A summer filmmaking assignment for my students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts

The film is exactly 97 minutes long, including credits. All the dialogue adds up to a total of 109 words. The story is told in eighteen scenes. Each scene is a single uncut shot. The main character is a superhero. The superhero does not wear a costume. The superhero saves no one, solves no crimes, does not have a rival, does not engage in combat, and does not have a secret identity. There is no love interest. The superhero dies in the end. We learn nothing about how the superhero became the superhero. The superhero is not famous, nor are they known as a superhero, nor do they think of themselves as a hero of any kind. There is nothing special at all about the superhero. The superhero is neither rich nor poor, tall nor short, fat nor skinny, smart nor stupid. Four of the film’s eighteen scenes have no dialogue at all. One of the film’s eighteen scenes is in a different language than the rest of the film, for reasons that are never explained (the scene involves the superhero talking on a cell phone). Subtitles are allowed in this scene, but must be in a third language, and that language must not be referenced at any other point in the film. Any music used in the film must have been recorded no later than January 1, 1982, and no earlier than February 16, 1966. The music must not contain any lyrics unless they are in a language different from all of the other languages featured in the film. The superhero must have the most screen time of any of the characters in the film, but must also speak the second- or third-fewest lines. The dominant color of the film should be either mustard or mallard green. The film must have a main title and at least two “alternate” titles. At least one of the titles must include a number or symbol. The director credited for the film must be a made-up character/pseudonym, and the real name of the director of the film must be listed in the credits as “Volunteer Assistant Office Manager.” The film should cost no more than $500 to produce, and must be completed and uploaded to Vimeo or YouTube prior to August 15, 2016.