The Alan Smithee 24-hour Film Festival at San Francisco State University, started out in 2004 where the students are given 24 hours to write, shoot, edit, and complete a 5 to 10 minute short film. The filmmakers are supplied with all cinema equipment, and various necessities to survive the 24-hour assignment.

The rules for the 2008 films:

- Film needs to start with the line "Sometimes you just can't quit".
- Film must feature a paper plane as a prop somewhere in the film.