Film in American Society
Meyers & Chappuis
Tips for Short Film Project*
What is a Short Film?
Start with what it is not: a short is not a feature. It is a bad idea to squeeze a feature length film
idea into a short film. This film will be 5-7 minutes in length.
Finding the Story
Any kind of dramatic story requires 3 basic elements:
 A world (setting)
 A character
 A problem (conflict)
Short films are no different; you just have less time to establish and develop each element. This
means you may have to employ a few tricks (montage, fast cuts, soundtrack, just to name a few) in
order to effectively establish your world, character, and problem. Most successful short films focus
on ONE moment or event in the life of ONE main character. So, it is unusual for a short film to
take place over a long period of time—it’s usually just looking at the immediate build up to and/or
consequence of that ONE event. A lot of the best short films play out more or less in “real” time. A
story that spans more than a few days (at the most) is unlikely to work well as a short film.
The World
Because of the need to establish an instantly recognizable world in order to jump right into the
character’s problem, set your film around a familiar event or ritual (a wedding, a birthday party,
the first day of school, religious holiday, asking someone out on a date, etc.). Right away, you have
put the audience in a familiar setting with easily identifiable emotions. Another advantage of
choosing a setting of this sort is that it gives the story a finite time frame. Another popular setting
for the short film is the journey. Most short films focus on a pivotal, significant event in the life of
the main character so that the story takes the character on a metaphorical journey with a literal
journey as the setting.
The Character and the Problem
The most important questions while developing your story are as follows:
 Who is the main character?
 What is his/her problem?
The audience must be clear from the outset who the film is about and they won’t be if you aren’t.
Your main character is the one who has the problem. Character with no problem = no film.
How will the audience recognize the problem? You need to make the problems manifest (obvious)
to the audience. Turning the character’s inner problem into the heart of your film and making sure
the audience can SEE it is one of the most important ways you can demonstrate your skill as a
filmmaker. In books, readers understand the problem by reading the character’s thoughts. In
films we need to see characters DOING things that show us the character’s thoughts and actions.
Think of visual ways to convey verbal information.
Questions for Further Thought

Are the stakes high enough?
Ensuring that there is something at stake in the story means that the audience can understand
what the character stands to lose if they do not solve their problem.

Am I telling the story from the best point of view?
What would happen if you told the story of the Wizard of Oz from the witches’ point of view
instead of Dorothy’s? Answer: a great story (and a Broadway Musical).

What is driving your main character (motivation)?
o Is it a “want”?
o Is it a “need”?
o Is it an “obligation”?
In all cases, the motivation must be clear to the audience (even if it is not clear to the character).
You must have an obstacle to the want or need or obligation. This turns into the problem, and
again, no problem, no film.

What does my story mean?
You might not set out to tell a story with a moral or have a conscious awareness of what your story
means, but every story communicates some meaning to the audience. Once you are sure how
the story begins and ends, you have a clear indication of its meaning. Knowing the meaning of
your story will help you make important choices as you refine and develop your script particularly
in relation to. . .

Is the tone of my film appropriate for the story I want to convey?
Tone is intimately connected to genre and though genre is less of an issue with shorts, it’s still
important to think about what kind of film you are writing in broad terms. Tone reflects the
author’s attitude towards the subject, so ask yourself the following question: what is my attitude
toward my subject/topic? And what factors can I manipulate to change the tone of the film?
In Summary…
A good short film needs a story in which something happens that has a discernible effect on the
main character. Most successful short films focus on one moment/event. That moment is likely to
be…
o One of universal significance
o A moment that is of significance to the protagonist
o One that produces a situation in which the stakes are high for the protagonist
Make sure the subject of your film plays to your strengths and is achievable within the time frame
(5-7 minutes in length, roughly seven weeks to write, revise, shoot, and edit)
*Adapted from Marilyn Milgrom’s article “How to Write a Good Short Film Script” dated 11 February 2008 from Times Online