How not to make a short film

1. HOW NOT TO
MAKE A
SHORT FILM
A step by step guide of how to make a short film more
effective

2. The Shorter the Better
A short film can be anything from a number of minutes to forty five
minutes in length. Make your short film script as short as possible
because the shorter the film, the less costly it will be to produce. It
has to be cheap but shouldn’t look cheap. Plus, if you want to get
your short into a festival, then keep it to no more than ten minutes,
which is usually 7-8 pages maximum. Why? Because if your short film
is longer, it will eat up a longer slot and festivals love to play as many
shorts as possible! You can also create real emotion in just a few
minutes. It is also a great idea to question your target audience for
example when we presented a questionnaire to our chosen viewers
we found out the appropriate length that would be suitable and
efficient for both us and our audience being around 5-7 minutes.
1. DON’T
MAKE IT TOO
LONG

3. There are many clichés in short films. Avoid stereotypes unless you have a fresh slant
on them. That’s what The Descendent does. In this short film a couple of bewildered
hit men actually have to kill a seemingly cute little boy and one of them gets cold feet
until he realizes that the child is a supernatural being who terrifies his mother. Write
what you’re familiar with and what resonates with you rather than writing something
you borrowed from other films. Don’t shy away from small stories, short formats are
the perfect vehicle for them and you won’t often get the opportunity to tell small
stories as a professional writer.
It’s good to watch as many short films as possible. There is no replacement for
knowing what is out there, and knowing what you as an audience (as well as a writer)
think and feel about it. When proposing ideas for my own film I often opted to
watching other short films of similar genre so I could follow the key representations
and ideologies without being cliché.
2. DON’T ADD
CLICHÉS

4. Tell a Story
You should always try to tell a compelling story. Beware of ideas that are concept-driven or
just aim at breaking all the rules for the sake of breaking rules. Short films are a great
opportunity to push the boundaries of what cinematic storytelling can do, yet they must still
engage your audience emotionally. As a rule of thumb, unless it is extremely brief a short film
should have a hero with a goal and an obstacle/antagonist in the way. Short films are also a
great away to advertise certain topics for educational value, you can use these topics e.g.
bullying to base the narrative around the subject you want to inform the viewer about.
When producing my own short film I will constantly be using the same aspect as Vladimir
props narrative theory e.g. the villain being our protagonist’s illness
3. PERFECT
THE
NARRATIVE

5. Make It Visual
“Film is a visual medium”. “Show, don’t tell.” Those are the golden
rules of screenwriting the top directors keep telling us. Yet it’s
astonishing to see how talky most scripts are. Film is about telling
stories in pictures, which is the most economical way of telling a story
– and when you make a short film, economy is everything. Create visual
backstories for your characters. Externalize through visual images
their temperament, their profession, their status, etc. Some of the
most effective of short films are the ones with little to no dialog.
It is also very important that you need to beware of the concept that
too much action can take place in not a enough time which ultimately
becomes expensive but also less effective and you loose the audience’s
attention.
4. BALANCE
DIALOG TO
ACTION

6. The best short films are often a single moment that is played
out, but one that has a story at its heart, which is a conflict
that has to be resolved, where there’s a dilemma at stake
and a choice that the protagonist has to make. Strive to add
a deadline, or ticking clock. It is not necessary but it will add
some tension to your short film. For example in my own
short film suspense is created by silence.
5. DON’T RUIN
THE SINGLE
MOMENT

7. Engage
Since you have so little time to make an impression the impact of scene
one is crucial, just as it is crucial to hook the reader in the first couple of
pages in a book. What is the world of the film? Do we root for the main
character? Does the world and story of the film feel authentic? The
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.
For instance although its inevitable that the main character at some
stage is going to pass away we do not sadden this issue at the end of
the film but actually create a satisfying ending by having her fulfill her
only wish.
6. DON’T
LOOSE THE
VIEWERS

8. Lighting
There is nothing worse than when you watch a film and you cant actually see what’s taking
place, this often occurs when a dramatic dark scene isn't properly executed and you cant
actually see what’s going on in scene. To avoid this plan your lighting in correlation to the
setting, mood and the amount of natural lighting that is present either due to the weather
or time of day and most importantly your narrative. Lighting is great in either uplifting
mood in a certain shot but also to emphasise emotion and sadness, try taking test shots
before shooting so you don’t have to retake any shots which is eating valuable filming and
editing time.
7. THE
AUDIENCE
CAN’T SEE

9. Sound
Sound is crucial it explains feelings, thoughts and views
which is why its so important that you get the right balance
between not being too quiet and not too loud. When sound
is too quiet and you up the volume it can automatically
sound crackly and inconsistent. Before shooting have a
sound check to test the volume and accuracy of where it
needs to be placed in order for the dialog to sound clear, it
is very easy to ruin the film by having inconsistent sound.
8. THE
AUDIENCE
CAN’T HEAR