‘SHORT FILM’

J E M M A S H A W A N D Z A R A B H A T T I

DEFINITION…

• A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a

feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is

drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a

running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits".

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES?

Short films Feature films

Around 10 minutes long Around 100 minutes long

Low budget High budget

Rarely screened Widely distributed

Small casts Large casts

Niche audience Mass audience

Amateur Professional

Grainy Glossy

WHY MAKE A SHORT FILM?...

Making a film - be it a short or a feature - is largely a labour of love, so it's always worth clarifying why you are embarking on such madness and adventure. For example, you could be making it for;

Experience - you may want to experiment with pulling a team together to make a

story on film.

A show reel - you might be pursuing a career in filmmaking and want to demonstrate

your skills.

Partnerships - you'd like to try working with certain people to see if you can go on to

collaborate on projects in the future.

Praise - you may have found a high profile director/writer/actor, who'll help you raise

your filmmaking profile, or want to use your film to elevate your own industry profile.

Testing an idea out - you've always thought a certain story would work well on

screen or you've got a feature film idea that you want to try out on a small scale first.

Money - you may have been asked to work on a production with a budget to pay its

crew.

RULES FOR SHORT FILMS…

There are several rules to think about when wanting to create a short film; such as;1. THE SHORTER THE BETTER

A short film can be anything from fifteen seconds to forty five minutes in length, however the best emotion can be created in a shorted amount of time, this is due to the climax of the film occurring quicker than a normal therefore the scenes have to move on quicker.

2. KEEPING THE PRACTICALITIES OF WRITING IN MINDThe great thing about shorts is that they can be anything, although it is vital that you don’t discard the practicalities of a script, this is because when you are writing a script you release how time consuming some scenes are to film.

3. MAKING IT VISUAL“Film is a visual medium”. “Show, don’t tell.” Those are the golden rules of screenwriting, because film is about telling a story in pictures. Therefore when you are planning are short film, it could be a good idea to create visual backstories for the characters.

4. FINDING A SINGLE MOMENTThe best short films are often a single moment that is played out, but one that has a story at its heart., for example a conflict that has to be resolved, where there’s a dilemma at stake and a choice that the protagonist has to make.

5. TELLING A STORY You should always try to tell a persuasive story. Short films are a great opportunity to push the boundaries of what cinematic storytelling can do, yet they must still engage your audience emotionally.

6. ENGAGING THE READERSince you have so little time to make an impression the impact of page one is crucial, just as it is crucial to hook the reader in the first 10 pages of a feature length script. Furthermore the ending is also essential as it’s rare to truly feel moved at the end of a short film, so work towards a meaningful, satisfying ending.

7. AVOIDING CLICHESThe ending is also essential as it’s rare to truly feel moved at the end of a short, so work towards a meaningful, satisfying ending. Avoid stereotypes unless you have a fresh slant on them.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MAKING SHORT FILMS…