would entice people–experienced and first-timers–to the experience!

And because this is coming out of Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, we do it in a very family-friendly way and are intentional about content worth consuming. So jump in to this ‘sleep-optional’ weekend and maybe–just maybe–you’ll walk away with this year’s “BEST OF SHOW!”

MORE DETAILS

FILM CHALLENGE BEGINS IN

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wise words from past competitors

  • Don’t worry about everything, just have fun with it. If you’re having fun, your movie will be fun.

    Garth Iowa

  • If I had any advice for teams, it's to make sure your film can be summarized easily in one sentence and to keep your scope really tight - 12 or so hours to film is NOT MUCH and quality is more important than quantity. Make one statement, communicate one idea, and do it well.

    Jesse South Dakota

  • The PGFC is a blast and an exceptional opportunity to hone your skills at guerrilla film making.

    John South Dakota

  • The Prairie Grass Film Challenge is an amazing event that I look forward to each year. Unique to Dordt, the challenge welcomes people from all over the country. It is a great bonding experience for you and your team, and it produces some of the greatest memories. It helps strengthen skills such as communication and time management. Speaking from experience, decent audio and a great storyline is the key to a winning film. Though winning is the goal, at the end of the day it's about having fun creating your film, and Dordt does a great job highlighting this by screening all the films at a fantastic ceremony. I greatly encourage you to spend a crazy 48 hours taking on The Prairie Grass Film Challenge.

    Josiah Iowa

  • I'll start by saying that everything I thought I knew making a film in 48 hours was wrong! Incredibly challenging and incredibly fun! My wise words are: Resist the urge to tell your character's backstory, just jump into that moment and resolve that moment. Also, know your gear better than your best friend, the last thing you have time for is tech issues!

    Forrest California

  • 48 hours, make a film, crazy schedule, you know the drill. What keeps me coming back year after year to make a film isn't just the thrill of seeing my work on a big screen, or the 2am adrenaline rush of nailing a really exciting shot while running on fumes. It's those things too, but mostly it's because mid-January my creative energy is just about gone, sapped by the cold and holiday vacations. The Film Challenge rolls around it's an opportunity to put down all my other responsibilities for a weekend and do something purely creative. It helps me recharge and reinvigorate my vision. 

    Jesse South Dakota

  • The key to this thing, and perhaps the whole point of it, is to take your weaknesses and make it the best thing about the project. Don't have anywhere cool to film? Make something cool happen in an ordinary location. Don't have a great camera? Get super familiar with whatever's on hand and make that baby sing. Audio issues? Make your music or sound effects the focal point of the film. Don't worry about what sets you back. Just get out there and see your project from beginning to end. You're already miles ahead of everyone who never even tried.

    Ben California
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