The Adrenaline Film Project: A Unique Experience for Aspiring Filmmakers

How much time does it take to bring a film to life? Some films take months or years of production and editing before they are ready to be seen. This year, Lighthouse Studios is seeking applications for the 19th annual Adrenaline Film Project, a mix of competition on workshops where teams of contestants will have the opportunity to write, film, edit, and screen a narrative short film in just over 72 hours, spanning the days Nov. 8 and 11.

Throughout that entire period, contestants will have at their disposal the expertise of mentors from across the film industry. These mentors will assign each team a genre, line of dialogue, and prop to weave into their narrative and continue to provide guidance throughout. “We’re with all of our participants for the entire 72-hour journey,” said Han West, an independent director and producer and one of this year’s mentors. “You get truly one-on-one time with all the mentors.”

West himself was a contestant in the Adrenaline Film Project over 15 years ago, and he describes it as having been “a kind of life and career-changing experience for me… It’s a truly, truly formative event for anybody who participates.” To his knowledge, the Adrenaline Film Project is unique among film competitions for its hands-on workshopping nature, and he recommends it to anybody interested in making videos of any kind. “Even if you’re not doing short films, and you don’t care who Steven Speilberg is, and you want to be like Mr. Beast,” he said.

Applications for this year’s Adrenaline Film project close on Monday, Oct. 16. You can submit your application or learn more about the project at lighthousestudio.org/adrenaline.