"Dial 'H' for Hoagie" Wins Prize for Pine-Richland Students

The theme: A mystery.

Required prop: A glove.

Required phrase: "Things aren't always what they seem."

The challenge: Make a film using those components  in 24 hours. 

The result: Team VVVV -- Pine-Richland High School juniors Jeff Burgess and Davis Karran -- won second place out of 23 high school teams from Western Pennsylvania in the 2011 TVT 24-Hour Film Challenge.

The contest began at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, when the required theme, prop and phrase were announced via You Tube in a challenge hosted by the Television and Video Teachers Consortium.

The teams then had exactly 24 hours to brainstorm an idea, write a script, round up their actors and make a video. The film had to be completed and uploaded by 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6.

A week later the winners were announced Sunday at an awards ceremony at Robert Morris University. The scoring combined the ratings of video production teachers and students in local video production programs from area high schools.

Burgess' and Karran's Team "VVVV" (pronounced V  V  V  V) produced an ironic homage to revenge flicks called "Dial 'H' for Hoagie." 

Karran plays the part of a young man who has managed to escape punishment for various unsavory deeds, but can't escape the consequences of eating a hoagie that doesn't belong to him.

Or can he? Remember, things aren't always what they seem.