Students from around the state are taking part in the Kansas High School 24 Hour Film Fest today.

The competition began at 3 p.m. Friday when the prompt was released, this year’s theme being, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

Students have 24 hours to complete a two to three minute video that addresses the theme, includes the line “How did you get here?” and uses a deck of cards and a mailbox, which are required props for the video.

The public can view films at a screening at 4 p.m. today (Nov. 4) in the school auditorium. Judges will give feedback and award prizes.

“We have two groups competing this year and both have done a really awesome job,” film teacher Zach Saltz said. “They’ve made the commitment to stay after school and come in early Saturday, and they’ve put some really cool ideas onto the screen.”

This year’s prompt has inspired different ideas among Lawrence High film students for visual storytelling.

“What our team ultimately decided on was a story about a con artist,” sophomore Joseph Michael Braun said. “It looks like the con artist is conning a man, but that man that he’s conning is actually an informant to the police.”

During the 24 hours, film students get the opportunity not just to showcase their personal skill but to bond with their classmates to create something worthwhile.

“I liked hanging out with everyone, we were together from after school Friday to today,” sophomore Mia Robinson said. “We were together the entire time. We spent the night at Anton’s house, and we just hung out.”

For film students, the film fest serves as a way to showcase skills they’ve been developing since childhood as well as to express their innate creativity.

“I always made little projects when I was younger just using my iPhone,” sophomore Cora Kelsey said. “I like working in groups like this, and also I really like editing.”

While making film can be fun, the best part of the process for the film production crew is being able appreciate their creations.

“[My favorite part is] probably the part where everyone gets to relax and sit in the audience and watch their films on the big screen and see people’s reactions to watching the films,” Saltz said.