One team which had no problem with the time frame was Angry Squirrel Production, forgoing sleep for much of the weekend to complete its film, Relapse.
Director Tim Petterson said the 22 crew members were largely running on adrenaline and the free energy drinks given to each team by the event's sponsor.
"We are tired but it hasn't been too bad.
''We are very happy about how it looks."
Each film in the national competition had to incorporate several elements, including a set character, line of dialogue and prop.
Set with the former press room at Allied Press as the backdrop, Relapse was written by the team on the Friday, filmed on the Saturday and edited yesterday.
"It has been a pretty full-on weekend," he said.
48Hours Otago-Southland organiser Josie Harris said she was expecting more than 40 teams to hand in their finished product.
"Generally, we have a few missing in action.
''But I am pretty hopeful we will get at least 40 this year."
The top 12 films from the Otago-Southland heat will screen at Sammy's, Dunedin, on June 12, from 6.30pm, with the grand final to be shown live on C4 on July 3 at 8.30pm.
Held in six cities, the competition has attracted more than 500 teams, who are vying for a prize pool of over $100,000.
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