What is a ‘short’ film?The increasingly rare term short subject means approximately the same thing. An industry term, it carries more of an assumption that the film is shown as part of a presentation along with a feature film. Short is an abbreviation for either term. Short films are often screened at local, national, or international film festivals and made by independent filmmakers for non profit, either with a low budget or no budget at all. They are usually funded by film grants, non profit organizations, sponsor, or personal funds. Short films are generally used by filmmakers to gain experience and/or prove their talent in order to gain funding for future films from private investors, entertainment companies, or film studios.

How are short films generally made?- Firstly all the equipment is required – most short film makers are amateurs meaning that they

may not have the most high-quality equipment, so they may film with their phones, or rent out equipment or even borrow from friends or family.

- Learn how to use the equipment correctly and effectively.- Outline the idea – genre, storyline etc.- Write out your script, consider the following points when writing your script: Character

development, plot development, inciting incident, character arc.- Story-board each shot in the film.- Decide what you need for each scene.- Determine the setting of the scene.- Determine the equipment you are going to need.- Determine the actors and crew.- Determine what props, make-up costumes, etc.,- Start casting for cast and crew for the movie.- Edit the film; you do not need to use an expensive program at all. - Post your short film on YouTube or other major social media.

What is the purpose of a short film?• Experience - you might want to experiment

with pulling a team together to make a story on film.

• A show reel - you might be pursuing a career in filmmaking and want to demonstrate your skills.

• Partnerships - you'd like to try working with certain people to see if you can go on to collaborate on projects in the future.

• Kudos - you may have found a high profile director/writer/actor, who'll help you raise your filmmaking profile, or want to use your film to elevate your own industry profile.

• Testing an idea out - you've always thought a certain story would work well on screen or you've got a feature film idea that you want to try out on a small scale first.

• Money - you may have been asked to work on a production with a budget to pay its crew. (This is very rare as short films don't generally pay in any financial dividends.)

Where is the film going to be shown?Your reasons for making the film should also relate to where the film is going to be shown. You could be making it for:• Your front room - many filmmakers start out

by testing their ideas on family and friends.• A show reel - maybe you're building a body

of work to prove to others that you have filmmaking skills and/or to persuade them to give you some funding to make another film.

• The Internet - a great means of getting your work out there and getting feedback from a wide range of people, internationally.

• Television - if your film is of a high quality, a television channel may screen it, especially if it fits into a slot with other short films.

• The cinema - one of the hardest places to get a short film screened, but some very successful shorts have been shown before feature films on general release. Some cinemas also run short film events.

• Festivals - a great opportunity to get your film on the big screen, watched by an audience of industry people and by filmmaking peers.

The 7 Rules to writing a Short film• The Shorter the Better - A short film can be anything from fifteen seconds to forty five minutes

in length. Make your short film script as short as possible because the shorter the short, the less costly it will be to produce.

• Keep the Practicalities of Writing in Mind - The great thing about shorts is that they can be anything since you don’t have studio execs on your tail. However, don’t discard the practicalities of writing your script.

• Make It Visual - “Film is a visual medium”. “Show, don’t tell.” Those are the golden rules of screenwriting the gurus keep telling us.

• Find Single Moments - The best short films are often a single moment that is played out, but one that has a story at its heart. What do I mean by story? I mean a conflict that has to be resolved, where there’s a dilemma at stake and a choice that the protagonist has to make.

• Tell a Story - You should always try to tell a compelling story. Beware of ideas that are concept-driven or just aim at breaking all the rules for the sake of breaking rules. Short films are a great opportunity to push the boundaries of what cinematic storytelling can do, yet they must still engage your audience emotionally.

• Engage the Reader - What is the world of the film? Do we root for the main character? Does the world and story of the film feel authentic? The ending is also essential as it’s rare to truly feel moved at the end of a short, so work towards a meaningful, satisfying ending.

• Beware of Clichés - Write what you’re familiar with and what resonates with you rather than writing something you borrowed from other films. Don’t shy away from small stories, short formats are the perfect vehicle for them and you won’t often get the opportunity to tell small stories as a professional writer.