Many of us would love to write short scripts as a way to have more involvement in the film industry. Writing short scripts can be quite challenging, because we may need to consider some factors involved with feature-length scripts. In this case, we should have a concise and clear idea about our audience. We should be both entertaining and engaging, or even subtly educating when needed. Short films have a place in the filmmaking industry and they are considered as the start of flourished career in the mainstream film industry.
One thing that we need to consider is a strong premise or idea that may develop into a great story. The idea could be built around a snippet of dialogue, specific scenes or a particular place. An idea could start from small things and it is important for us steadily develop it. In general, we need a proper structure to develop our ideas into real story. Structure is essentially a foundation of our story and it could have a beginning, body and end. Problems with our structure could cause problems with our story. Because they are mutually exclusive, it is essential for us to get our structure right.
Here is an example structure for our short film:
- Beginning
An estranged couple try to invent multiple dark games to make their monotonous love live feels more exciting.
- Body
Eventually, these “games” become a reality and people start to get hurt.
- End
Sparks of passions finally emerge, as the couple clings to one another and death is imminent.
Both full length and short films have plot points that identify milestones of conflicts/problems and how they can be resolved. Conflicts often happen because of obstacles and tackling these obstacles could directly solve the problem or they couldn’t, depending on how the story goes.
In general, screenwriting in the filmmaking industry is a more restricted form of story writing. This is an opportunity where we should let our inner creativity to roam freely. There shouldn’t be rule on how the story should start, develop and end. In fact, a good story should contain plot, twists and ends that are both exciting and unexpected. With good foundation, structure and outline, we should be able to gradually flesh out our story in much better details.
Some short films are made with little to no dialogues, while others could be filled with rapid, intense arguments between characters. However, in many cases, we could save the best dialogues till last. In this case, we should be able to make our story more detailed and expanded. Despite the short duration of the film, the script could be quite comprehensive with details on characters profiles, the clothes they wear, the car they drive, the house they live in and others.
It is also important to describe their inner feelings and state of mind. We should let our idea flowing with no inhabitations. Characters should have sensible stream of consciousness within specific outlined parameters.