One film, 24 hours

There are plenty of weekends to take it easy. Just not this one.

Tonight, the Diesel Film Racing Tour sweeps into Boston with a head-spinning summons: to churn out an original four-minute film in just 24 hours. Cameras start rolling at 10 p.m., and by the time the whistle blows tomorrow night, the film must be edited, scored, and ready for screening.

Why go to all that trouble? The best film will move on to a national competition (and the potential for $35,000 in cash and prizes), and the top 10 local films will stream on filmracing .com.

"We wanted to create something where you could test your skills without any of the advantages of connections or money," said competition director Charlie Weisman. "[Judges] put the most emphasis on the creativity of the story."

If the time constraint isn't enough of a challenge, there's more: Weisman will e-mail contestants a theme, and parameters for using a few select props, right before the race begins.

Registration is open until 5 p.m. today on the website (use the code FILMRACER for $10 off the $95 entry fee). More than 20 teams are signed up already, including Molly Clare Wilson's Cinematic Fellows, who have already organized a rough schedule, secured filming permits, and tested equipment.

"Most of us have never made a film before - we're a motley collection of techies with a wide range of outside interests that might come in handy," Wilson, 24, of Cambridge, wrote in an e-mail. "I love doing events like this because the adrenaline rush can bring out something really magical."

If you'd rather watch a 24-hour movie than make one, head to the Brattle Wednesday night to see the finished products. And if film's not your thing at all, you can test your creative time-management skills in October during 24-Hour Comics Day (24hourcomicsday.com) or in November during National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org).

The Brattle Theatre (40 Brattle St., Cambridge) screens local submissions from the 2008 Diesel Film Racing Tour Wednesday at 9 p.m.