COUNTDOWN TO THE GRAND'S 72-HOUR COMPETITION >>>

Big Jim had close to two decades, a budget as rare as unobtainium, and a crew of hundreds to bring his space cat opera to the screen.

You, on the other hand, have three days.

Welcome to The Grand Cinema's 72-hour Film Festival. As one of the 30 teams signed up, you begin your mission Thursday, April 29 and have until the night of Sunday, May 2 to complete your magnum opus.

In short, prepare yourself for one exhilarating - and maddening - weekend.

Trust me. Making a movie is no walk along Ruston, unless you happen to prefer strolls besieged with faulty equipment, flighty performers and Washington's Finicky Weather^TM around every corner. Take it from Bryan Johnson, contest veteran and winner of several awards: "[I] Always keep beer on the set. The actors do better too." But if a little imbibin' ain't how you roll, at least come with a game plan. Steel your mind against all the wonderful little hiccups that inevitably hinder every production.

Just don't start the contest with a finished script. Every movie must incorporate four elements - a phrase, prop, location and action ­ selected by The Grand's Executive Director Philip Cowan.

"I'm trying harder than ever to come up with criteria that would make it very hard for a team to plan their film ahead of [time]," Cowan says.

Viewers can easily spot a prepackaged short that gives only a passing nod to the contest requirements, and this maneuver won't score your team many points with Cowan and the other judges.

Yet your experience over those three days will mean more than butting heads with talent and following the rulebook. This competition offers something that lures many of the same participants back over and over. Says Johnson, "The rest of the year I'm a teacher and a dad, but for one weekend I get to be a filmmaker. That's a pretty good reason to do it."

Scott Gribble, who co-owns Tacoma production house Wonderdog Media with his wife, Olga, preps two slick HD cameras for his fifth foray into fast filmmaking.

"We do it because we love The Grand, and independent film," says Gribble.

Gribble also creates the DVD of all entries, which premieres Friday, May 7 at the Rialto Theater. This workload, however, hasn't prevented the Wonderdog herd from walking away with four awards over the years.

"To win is just the frosting on top of the cupcake!" Scott remarks.

So how about you? Ready to serve your own cinematic treat to a hungry Tacoma?

IF YOU ARE A FILMMAKER: The Grand Cinema has six slots remaining for the competition.  If you want to participate, your $50 entry fee will get you four tickets to the screening and a DVD of everyone's films. Call 253.593.4474 to sign up.

IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND: Tickets are on sale now in person at The Grand Cinema or online through Brown Paper Tickets. Admission is $11 for members of the Grand or $13 for non-members.  Get your tickets early because day of event tickets increase to $13 and $15 respectively.  The screening of all the creative 5-minute films is 7 p.m. May 7 at the Rialto Theater in downtown Tacoma.