10-10-10 sounds like a perfect score in an ice skating competition, but don’t look for any whiney Canadians or Russians here. Formally called Project Rosebud, the new and proper name is the Sotheby’s International Realty 10-10-10 Student Filmmaker Competition. Listen up, all you aspiring Spielbergs, the 10-10-10, is 10 films each 10 minutes long and they must be shot within a 10-day limit. There are 10 crews, five from the high school level and five from college level. Don’t be surprised if you see people in costume and a few more cameras than usual around Santa Barbara over the next week. This is going to be Guerilla filmmaking at its finest.

At an informal press conference, all of the 10 crews met for lunch. As if their task didn’t seem difficult enough, the filmmakers were given some last minute instructions. Some SBIFF- (Santa Barbara International Film Festival) promoting tasks must be incorporated into their movies. Each film must fulfill five requirements: a Santa Barbara landmark must be featured in the film, a Film Festival Pass must be seen in each picture, the number “20” must appear in the dialogue, there must be product placement of Sotheby’s featured somewhere in the scenery and the phrase “Cutie Honey” must be heard from one of the main characters. The reward for all the filmmaker’s pains is a $3,000 dollar check to spend on any film equipment of their choice. A winner will be chosen from both the high school and college level.

The five college-level directors are an interesting group in themselves. Ranging from freshmen to juniors, three of the final five are from UCSB. Of the three UCSB students, two are producing their own Film 106 projects simultaneously as they are doing their 10-10-10 projects. Kathleen Swanson, the only female director this year, said, “The toughest part of the 10-10-10 is going to be juggling it with midterms.” When asked about the pressures of competition, second-year film studies student Zach Hart confidently said, “I am going to go out there and make the best film I can.” Mark Legaspi, SBCC’s only entrant said, “My friends and I are just going to try and have fun. It is not the end of the world if I don’t win.” All having previous experience, the directors seemed to agree that the majority of work would be spent in the editing room and post-production.

Short films are always fun. They are direct and to the point, usually having a nice twist or kicker to leave a smile on the audience’s face. Expect witty stories and tongue-in-cheek comedy as these filmmakers bring their very best. All 10 films will be showcased Feb. 5 at the Victoria Theatre at 5 p.m. This is sure to be one of the highlights of the SBIFF, so come out and support your Gaucho filmmakers. This message will self destruct in 10 seconds.