What is it? Well, filmmakers don't jam.
If you're a musician and you bump into someone and you have a few laughs, you like each others "sound" it's not totally insane to get together sometime and jam. Not to record an album (though it could lead to that), not line up grant applications or monies; just a date to hook up, hang out, and jam, share your music with each other within in the moment and move on. At the end of the experience you don't have anything to sell or promote, just a thing you shared together, to explore your craft more, and to share a spark with. Question always came up, why don't Filmmakers Jam?

With that in mind, consider the two images above.
In the Fall Issue of BlackBook Magazine, there was an article in which Miranda July and Jena Malone we're emailing each other, talking about fame and working etc. Jena sent image 1 to Miranda and asked her to send back an image to follow hers, a quick story. Miranda sent back image 2. It is stunning. And then we got to thinking ...

"I'll do Scene 1, you do Scene 2, we'll get some more filmmakers to do other scenes, and then we'll jam a short film together!"

And then we set the rules to the project, experiment, the game:
1. You line up 4 (or however many you want) directors, each will shoot the day after the other, and edit their peice that night. meaning days start at 9 or 10 am and run until 5, so you have time to edit it together for the next day. Then at 7 PM that night, director 1 tells director 2 what he/she filmmed that day, what the story is to that point, any key moments or props, etc. Now Director 1 keeps editing through the night while Director 2 stays up all night writing their script for the next days shoot, their day. (And repeat this step through to the final director). The key point is YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO FILM OR WHAT THE STORY IS UNTIL 7PM THE NIGHT BEFORE IT IS YOUR TURN TO SHOOT. (All except Director 1, who sets the whole thing up).

2. Each director lines up their own cast and locations. You'll be doing this maybe weeks or days in advance of the day you shoot, so you don't know what you're going to be doing exactly, only that you have some assests lined up and the night before your shoot, the night you write your scene, your part to advance the story, you make it all work - spur of the moment.

3. The producer of each round will coordinate a co-op of gear and crew, if the director needs or wants it. Maybe a director will shoot and edit their own bit and make do with a camera mic. Or a director will want to use a DP and a boom operator along with having an editor that night to put it all together. Well, for each round the Producer lines this all up and coordinates everything for everyone.

4. To be a jam, to maintain the possiblity of discovery and trying new things, the film is for the web, and everyone gets a copy on DVD for their reels and enjoyment. The film IS NOT FOR festivals, TV, or anything else that may tie things up with Unions, worries, or monies. We're jamming, to form community, to have fun, and to just get out of your head and into some action of DOING - that's it.

5. No one gets paid. Maybe you can team up for the cost of a camera rental or tapes if the spirit moves you, but no one is coming to a job. It's a dinner date, maybe bring a bottle of wine for everyone to share afterwards.

6. All of these rules are suggestions. Make your own. This is like poker without a history or rulebook; 2's are wild, maybe 3's, maybe there's no wild cards. Just get out with some people and shoot something - with no end game.