Tank Collective, a team of students at The Art Institute of Dallas working with faculty member and department chair of the Digital Filmmaking and Video Production program G. Lysa Ausmus, won Best of Dallas with its short film, “Stained,” in the 48-Hour Film Project Video Race held over the July 13-15 weekend.Team participants included director Vince Williams, editor Kaitlin Murphy, actors Amanda Bourland and Richard Buckelew, and Jonathan Reyes, an alumnae of the AiD program.

The award-winning film also garnered awards for best acting, best music, and best graphics. It will be the only film from Dallas to go on to the international competition, and has a chance to win $7500 and a high-definition camera from Panasonic.

Winners were announced on July 28 at an awards event held ten days after all of the films were screened at the Inwood Theatre and judges were given a week to deliberate on their choices.

This is the first time that Dallas has been involved in the multi-city, international competition, according to Lisa Russell, organizer and sponsor of the Dallas race. “At the start of the race, each of the 22 participating teams drew a genre and was given a character, prop, and line of dialogue to include in their film,” explains Russell. “They then had 48 hours to write, shoot, and edit their short film (4 to 7 minutes). It is a formidable challenge.”

G. Lysa Ausmus, leader of the award-winning film team, agrees. “Collaboration is essential, and the race takes courage and determination. The process of adapting to a genre your team draws out of a hat, coming up with a story, writing a script, creating storyboards, directing, shooting, acting, composing music, editing, creating credits—it’s mind-boggling how anyone can finish the race in forty-eight hours.”

But finish they did, with a new incentive to dedicate themselves to their studies and to the various crafts of film and video making. “We are so proud of the team and its achievement, even without the prize,” says Ausmus. “But having the prize gives us confirmation that our program is succeeding in teaching our students the skills they will need in the real world of making films.”

The winning film can be seen at www.tankcollective.com.

About The Art Institutes
The Art Institute of Dallas, one of The Art Institutes, with over 35 educational institutions located throughout North America, provides an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. For more information, please visit www.theartinstitutes.edu