Short Film Writing: A Step-by-step Guide
Oscar-winning short films establish careers, captivate viewers with their bite-sized narrative, and win awards. A short film is a great way for a new filmmaker to get their name out there, or it can be a fun side project for an accomplished writer who has a five-minute tale they want to tell. A short movie is ultimately just a short movie with an engaging narrative.
Short Film Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide
A Short Film: What Is It?
A short film is typically defined as a movie that is up to 50 minutes long, while there is no set length requirement in Hollywood. That stated, the typical duration is 20 minutes.
How long should a screenplay for a short film be?
Remember that one page of any screenplay corresponds to about one minute of screen time. You should write a script that is 50 pages in length or fewer if short films are normally under 50 minutes.
Aim for a 15-page short film as a general guideline and see where it leads you.
The importance of short films for aspiring filmmakers
Short Film Writing – You might believe that producing short films isn’t worthwhile if your ultimate objective is to direct, produce, or market feature-length movies. Short films, however, can provide aspiring or seasoned filmmakers a number of advantages beyond just being film school exercises.
- Gain recognition. A wonderful approach to getting noticed is to submit a short film to a festival. Your reputation as a filmmaker may improve if your short film is screened at a reputable festival and you are given consideration for more significant assignments. In order to increase your chances of screening at a film festival, keep in mind that most programmers prefer to screen as many short films as possible.
- Distribute independently. Significant obstacles must be overcome in order to successfully distribute an independent feature picture to a large audience. However, short movies are simple to upload to and share on websites like Vimeo and YouTube. Remember that you’ll need to conduct research to identify your target market.
- Obtain financing. Many popular short films have served as proofs of concept for more complex projects, aiding the scriptwriter or director in obtaining funding to turn them into feature-length motion pictures or television shows. Whiplash by Damien Chazelle(see below), District 9 by Neill Blomkamp, and Saw by James Wan are three well-known examples of feature films that first appeared as shorts.
Step-by-Step Guide for Writing a Short Film
Short Film Writing – There are only four essential phases to writing a short film: brainstorming, outlining, writing, and revising.
- Brainstorm. If you don’t already have a short film idea in mind, try slamming any and all plot concepts against the wall to see what sticks. Some writing exercises that could spark your imagination include: What childhood memories do you have that stand out? What themes do you find yourself drawn to in movies? What are your favorite movies that fit the genre or style you want to create? Perhaps you’re drawn to tales involving family ties, romantic triangles, underdog triumphs, or specific historical eras. Write down all the scenes, set pieces, beats, or lines of dialogue you’d like to see in the short after you have an idea for it. Write whatever comes to mind without worrying about whether you’ll actually include these components or whether they make sense.
- Outline. Outline the movie idea once you’ve reduced your brainstorming to a distinct and straightforward premise. Short scripts have a beginning, middle, and end, just like feature films do. It’s acceptable to not know exactly what will happen at every time during the outline process because your goal is to chart out the broad framework of the movie. However, some authors discover it useful to be familiar with every scene or plot point in a movie before they begin to write it. A beat sheet is a useful tool to have when outlining. (Learn how to create a beat sheet here.)
- Draft your first script. Write the first draught of your short film script now that you are familiar with the contours of your tale. Consider them to be short screenplays; they have the same basic structure as feature films. When creating a short film script, a good rule of thumb is to “enter late, and get out early”—that is, enter each scene as late in the action as you can, and exit as soon as your character has received what they required in the scene. There are just so many pages available for you to tell your story, so don’t spend them on scenes, conversations, or history that aren’t absolutely important.
- Rewrite the script. Screenwriting is no exception to the adage that “writing is rewriting,” which is prevalent among authors. Give the script to friends or mentors for feedback once the first draft is written. You may discover that you need to start again and construct a new outline when you return to write the second draught. You might only rework the script to polish a scene or improve dialogue once your story is compelling.
Writing a Great Short Film: 3 Tips
Short Film Writing – Writing a short film may seem simple, but condensing a full narrative into ten or twenty minutes of screen time can be difficult. Here are some pointers for good short film writing.
- Concentrate on one basic idea. The best short films have a clear, concise, and frequently extremely simple idea, which is important if you just have minutes to tell your complete story. A fascinating story is at the heart of each short film. If at all possible, provide your primary character with a mission with a clear deadline. For instance, a lot of popular short movies have a straightforward premise, such as two buddies riding bikes, a woman attempting to make friends, or a sad son giving a eulogy.
- Use characters and backstory sparingly. Short movies lack the time to introduce or explore extensive character backstories. How much background on the hero do we really need to follow them on their journey? Is it crucial to know that they once had a husband? Or is that just providing extra information? Write only the number of characters that are absolutely necessary, whether they are minor players, co-protagonists, or dual protagonists. Is your character being pursued by bad guys, or is it possible for just one bad guy to pursue him? Consider this: Will my primary character still succeed if I lose this character? If the answer is “yes,” think about excluding them from the narrative.
- Keep locations to a minimum. The best short movies often take place in a single space. This helps you focus your story and keep your budget low, which is important if you plan to shoot the movie yourself. The 10-minute narrative “Sam Did It,” which is set exclusively in a mortuary operating room, is an illustration of an honorable short story with a single setting. Consider a single location and a premise for your short film as you brainstorm. Then, ask yourself: “Can I tell this entire tale without leaving this area?”
Conclusion
Short Film Writing – This is constant. We watch movies, so make sure your narrative makes significant, captivating, and dynamic use of imagery. From genre to genre, this varies and will always be different.
Dramas need to focus on a change in a character, their situation, or their relationship(s), whereas action movies need to create a look with exciting visual conflicts, spy movies need to show people lying to others or getting information in some other way, and action movies need to show exciting physical conflicts.
People tend to believe that short films don’t necessarily need to be visually appealing. Take no notice of them. Start short film writing as a screenwriter with great screenwriting software like the industry-leading software like Final Draft to help you with the format, and begin your filmmaking journey right now!
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About the author: Trent (IMDB | Youtube) has spent 10+ years working on an assortment of film and television projects. He writes about his experiences to help (and amuse) others. If he’s not working, he’s either traveling, reading or writing about travel/film, or planning travel/film projects.
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