The Adrenaline Film Project

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Banner used in the 2019 Adrenaline Film Project competition.

The Adrenaline Film Project is an artistic competition facilitated by Light House Studio[1]. This competition takes place every autumn and requires burgeoning filmmakers to race to write, film, edit, and premiere a short film in 72 hours. This year's competition will take place Wednesday, November 3 to Saturday, November 6.

Background

The Adrenaline Film Project was started during the 2004 Virginia Film Festival and was founded by filmmaker Jeff Wadlow who originated in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 2012, his work, Kick Ass 2, prevented him from being in town for the Adrenaline Project, leaving past Adrenaline Film Project participant, Romulo Alejandro, and director Derek Sieg to fill in for him as head of the managerial staff in the competition.[2] In 2020, the competition's format was changed to accommodate for CDC COVID-19 guidelines, requiring participants to submit a screenplay rather than a short film.

Rules

The project involves teams of amateur filmmakers (aged high school and college) writing, casting, directing, and editing short films in a 72 hour time frame. To be in the program, directors must apply by submitting formal paperwork and a short film of length no more than ten minutes long.[3] Teams are made up of three main members, though their films may include other actors and extras. Each team is assigned a specific genre of movie that their film must reflect, as well as a prop and line of dialogue that must be included in their film. The prop and dialogue change each year.[4] Each film, with a duration under ten minutes, is screened at the end of the competition to be judged for the three awards.

Mentors

Within the competition, there are mentors that change from year to year. The mentors oversee the competition, approve scripts, help teams when they need it, and judge the final products. They often have been high profile members of Hollywood and the 2012 head of the project, Romulo Alejandro, called the project “the best film education you can get in three days.”[5] Some past mentors have been Ron Yerxa (Little Miss Sunshine, Hamlet 2), Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lost Boys of Sudan), Norman Jewison (director of Fiddler on the Roof)[6], and UVA alumnus Han West (Oh Lucy!, Lemon).

Awards

At the end of the competition, there is a screening of all the short films. This screening is held just three hours after the submission deadline and they often feature the films of past winners. There, the audience and the mentors vote for their favorite teams and films. The three awards handed out are The Audience Selection Award, The Jury Selection Award, and the Mentor Selection Award.[7]

Some Past Winners and Themes

2007

  • ”Taste of Evil” - winner of both Audience and Jury awards. Created by Ben Haslup, Brian Wimer and Ruth Morton.
  • Required prop: jar of miracle whip.
  • Required line: “I want to believe it”[8]

2009