Writing A Short Film Script

It has to be said up front – a short film isn’t a compressed feature film and writers (and directors) who are reluctant to accept this will likely fail. So the key to writing a short film is to keep the idea and expression of that idea - simple.

It’s just not possible to squeeze a feature film idea or a particularly complex idea into a short format and do it justice. It’s a bit like trying to squeeze a novel into a short story – they’re completely different beasts.

FOCUS ON ONE CORE IDEA

Duly noted there are numerous successful short films that are experimental or metaphorical or anti-structure. These films don’t follow a conventional narrative or structure. And that is absolutely cool. But whether you are exploring a heady concept or telling a conventional story – your screenplay needs to consist of one core idea and everything needs to serve that idea – every action, image and line of dialogue. There’s no time to develop an elaborate plot, a truckload of characters or lengthy set up.

Multi-layered stories aren’t going to work and neither are stories, which lean heavily on the main character’s back-story.

Sorry, but you simply will not have time to explore back-story. It’s also sensible to avoid subplots, multi-protagonists, expensive set pieces, and stories set in two or more different time periods.

Scope Your Story

Once you have a basic story idea, there are some questions to be asked and a number of decisions to be made:

What is the core idea? What is my story about? (Premise)
Who is it about? (Protagonist)
What is the genre and style of my screenplay?
Who or what is giving the Protagonist grief? (Antagonist)
What is the question of my story?
Whose POV is the story told from?
What happens in my story? (Plot)
How does it happen? (Structure)
What is my screenplay about thematically?
How can I convey my plot, action and theme in images?

Don’t you love a list of bullet points?

Try to write your story idea down in a single sentence as in:
This story is about a ________ who ________ and ________ but then ________ .

Know Your Protagonist

Ask yourself is – who is the story happening to, i.e. who is my Protagonist? The Protagonist in any story is the central character, the character that the story is about and whose life is being made difficult or who simply wants something to change. They might not even necessarily be human, but they are the character the audience will be following.

Know Your Antagonist

So once you know your protagonist and have an idea about genre – ask yourself what does my protagonist want; and who or what is stopping him/her? Or more simply – who or what is my Antagonist?

An antagonist can take many forms, anything from another character or monster to a force of nature or a council with a new bylaw. It or they is whatever is making the Protagonist’s life difficult.

Define Your Genre

Ask yourself – what type of film will this be made into? And what will the audience expect from a film in this genre? This is not about crushing experimentation or creativity but more as a reminder to you good self as you proceed, that your original goal was to write a short screenplay that scared / moved / amused / shocked the audience. When you get stuck, you can go back to this intention to remind yourself of your original goal.

Define the Tone and Style

You may also like to clarify for yourself what tone and style you have in mind, as this will influence the way you write your action and your dialogue. In the end the tone will be dictated by the director and the performances he/she elicits from actors, but the screenplay still establishes the foundations of the film’s ultimate tone by choices made by the writer in their characters, plot, direction (or big print), symbolism and dialogue.

Decide on the Point of View

Whose Point Of View (POV) are we seeing this story through? Is it the protagonist or is someone else narrating the story about the protagonist?

Focus on the Central Question

What is the question that drives the action of the story? Simple examples of such questions areWill the boy win the girl? or Will the boy ever meet his hero? The question of the film should be answered in some way by the conclusion of the film – even if the answer is ambiguous. The question of a short film can be tiny and subtle e.g. what will the girl do? What do the couple discover?

For a great example of a simple, universal story with a simple question, watch the Oscar nominated Two Cars, One Night (Taika Waititi).

Creating the Plot

Brainstorm for possible events in the story without censoring yourself. Ask – what could possibly happen to my character given his/her situation? What could he/she possibly do? And then – what might happen as a result of his/her actions? Many elements will influence what happens in your story, including genre, pace and what you’re hoping to elicit from your audience. If you’re writing a comedy and you want the audience to laugh, then some funny stuff should be happening in your plot.

Reconstructing the Plot

When you’re re-drafting, you may realize that certain plot points or actions just don’t work in the genre you’ve chosen or they don’t illustrate the theme well or distract from the story you want to tell. At this point, you’ll change the plot points to find a more satisfying series of events and actions – and hopefully a more satisfying story.

Identifying the Theme

It’s simple enough to state what the story is about e.g.A man goes to extreme lengths in order to keep his dog. The underlying meaning of the story known as the Theme is more difficult to identify. It infuses the characters, emotional core, and plot. The theme can even be revealed in images, symbolism, and setting.

In an idea about the man trying to keep his dog – the theme might be loneliness or the desire to be loved. It could even be about the ridiculous nature of bureaucracy. And once you have identified what your story is about on a deeper level it can help you to improve the piece and give it unity by asking – do my images, symbols, music, motifs, scenarios and locations reflect my theme?

Go well peeps!

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