1. RecentlyI’ve beenreading a book calledHow not to make a short filmby Roberta Marie Munroe
(a short filmprogrammer) and thisbook is about the many mistakes a short film can have that you
shouldavoid.
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Research isalways a good idea whenit comesto planninga goodshort film so
there is a multitude ofthings that can be done for adequate research such as:
watching other short filmsand understand what were there bestqualities
overall and thenwatch short filmmore like yours to see how to best apply
your concepts ideato such a short run time.
Another goodidea for research isreading books,magazines and
bogs/newsletterstoget and idea ofsome of the key ideasof media and film
theory that could work.
Characters are essential ina short filmand theyenough depthto come across
as interestingand likable but must be very easilyunderstandable from the first
momentswe see them,their motivation,demeanour,personalitymust be
easilyunderstoodby clothing choicesand the performance.
The main character on screenshouldbe notable and stand out to maintain our
interestas well as be relatable enoughto allow the audiencesinvestment.
Narrative must be simple andeffective because you’re only going to have a
short amount of time to tell it, meaningit cant be too complicatedinstead we
needclear motivationof what the story progressto as the narrative isnot the
main focus ina short filmbut can insteadbe your greatest downfall.
In a short filmthe characters and cinematographyare the key feature and how
they are shown and translated are the focus, the narrative is but a tool that is
usedto showthese features.
But sayingthis plot is still important and a veryeffective wayof explaining
parts ofthe plot is by having “ExpositionFairies” whoexplainthe plotto the
viewerunderthe guise of talking to another character making the movie feel
natural as we watch it.
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Resourcesis key to any movie so it is important to work withinyour price
range and work simple and small especiallyonshort movieswhere you can’t
afford to work ina grand setting but needto have a confinedstory that works
on developingasimplisticideanot through budgetbut through great
cinematography and dialogue
Make as little work for yourselfin the post production as you can, if something
can be achievedwith a bit more effortpractically it will be betterthan slaving
away inpost productionon the computer
