How to Write a Short Film
Summary
TLDRThe video script offers a comprehensive guide on writing a short film, debunking common myths and emphasizing the importance of a strong dramatic narrative. It uses the short film 'Stutterer' as a case study to illustrate the process of building characters, establishing philosophical conflicts, and applying Dan Harmon's story circle for structuring a compelling story. The key takeaway is that regardless of length, a well-crafted narrative with relatable characters and a clear conflict is essential for a successful short film.
Takeaways
- 🎬 Short films are their own unique form and should not be approached with the same mindset as feature films.
- 🌟 A meaningful and dramatic narrative can be achieved in short films by focusing on fundamental story elements.
- 🚫 Debunking the myth that short films cannot be deeply meaningful due to their length.
- 📌 The importance of setup in storytelling, even when working with limited time or pages.
- 🎥 The misconception that impressive visuals or technical aspects can compensate for a weak story is clarified as incorrect.
- 🌐 The process of story creation involves starting with a simple idea and building upon it with character development and philosophical conflict.
- 👤 The main character's beliefs and desires form the core of the story, driving their actions and the narrative.
- 🔄 The story circle, a tool like Dan Harmon's, can be used effectively for structuring short films by focusing on the natural elements of a dramatic story.
- 💡 The climax of a story should challenge the character's beliefs and force them to confront their internal and external obstacles.
- 🎶 The ending of a short film should resonate with the audience by resolving the philosophical conflict and showing character growth.
- 📚 Analyzing existing successful short films can provide valuable insights into crafting a strong narrative drama.
Q & A
What is the main misconception about short films mentioned in the script?
-The main misconception mentioned is that short films are too short to be deeply meaningful and dramatic. However, the script argues that short films can indeed be meaningful and dramatic if they focus on building them on fundamental story elements.
What are the three myths about writing short films debunked in the video?
-The three myths debunked are: 1) Short films are too short to be deeply meaningful and dramatic, 2) There isn't enough time to set up the story in a short film, and 3) Stunning cinematography, witty dialog, and cool concepts can create a good short film even if the story isn't good.
What is the importance of setup in a short film's narrative?
-Setup is necessary to a story even in a short film. It helps the audience understand what's going on, who the characters are, and why the action is happening. Without a quick establishment of these elements, the audience may disengage from the story.
What role does the story play in a short film despite its length?
-The story is the core element of a short film. Audiences will grow bored quickly if there's no engaging story at the core, regardless of how visually appealing the film might be.
Can you explain the concept of 'philosophical conflict' as it relates to the main character, Greenwood?
-The philosophical conflict refers to the internal struggle within Greenwood's beliefs about his stutter. He believes that his stutter will prevent him from connecting deeply with others and holds him back from forming meaningful relationships. This conflict drives the narrative and engages the audience with the character's journey.
What does Greenwood want more than anything else in the story?
-Greenwood wants to be in a deep, intimate relationship with someone. This desire is what pushes the story forward and sets up the central conflict of the narrative.
How does the character of Ellie serve to oppose and challenge Greenwood's beliefs?
-Ellie holds beliefs that oppose Greenwood's. She accepts herself for who she is and is willing to be open and honest. These beliefs are in direct conflict with Greenwood's, creating tension and driving the story towards resolution.
What is the significance of the narrative structure used in the script, and how does it contribute to the story's drama?
-The narrative structure follows Dan Harmon's story circle, which breaks down the story into fundamental elements that create drama. This structure helps to focus on the character's journey, their desires, the challenges they face, and the transformation they undergo, making the story engaging and emotionally resonant.
How does the short film 'Stutterer' conclude, and what philosophical ideas does it confirm?
-The short film concludes with Greenwood realizing that Ellie is deaf. This revelation shifts Greenwood's beliefs as he learns to accept himself and Ellie for who they are. The film confirms philosophical ideas of self-acceptance, honesty, and risk-taking as the keys to overcoming personal obstacles and forming meaningful connections.
What is the role of Greenwood's father in the story, and how does he contribute to the philosophical conflict?
-Greenwood's father serves as a character who accepts him for who he is, representing a counterpoint to Greenwood's self-doubt. His acceptance adds to the philosophical conflict by showing Greenwood that he is capable of being loved and understood, which challenges his own negative beliefs about his stutter.
How does the script use the concept of 'unfamiliar situations' to challenge and develop the main character?
-The script places Greenwood in unfamiliar situations, such as the prospect of meeting Ellie in person, to challenge his beliefs and force him to confront his fears. These situations are crucial for character development, as they push Greenwood to adapt, change, and ultimately grow.
