Most students only pull all-nighters to study for midterms or write papers. However, those participating in the Stanford Campus MovieFest loaded up on caffeine and spent Monday night putting the final touches on their competing films.

Organized by members of the Stanford Film Society, Stanford Campus MovieFest (CMF) is an opportunity for amateur filmmakers to create their best five-minute film in just a weeklong process. Competitors submitted their productions on Tuesday and await the screening event and judging results on Sunday night. First place winners receive an iPod Touch or Nano and an invitation to the International Grand Finale in June.

Campus MovieFest, now a worldwide event, originated at Emory University less than a decade ago. Since then, the festival has expanded to cater to over 50,000 students per year, supplying high-quality equipment to each participant to produce a film.

“The materials they give you are awesome,” said Casey Stewart ’13, an organizer of Stanford CMF. “It’s a great opportunity to work with some nice stuff.”

Stanford has not hosted CMF since 2008, but the Stanford Film Society made its return a priority.

“The decision to bring CMF back was collective,” said Jennifer Schaffer ’14, an Intermission writer who also led the Stanford CMF team. “We have been trying really hard to build a more solid and noticeable film community on campus.”

“It was one of our main goals this year,” added Sam Pressman ’11, co-director of the Film Society.

Despite the three-year gap, CMF has had “an amazing response” this year, according to Schaffer, handing out all 50 sets of equipment in under three hours. However, the process of filmmaking was a long and arduous one for Stanford students in the middle of the quarter, with many difficulties along the way. With just seven days to produce a coherent, five-minute story, many filmmakers made the decision to work in groups in order to finish their tasks and drew inspiration from previous material.

“I filmed with my friend — we have a company, Polynice Pictures, together,” said Pressman, who also created a movie for the festival. “We watched a film in a class with our favorite professor that sparked our concept.”

Some participants also felt the pressure of having just a week to complete their films, especially in the midst of midterms.

“It’s almost kind of unreasonable to ask for five minutes in a week…that’s a substantial amount of time for just one week, and I really only have this weekend,” said Tayo Amos ’14, who teamed up with her roommate to produce a film.

However, others expressed gratitude for the regulations, arguing that it catalyzes the artistic process that is often delayed due to classwork.

“I think there’s value in time constraints. Having a deadline and a competitive feel and being forced to make it happen is a beneficial thing for creating art,” Schaffer said.

Although the filmmaking process is often perceived as ritualistic, sticking closely to a script, participants enjoyed the constant improvisation their filmmaking entailed.

“It leaves you to be creative. Yesterday, I was filming and could only get two of my friends out to San Francisco to do a scene, so we had to grab people off the street. It was a cool experience,” Pressman said.

Pressman also added that he enjoyed creating a short film instead of a longer piece.

“The short film allows you to explore one or two feelings in depth and not necessarily have to be married to a massive narrative or a classical structure,” he stated.

Overall, participants feel that despite the work, the end result is worth the effort.

“We wrapped at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, and to be euphoric and not able to sleep until 7 a.m. despite complaining hours before that I can’t do this for another minute…It’s all about that,” Pressman said.

“Finishing the film is the prize itself,” Amos added.

Most of all, filmmakers are looking forward to the relief that accompanies the end of the process, as well as the grand finale, which occurs Sunday at 8 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium.

“To me, the finale is why you make your film — so people can see it. This is the big premiere for the film community,” Schaffer said.

“I’ll be happy with whatever I churn out. Hopefully, I’ll win that iPad,” added Stewart.