WRITING A SHORT FILM

This is a short article in which to deal with a

big subject: how to write a good script for ashort film.
Rule number one: there are no hard and fast
rules.But, if your aim is to get your film funded, there
are definitely some guiding principles thatwill help to
.ensure that your project is taken seriously
?Why Am I Making this Film
No-one makes a living out of writing or directing
short films. Most people see short films asa tool for
learning and testing ideas, or a way of
demonstrating that they have the talent todo
something else. Generally that something else is to
make features.Whether you are working alone or
as part of a team make sure that the project you
aredeveloping plays to your strengths and is
achievable within your budget. Dont make
anintense character study if youre scared of actors
or develop an action story that willrequire stunts, car
chases and special effects if you know you will only
.have 5K to makeit

?What is a short film

The most important thing to say is that a short isnt a
feature film and that it is generally abad idea to try to
squeeze a story you are developing (or have written)
as a feature into ashort.Most festivals will accept as
a short anything that is under 30 minutes, but
manyprogrammers and curators also say that they
find it difficult to place longer short films(ones over
20 minutes). If your film is over 20 minutes long it
may well need and be able tocope with more
characters and a secondary story strand. The
majority of funding in the UKis aimed at films that are
around the 10 minute mark.If your film is basically
going to function like a joke then keep it short (2-3
minutes max)and make sure the audience wont see
the punch-line coming a mile off. Films like this
willmake far more of an impression if they not only
make us laugh but also manage to alludeto
.something that gives us pause for thought
Finding the Story
Any kind of dramatic story requires 3 basic
elements:A worldA character A problemShort films
are no different; you just have less time to establish
and develop each element.Most successful short
films focus on ONE moment or event in the life
of ONE maincharacter. Because of that it is unusual
for a short film to take place over a long period
of time its usually just looking at the immediate
build up to and/or consequences of thatone event.
A lot of the best short films play out more or less in
real time, and a story thatspreads over more than a
.few days is unlikely to work well as a short film
The World
Because of the need to establish an instantly
recognisable world in order to get on withexploring a
characters problem, it can be useful to set your film

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around a familiar event or

ritual: a wedding, a birthday party, the first day at
school, tea with stuffy relatives,Christmas Day etc.
With a setting of this sort you can take for granted
the audiencesfamiliarity with the situation and
you have immediately placed your characters into a
storyworld full of barely suppressed emotions, which
is always useful for generating dramatictension and
story events. The other advantage to choosing a
setting of this sort is that itgives the story a finite
time frame.Another popular setting for the short film
is the journey. Most short films focus on a
pivotal,significant event in the life of the main
character so that the story inevitably takes
thecharacter on a metaphorical emotional journey
and it can work well to use a literal journeyas its
.setting
The Character & the Problem
The most important questions to ask yourself when
you begin to develop your story are:Who is the main
character?What is their problem?How will the
audience recognise the problem?Are the stakes high
enough?Am I telling the story from the best point of
view?The audience must be clear from the
outset who the film is about and they wont be
if youarent. Your main character is the one who has
the problem and if there isnt a character inthe story
with a problem then you dont have a film, or at least
not one that will work as adramatic narrative.What is
driving your main character through the story must
be one of the following:a wanta needan
obligationAnd in all cases it must be clear to the
audience, even if it isnt to the character, what thisis.
But what must also be present in the story - and
apparent to the audience - issomething that is
making it hard for the character to pursue their
want, need or obligation.The fact that something is
making it hard is what turns it into a problem and,
.like we saidbefore, no problem, no film
Making Problems Manifest to the Audience
The way in which you turn a characters inner
problem into the heart of your film and makesure
that the audience can SEE it is one of the most
important ways that you candemonstrate your skill
as a filmmaker and not just as a story-teller. When
were readingbooks we can be inside a characters
head but when were watching films we need to
seecharacters DOING things that show us what they
.are thinking and feeling
?Are the Stakes High Enough
Ensuring that there is something at stake in the story
means that the audience canunderstand what the
character stands to lose if they do not solve their
problem. If the storyhinges around a life or death
situation then it is clear what is at stake but if it is
simply that
the car breaks down think about how you set the
film up so that the audience knows why itreally
matters that the character completes this particular
.journey
Am I Telling the Story from the Best Point of
?View

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Think about the story of Cinderella and imagine if

you told it with one of the ugly sisters asthe main
character. You could still make a good story but it
would not have a happy ending(in one of the earliest
versions of the story the sisters have their eyes
pecked out byblackbirds at the end!) and
therefore would have a very different meaning it
wouldfunction more as a cautionary tale than as a
.feel-good fairy story
?What Does My Story Mean
You probably dont set out to write a film with a
moral or even with a conscious awarenessof what
your story means but every story communicates
some meaning to the audience.Once you are sure
how the story begins and ends then you have
a clear indication of itsmeaning and this will help you
make important choices as you refine and develop
...your script particularly in relation to
The Tone of the Film
Tone is intimately connected to genre and though
genre is less of an issue in shorts than infeatures it
is still important to think about what kind of film you
.are writing in broad terms
To summarise so far
A good short film needs a story in which something
happens that has a discernible effecton the
main character. All successful short films focus on
one moment/event. That momentis likely to be:one
of universal significancea moment that is
of significance to the protagonist (whether s/he
knows it at the time)one that produces a situation
in which the stakes are high for the protagonist

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