Outlines
🎬 Debunking Myths on Short Film Writing
This paragraph addresses common misconceptions about writing short films. It emphasizes that short films, despite their length, can be deeply meaningful and dramatic by focusing on fundamental story elements. The video aims to provide a clear understanding of crafting a strong dramatic narrative in a short film format. It also dispels the belief that short films don't require setup or that stunning visuals and concepts can compensate for a weak story.
🌟 Building a Strong Character and Conflict
The paragraph discusses the importance of establishing a strong main character and their beliefs to create a compelling story. It uses the example of a short film called 'Stutterer' to illustrate the process of developing a character with a philosophical conflict. The main character, Greenwood, who stutters, is used to demonstrate how a character's beliefs and desires can drive the narrative and engage the audience.
📌 Structuring the Narrative with Character Development
This section delves into the narrative structure of short films, emphasizing that they can follow the same fundamental story elements as feature films. The video uses Dan Harmon's story circle to structure the short film 'Stutterer', breaking down the story into four quarters and four points to create a dramatic arc. The paragraph explains how the main character Greenwood's journey from his comfort zone to facing an unfamiliar situation, adapting to it, and the consequences of his actions, can be effectively portrayed using this structure.
🎭 Analyzing the Storytelling Techniques in 'Stutterer'
The paragraph provides an analysis of the short film 'Stutterer', highlighting how the writer and director, Benjamin Cleary, effectively uses storytelling techniques to bring the character Greenwood's journey to life. It discusses the importance of establishing the main character's external problem, the development of the love interest Ellie, and the introduction of the father character to add depth to the philosophical conflict. The paragraph also explores how the film's scenes contribute to the emotional impact and the character's growth.
💡 Applying Fundamental Story Elements to Various Genres
In the concluding paragraph, the video reiterates the importance of understanding and applying the fundamental elements of story to create a strong narrative, regardless of the story's length or genre. It encourages writers to use the case study of 'Stutterer' as a framework for developing their own stories, emphasizing that a well-structured narrative with a clear philosophical conflict and character development can result in a powerful and resonant short film.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Short films
💡Dramatic narrative
💡Myths
💡Character development
💡Philosophical conflict
💡Narrative structure
💡Zone of comfort
💡Unfamiliar situation
💡Adaptation
💡Catharsis
💡External problem
Highlights
Debunking myths about short film writing, emphasizing that short films can be deeply meaningful and dramatic.
The importance of setup in short films, even when working with limited pages, to ensure audience engagement.
The misconception that stunning cinematography or cool concepts can compensate for a weak story in a short film.
Using the short film 'Stutterer' as an example to illustrate a good writing process for creating a strong dramatic narrative.
The process of finding an idea for a short film, starting with a simple concept and building upon it.
Developing the main character by understanding their beliefs and the philosophical dilemmas they face.
The significance of the character's desire and beliefs in driving the narrative of a short film.
Introducing a love interest character that adds depth to the story and contributes to the philosophical conflict.
Structuring the story using Dan Harmon's story circle, focusing on the fundamental elements of a dramatic story.
Explaining the eight points of the story circle and how they apply to short film narrative structure.
Creating an unfamiliar situation for the character that challenges their deeply held beliefs.
The character's journey of adapting to new situations and the resulting internal conflict.
The importance of a character's actions being challenged and coming at a cost in a drama.
The climax of the story where the character's beliefs are tested and the potential for transformation.
The resolution of the story, where the character returns to a familiar situation, ideally changed by their experiences.
Analyzing the actual implementation of the story elements in 'Stutterer' and how the writer brings these elements together.
The impact of the character's external flaw and internal limiting beliefs on the narrative.
