
48-Hour Shootout brings students together to teach professional skills and create community

Andie Walla is still recovering from this year鈥檚 School of Media Arts and Studies 48-Hour Shootout. But the associate professor of instruction and outreach coordinator already has plans to grow and expand the annual event next year based on this year鈥檚 overwhelming success.
鈥淭his was the first year in my memory where all of the end products were really amazing,鈥 said Walla. 鈥淚t was a difficult decision for judges because we had such high-quality projects submitted.鈥
The 48-Hour Shootout is an annual competition that pits teams of student filmmakers against each other to see who can produce the best short video in two days. Things get especially interesting when the groups receive the randomly assigned requirements for their projects: each team gets a prop, genre and line of dialogue that they must include. It鈥檚 a favorite event among students because the Shootout helps participants build production skills, resourcefulness and community within their group of collaborators. Teams make great use of the equipment provided by the college, borrowing what they need to create professional-quality work in a very short time period.
鈥淚 love walking around town and seeing different groups filming at random locations,鈥 said Walla. 鈥淚t gets students out in the community to work and capture video. It鈥檚 really awesome to see.鈥
This was the 23rd year of the Shootout with 15 teams and approximately 150 students participating. Three high school teams participated this year, Athens High School, Warren High School and Upper Arlington High School. A team from Hocking College also was part of the event.
鈥淭his was my second time in the Shootout,鈥 said Anna Schneider, a sophomore media arts production major from Westerville, OH. 鈥淢y team this year was great. We all came together because we wanted to make something fun. We wrote until 2:30 in the morning on Friday, did our filming on Saturday and started editing Saturday night. We were excited to get second place.鈥
While the event is a fun creative exercise, it also teaches important professional skills.
鈥淚 learned so much about how to work with others, how to delegate tasks and time management,鈥 said Schneider. 鈥淵ou figure out what you need to include and what you don鈥檛 need to include. It鈥檚 also a good way to build community and bond. You see everybody in Schoonover and every says things like 鈥楬appy 48鈥 and 鈥楪ood luck鈥 when they walk by.鈥
鈥淚t put into perspective how much goes into creating a film and how much it takes to get something off the ground,鈥 said Brennan Meadows, a freshman media arts production major from Kitts Hill, OH. 鈥淭his was the first time I鈥檝e been able to take a leadership role in something like this. We all had a good time, and everybody was trying their hardest to keep smiles on their faces even though we were super stressed out. Even though we didn鈥檛 place, I鈥檓 very proud of what we produced.鈥
The judges for the event were from Scripps College, the College of Fine Arts and Hocking College. Walla says opening the event up to judges and students outside of Scripps in other colleges and even high schools is important.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really great way to get high school students involved college activity and for others to learn what the Scripps College and Media Arts & Studies is all about. I really would like to get more high school teams involved even to participate virtually through a live stream. We鈥檇 like to keep growing this event. We even joke about having a faculty team or an alumni team one year. Maybe we can do that next year, to show them how it鈥檚 done,鈥 said Walla with a laugh.
48-Hour Shootout 2025 Results
First Place Open Division - TEAM ROCKET (OUAC - 帝王会所 Animation Club)
Team Captain: Katie Williams
Ellis Smith, Logan Porter, Lloyd Sweeney, Lauren Hines, Kate Anderson, Dana Nichols, Emma Hews, Hope Sander, Parker McGowan, Ethan Lanz
Second Place Open Division - Team Pasta Cheese
Team Captain: Eliana D'Astici
Daniel Gorbett, Maximilliam Ries, Henry Pausch, Scarlett Fried, Gig Twachtman, Chase Strebel, Zoe Cranfill, Anna Schneider
Third Place TIE Open Division - Hocking Hawks (from Hocking College)
Team Captain: Liam Morgan
Gavyn Monk, Luke Duncan, Hunter Purcell, Ryan Wheeler, William Shope, Lukas Neville, Cole Semmens
Third Place TIE Open Division - Schoon Goons
Team Captain: Ethan Dorman
Evan Casteel, Will Miller, Chance Lane, Emma Anderson, Fitzhugh Lyons III, Ava Buell, Lila Alix, Connor Otte, AnnMarie Palombi, Ryan Humeniuk, Kyle Kerns, Ryan Thomas, Morgan Dilbone, Cameron Davey
Honorable Mention - Goofin' and Gaffin'
Team Captain: Lily Biggs
Cassidy Disantis, Will DeBlock, Conor Mallonn, Addie Knoll, Jacob Smith, Jack King, Cali Christian, Paige Kelly