The screenplay article provides more specific criteria for writing a short film screenplay, including six key questions about the protagonist, active question, opposing forces, point of view, theme, and style. Milgrom's book simplifies it to the basic three elements of a world, character, and problem. While the screenplay article goes into more depth on different aspects like character and tone, Milgrom's book breaks it down more simply as an introduction to screenwriting. Both discuss the importance of establishing the main character, their problem or goal, and how the tone emerges from supporting the underlying meaning of the story.

1. Short Screenplay Writing
How Does The Screenonline Article
Compare and Contrast With Marilyn
Milgrom’s The Script?

2. Screen Online vs Marilyn Milgrom’s The Script
Within the introduction to the screenonline article it uses specific criteria,
based around a story driven narrative;
‘One of the striking features of the last decade of short film making in the UK
has been the steady rise of story-driven narratives, and the increasing
attention placed on the screenplay. At the heart of all the short films in this
collection is a character's story, which is first fully realised in a screenplay, and
it is with this in mind that this tour seeks to answer six key questions about
writing a good short film screenplay:
Who is the protagonist?
What is the active question, which is the basis of the action in film?
Who or what opposes the protagonist?
From whose point of view is the audience being shown the story?
What is it about? or, What is the theme?
What is the style of the film?’
Where as within the The Script, The story element has been even more
simplified by saying that;
‘Any kind of dramatic story requires 3 basic elements:
- A World
- A Character
- A Problem’
So technically there is a huge contrast here with the screen online article
being incredibly specific about it’s story following six key questions or points,
where as The Script has become incredibly simplified when it comes to having
just three points to follow. Therefore in this instance I would say that The
Script would be an easier piece to start off with if you’re new to the subject
because it has been simplified and broken down so it’s easier to understand.
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tours/shortfilm/tour1.html

3. The screen online article actually Character
has two pages on character, it
covers how to find your main Milgrom states within The
character; W Script that;
‘Finding the central character of ‘The most important
the narrative is critical to any H questions to ask yourself
story-driven narrative. This
are:
character can dominate the
narrative, as in Springing Lenin
E - Who is the main character?
(d. Andrie Nekrasov, 1992)’ -What is their problem?
What the audience/Character
R - How will the audience
recognise their problem?
wants;
‘In The Curious (d. Stephen
E - Are the stakes high
enough?’
Brown, Writer: Robert Smith,
1994), the audience is asked to A Then it goes on to also
share in the protagonist's curiosity mention;
about the strange young woman
at the window’ S ‘What is driving your main
character through the story
Plus also how to find your
antagonist; . must be one of the following:
- A want
‘Knowing why a character cannot - A need
deal with a situation, or is forced . - An obligation
to do something different, or
against their normal way of
reacting, is critical to developing
. And in all cases it must be
clear to the audience, even if
an engaging story-driven
narrative.’
it isn’t to the character.’

4. Point of View/Theme
The screenonline article to put it Marilyn Milgrom defines the point
simply basically says that a point of of view as being the way story is
view is so useful because it gives H attached to the character;
background to the whole short; ‘In other words the meaning of
O any story is attached to the
‘The reason this question is central
character through whom it is told
to short films is the need to address W and what happens to them at the
the scale of exposition, and end.’
background information, plus E It uses the example of fairy tales
character's motivations, in a very to show how straight forward a
small narrative space. This is why V point of view should be but also
narration, and narrators, are so states how most shorts downfall
useful in the short film form.’ E is how the characters direction is
different from what the director is
Also it uses two prime examples to trying to say;
get it’s point across; R
‘In fairy stories we are totally
‘In The Cutter, the audience is . clear who is being tested or
placed in an omnipotent position changed by the events
watching the events and drawing its . of the story and we are in no
own conclusions, as it is in The doubt about what their story
‘means’, but many short film
Curious and Springing Lenin. . scripts fall down
However, in Zinky Boys Go because they have chosen a
Underground, the film is narrated main character whose journey
by a character who is essentially an does not chime with what the
observer of the main character's writer is trying to
stories.’ say.’

5. Tone of the Film
The screenonline article shows
tone to us in the way that tone is Milgrom describes tone as the way
captured in performance and M that each element supports the
underlying ‘meaning’ of each specific
directions, but it can also be
expressed through good O film, by using the example of a dog
being flattened by a car in two
camerawork that can engage with different situatiuons, one where it can
the audience; R be a joke, for example a comedy and
one where it can be considered a
serious emotional blow for example
‘The power of tone to affect how an E within a drama piece;
audience engages is probably best
‘The tone of the film emerges from the
illustrated in Yellow and The O way in which each element
Curious, where the audience feels supports the underlying ‘meaning’ of
the powerlessness of the central the story: hence
characters owing to the use of POV V the fact that a dog flattened by a car in
shots and expressionist emotional a broad comedy may
camerawork, and in Zinky Boys Go E be a ‘tragedy’ for the owner but is a
joke for the audience, whereas a dog
Underground, where the neutral hit by a car in a drama (in which
tone of the narrator allows the R the tone is very ‘real world’) is a
audience to engage with a vicious shocking moment for both the
and threatening world. Ultimately, . characters and the audience. Much of
tone is captured in performance, the
work of establishing this tone will be
and in direction, but the screenplay . achieved through choices made by the
lays the foundations for the tone to director, production designer,
be found by the director, actors,
and cinematographer.’
. composer etc but the first indication of
the tone comes from the script.’