Make a Film in a Flash

Secure the hardware . If your team has the dough but not the equipment, rent a camera package from places such as Bexel in Herndon ( http://www.bexel.com ) or Video Equipment Rentals in Lanham ( http://www.verrents.com ). These packages are pricey ($500 to $1,000) and require a hefty security deposit ($5,000 in Bexel's case). If that sounds a little steep, try asking around. "That's the great thing about the digital revolution now," Mattson says. "Your neighbor probably has a video camera. It's like borrowing sugar."

Woo for food. Feeding a crew for a weekend can be the biggest expense, but Brown says many restaurants surprisingly are willing to donate a meal or two in exchange for a mention in the credits.

Divvy the load. "It's really hard for everyone to have their own artistic vision of a movie and in 72 hours then be like, 'Oh, let's have all these visions collide,' " Koeth says. "Have some sort of delegation of power. Have people know what their roles are."

Befriend the index card. Write scene ideas on cards, and create a flexible storyboard that can be shuffled and tweaked as problems arise. It'll help anchor the story as the weekend whirls, since the writing starts when the competition does.