Transcripts
so you're trying to write a short film
there's a lot of bad information out
there about writing short films when
people want to write movies one of the
common pieces of advice is watch movies
but that doesn't really work with short
films short films are their own breed
they are written and made for all
different reasons many times it's for a
director or cinematographer to show off
their ability or maybe the short is
really just an ad for something and
sometimes the writers seemingly abandon
what they know about writing dramatic
narratives when they go to write a short
film in this video I want to change all
of that I want to give you a clear
understanding of how you can write a
strong dramatic narrative in a short
film let's begin first off I want to
debunk a few myths surrounding writing
short films myth 1 short films are too
short to be deeply meaningful and
dramatic this is completely wrong short
films can absolutely be meaningful and
dramatic if you focus on building them
on fundamental story elements myth 2
there isn't enough time to set up the
story many writers believe they have to
skip having any set up in their short
film
because they only have a few pages to
work with this is not true setup is
necessary to a story even if you start
right in the middle of the action the
audience is going to need to know what's
going on who people are and why the
action is happening if they don't learn
these things quickly they will disengage
from the story myth 3 stunning
cinematography woody dialog and cool
concepts will create a good short film
even if the story isn't good this is
absolutely wrong yet I see this in short
films all the time even in a short film
the story is still the core element
audiences will always grow bored quickly
if there's no story at the core even if
the film looks gorgeous
however rather than simply showing you
an example and explaining why that
example works I want to take a short
film that already exists and
reconstructed from the ground up
like you would be doing when writing
your short
the short film I'm going to use is
stutterer now I want to make it clear
that I did not make this film this short
film was written and directed by
Benjamin Cleary I am using this short
film to build an example of a good
process you can adopt to create a short
film that has a strong dramatic
narrative stutterer is linked below but
this might actually work better if
you've never seen it before also and I'm
only going to say this once this is not
the only way to build a story or a short
film take what's helpful leave what
isn't this isn't a formula this is an
examination of why stories work to help
you write your own story the writer may
not have used this exact method to build
this short film however this process is
one that has been extremely beneficial
to me and hopefully will be beneficial
to you as well let's begin with finding
an idea ideas can be all sorts of things
they can be a scene a character a line
of dialogue a concept or a philosophical
idea that you want to examine for this
short film let's start with a very
simple idea the story is about a man who
stutters this is a good place to start
we now have a concept we don't have our
story yet but we have the beginning of
an idea now we can move on to building
our main character and what they believe
just like a longer form story a short
film needs philosophical ethical or
moral dilemmas this is why we become
invested in characters it's not about
their ability to solve problems or the
fact that they are in danger it's about
what the characters believe and the
actions they take because of those
beliefs that engage us with the story
it's good to start by building out the
main character the person that your
story will revolve around there may be
many characters in your story but
usually there will be one character that
pushes the story forward more than
anyone else in this story our main
character is a man who stutters his name
is Greenwood Greenwood stutter is an
external problem but this isn't where
the conflict of the story is we need to
give Greenwood some
Lys what does he believe about his
stutter that holds him back in life we
need to answer this question so we can
begin to build strong story conflict but
this is hard to figure out without
knowing what the character once and why
they want it so let's talk about what
Greenwood wants Greenwood wants to be in
love okay this is a start but let's go
deeper than that
Greenwood wants a deep intimate
relationship with someone this is a
strong desire now that we know what
Greenwood once we can talk more about
what he believes what beliefs does
Greenwood hold that will stop him from
getting what he wants we have the
characters want and this major external
obstacle we can use these together to
help build out Greenwoods philosophical
beliefs and the philosophical conflict
Greenwood believes that his stutter will
stop him from connecting deeply with
others he feels disconnected from the
world and believes his stutter will
always hold him back he is wallowing in
self-pity so now we have our central
character and the central idea behind
the story these are the guiding ideas of
almost every great dramatic story a
character struggling with their own
beliefs as they come into conflict with
the world now that we have an
understanding of what the story is about
philosophically we can begin building
the other characters in the story okay
so this is a love story
Greenwood wants to find a deep intimate
relationship so he needs a love interest
now we bring in Ellie Ellie is green
with love interest but she can't just be
the love interest why because that's not
what the story is about the story falls
flat if Ellie is simply the love
interest because then she wouldn't be
adding to the philosophical conflict
she should hold beliefs that oppose
Greenwoods Ellie accepts herself for who
she is Ellie is willing to be open and
honest Ellie is not wallowing in
self-pity these are the beliefs that
Greenwood must accept
and now Greenwood and Ellie's beliefs
are in conflict if this is the case then
we need to see proof of Ellie's
acceptance of these ideas Ellie needs to
have an external problem just like
Greenwood but we don't know what it is
yet we'll come back to this now we have
two major characters but let's add one
more Greenwoods father Greenwood
shouldn't have a father in the story for
no reason this character should also add
to the philosophical conflict Greenwood
now has evidence of someone in his life
that accepts him for who he is this is
how the father character adds to the
philosophical conflict so now we have
our concept our philosophical conflict
and our characters now we need to think
about how we can structure a story in a
way that is dramatic interesting and
pressures our main character in the best
way possible let's look at a narrative
structure short films aren't any more
difficult to write than feature films
however some people get confused because
they try to apply structural formulas
