Short films are arguably the most creative and accessible form of storytelling, and a good one shouldn’t need to rely on a big budget or an expensive camera. In fact, some of the most powerful short films are made with minimal resources. What really makes or breaks a short film is the quality of the script. I’ve taken a few screenwriting classes and written a few scripts, and these are my biggest takeaways about writing a short film script.

Be Realistic

Before you even sit down to write your script, ask yourself about the resources that are going to be available to you when you start shooting. Are you really going to be able to film a kaiju fight in the middle of New York City? Even a seemingly simple shot like a crowded school hallway has its implications. Is there a school you can film at? Can you build your own set? Can you even hire enough extras to fill the hallway? Ask yourself these questions with every scene you write.

Keep It Short

While the Oscars technically consider a short film anything less than 40 minutes, the best short films don’t get anywhere near that limit. I found myself drawn towards writing and watching films that are between 5-10 minutes. Simplicity is key when you’re writing. A short film is not the place to put filler or huge amounts of exposition. Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your audience, they’re probably able to pick up on the plot points without the film having to overexplain itself. Focus on one or two characters, with clear goals and conflicts. A good rule to keep in mind is that one page of your script is equal to about 1 minute of screen time, although this number kind of gets distorted during the production process. 

Getting Started

While there’s some authors, like Stephen King, that can just sit down and start writing a story, this usually doesn’t work out well for most people, myself included. Don’t just start typing, write out a logline, and then a brief outline. For me, this is usually the most difficult part of writing. Once you have a pretty clear idea of the story, break down the events scene-by-scene, and then you can start writing the screenplay itself.

Dialogue

Sometimes dialogue isn’t even necessary in a short film if the concept is strong enough to stand on its own. Some of my favorite short films like “The Big Shave” and “Post-It Love” contain no dialogue. If you do choose to include dialogue in your short film, be sure that every line advances the plot (Remember, no filler). Read every line of dialogue you write out loud to see if it sounds unnatural. If it does, rewrite it.

Formatting

Use screenplay formatting. When writing a screenplay, there’s all kinds of rules that writers have to follow and tons of different production notes they must include (shots, parentheticals, transitions). It’s worth studying up on these, because if you ever choose to adapt your screenplay into an actual film, the correct formatting will go a long way for your actors and crew. I recommend using Celtx, which is about $11 per month and it’s relatively beginner friendly.