A lot of things can happen in 48 hours. Making an entire film, however, isn’t usually one of them.

That doesn’t stop students from competing for $1,500 in the Two Day Film Challenge. The competition starts Friday night.

After being given a prompt that consists of a character, a prop, a location, a line of dialogue and a genre, participants have 48 hours to complete their film.

Stephen White, head of the broadcasting department and director of the event, said the contest gives students a chance for more engagement.

“It’s fun and it allows them to put their skills to use,” he said. “I think it’s a great bonding experience.”

The contest begins when participants are given the details of the prompt, and ends when they turn in the finished film on Sunday night. Judging takes place at 6 p.m.

Monday in Mass Media Auditorium at the premiere, which is open to anyone.

White said the judging panel usually includes producers from Los Angeles, Nashville and Louisville.

“They stay around after the showing so they can talk to the students,” he said. “So that’s a really good experience, too.”

White, who has coordinated the event for six years, said he has seen high quality work from students in the past.

“The films tend to be pretty good given the restraints,” he said. “But I think that actually helps, because if you only have two days to do something, it gets rid of self-indulgence and it makes you be creative about what you can do.”

Ron DeMarse, an assistant journalism professor helping White with the competition, said participating in the event is an extremely valuable experience for students.

“It’s the kind of thing you can’t learn in the classroom,” he said. “It forces students to stop talking about making movies and start producing them.”

Louisville senior Beth Truax said she has wanted to participate for years, but this will be the first time she has been able to do so.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “I know you don’t sleep much working on a project for two days, but rough times like these really bring people together, and it’s a lot of fun in the end.”

White said there are usually about 18 teams competing, with an average of five members per team.

Lexington senior Drew Eclov will be competing in the challenge for his third year.

“It’s been a lot of fun in the past, and every time I do it I learn a little more,” he said. “There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom. This is more hands-on education and really tests everything we’ve been taught by throwing us out there and seeing what we can do.”