It seems only natural that if the founder and cornerstone of the Arnold Sports Festival became larger than life through motion pictures, then a competitive event for motion pictures would be part of the festival. Although it took a while to get off the ground, it gained altitude & speed quickly—much like the Harrier in “True Lies.”

The Arena Grand Movie Theatre was the venue for the second annual Arnold Sports Film Festival. One of the ‘Arnold’s’ newest events, it gave both seasoned and budding filmmakers an opportunity to flex their muscles through short-form storytelling; and in the spirit of competition, to go against one another for prizes. It is headed by Jim Hern, a Columbus-based veteran of commercial and video production. At the time, Hern said, "Arnold is real excited about what's happened here, and where we go next year, stay tuned!” (More on this later.)

This year’s theme was "Celebrating Sports Through History." The competition was divided into two divisions, one for international/professional submissions and the other for high school-aged entrants. There were over one hundred entries from eighteen countries for the former, and a lesser number (with only U.S. entries screened) for the latter. Winners were presented with an “Arnie,” a hand-made statuette from Germany’s Joska Crystal, and other prizes.

In addition to screening videos and keeping an eye pealed for the occasional celebrity passing through, there were workshops on various aspects of filmmaking. And, in the finest tradition of Hollywood glitz, the theater’s work-a-day lobby was transformed into something that screamed ‘special’, with a red carpet, logo backdrop, spotlights, velvet ropes, interviews, and photo ops.

It’s simple logic: Take a few hundred of the most beautiful women in the world and cram ‘em into an area the size of downtown, then like flies drawn to a candy bar on the sidewalk, you’ll attract more GWCs (Guys With Cameras) than you can shake a stick at.

Need proof? Walk down the corridor of any hotel in the county and poke your head in a few doors. (Same goes with every photo studio…established or makeshift.) You’re likely to see softboxes, reflectors, and full-frame CanoNikonSonys by the hundreds.

As the Arnold Classic brings in the finest bodybuilders in the world, it also draws some of the finest photographers in the world. Their names may not be familiar to you, but you’ve seen their work on the covers of the magazines at the supermarket checkout. Likewise, there will also be a large contingent of wanna-be fitness photographers (called ‘schmoes’) with lesser CanoNikonSonys around their necks, trying to convince any of these hot ladies to shoot with them.