 "The 1 Second Film" began as a student project by Nirvan Mullick in 2001 while at California Institute of the Arts.The director set out to create a collaborative art project that would bring his school together, and later expanded the project after the success of the initial event.Seed funds for the animation painting event came from a US$1,500 CalArts Grant, an additional US$3,000 was raised by selling producer credits for donations of US$1 or more.