Independent Short Films

How to write a good short film script

August 19th, 2011

That’s the name of a great article I read at timesonline.co.uk just a minute ago.

Here’s a link.

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Two quick take-home points:
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Know your goal in making an Independent Short Film. As mentioned on this blog numerous times in the past, Independent Short Films are often a touchpoint for networking with others in the industry (at festivals, for example) and planning other projects such as features.
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Keep it short.  There’s a reason why it’s called a short film.  Wikipedia tells us, “There is no clear definition of the maximum length of a short film, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences classify it as 40 minutes, while the Internet Movie Database refer to any film lasting less than 45 minutes as a short subject.”  Your 45-minute short film might technically qualify by some standards, but if a festival organizer has to choose between screening your film or 12-15 other films, my money would be on the others.  Here’s a good rule of thumb: The longer your short film is, the more exceptionally remarkable it must be in order to justify its length.
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The rest of the article deals with elements of story.  At the end, there’s a link to a sales page for the book that inspired the article.  I have no connection with the book or the article, but I’ve heard good things about the people behind the book, from shootingpeople.org so if you ever get your hand on a copy, let me know how it is.
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Until next time.

Originally posted 2009-12-11 18:43:59.

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