24-hour filmmaking leads to success for trio of Wichita State students

Harrison Steel, Jacob Riggs and Andre Kahmeyer form part of Kahmeyer Productions and Steel*Riggs Productions. The three students created the short film title Re-Up which they created in the Down to the Wire 24 Hour Film Race and took 1st place.

For 24 hours, a group of Wichita State students came together to create a six-minute film as part of the Creative Rush 24-hour film festival and they won first place.

This is how it happened.

The group was headed by WSU students Jacob Riggs, Harrison Steele and Andre’ Kahmeyer. Steele initially heard about the film festival from his father.

“I originally heard about the 24-hour film competition from my dad about a month before the event,” Steele said. “I didn’t really think much of it at first until Jacob, who I have collaborated with before, asked me if I wanted to join up with him and Andre’ to create a production team.”

The team met for a few hours about two weeks before the festival to discuss ideas for their film. Kahmeyer’s younger brother, Aaron, and his friend Andres Rivas-Cruz also came to the meeting and joined the team.

The goal of the film festival, known as “Down to the Wire,” was to write, film, edit and turn in a film that lasted six minutes or less. Each production team received the four same elements: line, prop, location and theme at the beginning of the competition, which had to be included in the film.

“That meant any pre-planning for the films would have to be thrown out due to the four new elements,” Steele said. “The line was ‘this is not a happy ending’, the prop was keys on a key ring, the location was a bus stop and the theme was a Catch-22.”

The producer’s meeting was held at 7 p.m. on Aug. 10 where teams were given the four criteria needed to be present in the film. The deadline to complete the film was 24 hours later.

After the producer’s meeting, the group met at Kahmeyer’s house to begin brainstorming. At about 11:30 p.m., they started filming at the bus stop on WSU’s campus. They each had a different role to help complete the film.

“I helped produce the film’s story along with all the other group members,” Kahmeyer said. “[And] I was the Director Cinematographer [the guy behind the camera], primary editor and visual effects guru.” 

Steele was the film’s producer, and attended the producer’s meeting to get the paperwork and receive the elements required to be in the film. He said his main involvement in the film was writing, acting, assisting in the direction, editing and sound production.

“Although Andre’ was behind the camera, I helped him with finding different angles and setting up shots as well as suggesting ideas to our other actors about how lines should be delivered and how the story should play out,” Steele said.

Riggs was the main concept man for the project, and said the whole thing was very collaborative.

“I also helped with editing, acting and producing,” Riggs said.

According to Steele, while filming was underway, the group continued to evolve the plot and write the dialogue on the spot as they were filming. Filming finished around 3:00 a.m. and the group made a QuikTrip run while the clips were being converted. Next, they spent time editing the film.

“Andre’, Jacob and I did the bulk of the editing, taking turns in control, while everyone else added their two cents,” Steele said.

With only 24 hours to complete the film and turn it in, the group, for the most part, felt rushed.

“Andre’ had a basic itinerary that really helped out,” Riggs said. “Unlike most teams, we were able to take a three-hour nap before finalizing the piece.”

The group turned in the film around 6:45 p.m. on Aug. 11, with 15 minutes to spare for the deadline. That night, films were screened at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Wichita.

“They screened the top 10 films in no particular order, so the anticipation was building all night,” Steele said. “Our film was screened ninth, and I was so excited for us just to make the top 10.”

Three celebrity judges then met backstage, before announcing the winning films. The group’s film, titled “Re-Up,” earned first place.

“I wasn’t present at the screening when we won, but I followed the event via Twitter, and was ecstatic when I read the tweet ‘First Place: Team 32: Re-Up,’” Kahmeyer said.

Meanwhile, Steele and Riggs were at the Orpheum Theatre sitting in the back of the auditorium when the results were read out.

“When they announced that our film won, I jumped out of my chair and wanted to scream, but I remained composed,” Steele said. “As Jacob and I walked down the long aisle to the stage to accept our award, my heart pounded and I could not stop smiling. I was ecstatic. I felt like a celebrity.”

Riggs, too, was excited when the film took first place.

“I felt very happy,” Riggs said. “To see your work be appreciated by fellow artists is a great feeling. We actually couldn’t believe it.”

“Re-Up” is about an agent who wants to be finished with his undercover assignment as a dealer.

“He has a mental lapse on this particular night, and it all goes wrong,” Kahmeyer said.

People interested in seeing the film will have to wait until the Tallgrass Film Festival, scheduled to be held from Oct. 18 to Oct. 21 in downtown Wichita, where the film will premiere. Kahmeyer and Riggs, however, hope to allow for more chances for WSU students to view the film.

“It will eventually either [appear] online after it appears at the film festival, or it may be seen during Comm week if everything works out,” Riggs said. 

Kylie Brown, founder of Creative Rush, has asked to the team to attend Creative Rush’s September meeting to talk about their experience. All three are interested in doing potential future Creative Rush projects, as long as their schedules work out. 

“The whole event was amazing,” Riggs said. “I would do it again in a heartbeat.”