Don’t short circuit over making a short film.
All you need is a good idea, a good script, good storyboards and then delve into production. That’s all! Easy, right? LOL
So where to start?
The term and definition to start with is the basic: Story
“A story is about someone who wants something very badly and is having trouble getting it.”
Then drill down on each of the terms in that story definition (Genre Hacks blog goes into detail for each of the following):
- Whose story is it?
- What does the protagonist want?
- Why does she/he want it so badly?
- What are the obstacles?
These are the same components of long form film but in a short film these become compressed.
You can read more by Sean Hood at Genre Hacks about the subject. Follow his blog for weekly updates on making short films. It’s a great way to get started.
Another great idea suggested is to watch the 9 Short films all filmmakers should know:
I’ll add one of my favorite: Two Soldiers by Aaron Schneider