Blake is an improvisation instructor at a Provo comedy club and has a few commercials under his belt along with voice-over work.

He said the contest is a great launching pad for exposure.

David Skousen's short film, "Juice," won the audience choice award in the 24-hour marathon competition.

The film is a study of misunderstanding and transformation involving a German Nazi World War II knife blended with a character with a speech impediment.

"You couldn't tell whether he was saying juice or Jews (in a critical scene)," Skousen said.

In the end, one of the characters changed a judgmental attitude toward his speech-challenged friend to understanding.

The film is available online at www.skousenfilms.com/juice.

Skousen's team started about 6 p.m. on a Friday night with everyone bringing a prop to the brainstorming session. One of the props was a German military knife. By 1 a.m. the team had formulated a concept and were on their way to creating the three-minute flick.

---

E-mail: rodger@desnews.com