Project Overview

Forza is a cinematic short inspired by the legacy of Formula 1, built around a young driver, Luca, preparing for a pivotal set of training laps, and the grandfather whose own racing dreams — set aside for family — quietly shaped him. The two-day shoot at Motorsport Ranch in Fort Worth captured the film's race-track timeline: immersive, adrenaline-driven driving sequences shot with high-performance automotive imagery, cut against reflective garage and locker-room scenes that carry the story's emotional core. The production weaves together two timelines, contrasting the tactile nostalgia of oil-stained garage floors with the cutting-edge precision of Formula 1 engineering, resolving in a quiet exchange, a small F1 model car passed from grandfather to grandson, that stands in as a symbolic baton of unfinished dreams now realized.

Creative Approach

Forza was built on the idea of pairing man-and-machine spectacle with intimate, character-driven storytelling using Formula 1's speed and precision as the backdrop for a quieter story about inheritance, not of trophies, but of dreams. The film unfolds across two timelines, cutting between Luca's present-day laps and his childhood memories in his grandfather's garage, using poetic match cuts to link the two eras visually and emotionally. Rather than treating the race sequences as pure spectacle, the creative direction kept them tethered to character, every adrenaline-driven shot on track ultimately serving the relationship between Luca and his grandfather, so the film's climax lands as a family moment first and a motorsport moment second.

Production Process

The production process moved through four main phases:

1. Pre-Production

Forza was developed as a spec short under STLL Studios' creative direction, written and produced by Lester Platt. From there, the team built out the two-timeline structure (race track and grandfather's garage), locked the script, and locations, and brought together the key collaborators, executive producer Spencer Davis of House of Edits, director Adán Langbaum, and a cinematography team including David Wells, Peter Longno, and Ryan Ramsey, before heading into production.

2. Production

The shoot ran two production days on location in Fort Worth, TX at Motorsport Ranch, split between race-track and garage/locker-room setups to serve the film's dual timelines. Track days captured the immersive, adrenaline-driven driving sequences and high-performance automotive imagery central to the present-day storyline, while the garage and locker-room scenes were shot to carry the film's quieter, reflective beats. The tight two-day window required efficient setup between the two locations to capture both the technical precision of the racing footage and the intimate, character-driven performances anchoring the story.

3. Post-Production

Post-production, handled in partnership with House of Edits, focused on weaving the film's two timelines together through match cuts that link Luca's childhood memories to his present-day laps. Sound design elevated the sensory experience of the race sequences, while the edit balanced high-precision Formula 1 imagery against the tactile nostalgia of the garage scenes to keep the emotional core. The film closes on the line "Sometimes you have to look back to move forward," tying the edit's structure back to the story's theme of inheritance across generations.

4. Festival Run.

Forza is slated for submission to major national and international film festivals, including Austin Film Festival, SXSW 2027, and the Motor Film Awards, with the team also targeting commercial and branded storytelling recognition platforms such as the Telly Awards — where the film has already won Gold. The strategic festival run positions Forza as both a narrative-festival contender and a craft credential for STLL's commercial work, giving the studio reach across film-festival circuits and industry award platforms alike.