and rules that only work with
feature-length screenplays too short
films as a storyteller and writer you
should be focusing on the fundamental
elements of how a story works and that's
why I want to structure this short film
using Dan Harmon's story circle the
story circle is a great tool because it
isn't constricted by a certain length of
time rather than existing to hit certain
beats on certain pages of a feature film
the story circle focuses on the
fundamental elements of the story the
story circle breaks down into four
quarters and four points which create a
dramatic story number one the character
is in a zone of comfort number two but
they want something number three they
enter an unfamiliar situation number
four they adapt to it number five they
get what they wanted number six they pay
a heavy price for it number seven they
return to their familiar situation
number eight having changed
I've talked extensively about the story
circle in my previous videos because I
believe it is the best structural tool
for the screenwriter
because it moves away from screenwriting
formulas and focuses on the innate
natural elements of a dramatic story for
an in-depth look at the different ways
the story circle can be helpful to a
screenwriter check out my video on story
structure linked below so we already
have the first two points on the story
circle we have a character Greenwood and
we know what he wants to be in a deep
intimate relationship and we also know
what holds him back his beliefs about
his stutter now let's look at point
three we need to place Greenwood into an
unfamiliar situation this is where Ellie
fits in the unfamiliar situation needs
to specifically challenge Greenwoods
beliefs
this short film uses the fact that
Greenwood and Ellie have been chatting
online for six months and now Ellie is
in London and wants to meet this is a
great unfamiliar situation for Greenwood
to get what he wants it will mean
confronting his deeply held beliefs this
is a fantastic dilemma what will
Greenwood do so now we moved to for
Greenwood must adapt to this new
situation now that we know who Greenwood
is we understand how he would react at
first he simply doesn't want to respond
he wants to go on the date yet he
doesn't want to reveal that he has a
stutter he wants connection but feels
completely constricted now let's move to
five the character gets what they want
Greenwood should decide to meet this is
what he wants no matter how scared he is
he does want this so he takes a chance
[Music]
by some chance still want to meet me I'd
love to meet you
however at 6:00 Greenwood will pay for
this one of the biggest important
elements of a good drama is that
characters action must be challenged
characters heading towards what they
want or getting what they want should
always come at a cost
this keeps the conflict heightened and
the story moving forward so Ellie will
agree to meet because this is who she is
she is one who has accepted herself and
is willing to take a chance however now
that Ellie has agreed to meet Greenwoods
walls are going to have to come down he
won't be able to hide now we go to seven
return to a familiar situation so this
is where a lot of people get caught up
they are confused as to what the return
is sometimes it can be a little will
return to a place sometimes it can be a
return to the balance before the
conflict began and that's what I want to
focus on here the return is bringing the
philosophical conflict to its breaking
point and reaching catharsis Greenwood
must go to meet Ellie this is the
biggest challenge to his beliefs
if this goes poorly he will retreat back
into his old beliefs however if it goes
well then he may become a changed person
if the goal is to push the drama as hard
as we can then it must seem like there's
no way this can go well and then when it
does go well the audience is relieved
and experiences catharsis not just
because a date went well but because the
philosophical ideas of self-acceptance
honesty and risk-taking are confirmed by
the story so now we need to build our
ending remember when we were building
the character of Ellie we never gave her
an external obstacle that she has
already conquered to show her
philosophical beliefs so let's do that
now when Greenwood goes to the date he
must realize that Ellie is someone who
has her own problems yet has accepted
herself and is willing to be honest and
because this is a love story and we want
the ending to resonate Ellie's external
problem should complement Greenwoods
external problem as if they were made to
be together
so if Greenwood can't speak then maybe
Ellie shouldn't be able to hear and this
is how this short film builds attending
Greenwood can't speak but he realizes
that Ellie is deaf and then at number 8
Greenwood has changed being honest and
taking a risk worked in his favor he
will accept Ellie for who she is and she
will do the same for him green woods
beliefs have radically shifted so now we
have the core of the story but this
isn't everything
we haven't actually written it out
figured out dialogue made stylistic
choices and so on but this is our
foundation everything that comes after
this point will be built on a strong
foundation because the core elements of
a dramatic story are here now was this
easier than what the story building
process is actually like yes of course
having the finished product and being
able to work backwards is always easier
when ideas come to us they are usually
messier than this and your story will go
through multiple drafts however I wanted
to do this so that you have a framework
that helps you get through the hard work
of building the core of your story now
that we have the core I want to do some
analysis on how Benjamin Cleary the
writer and director actually brings
these elements together hello that can
you hear me
so the first thing we see in here is a
man with a stutter struggling to speak
on the phone hi my name is Greenwood
thirty seconds into the short we know
who our main character is we know his
name and we know his major external
problem already from this we can assume
that his stutter is something that he
feels holds him back in life then we see
Greenwood practicing sign language this
further shows us that his stutter is a
major element in his life that he wants
to overcome it also becomes part of his
character and a bit of setup for the end
of the story when he finally meets Ellie
one minute into the short we see
Greenwood on hold with a company we can
see that Greenwood fears these
situations that many people would
consider easy and that his stutter seems
to be constantly on his mind thank you
for holding your call is important to us
now we go to the scene where Greenwood
messages back and forth with Ellie again
this isn't just because Greenwood needs
a love interest this accomplishes two
major things one it shows us that Ellie
and Greenwood have been in an online
relationship for six months and two it
shows us that Greenwood wants to be with
this girl in real life whether he is
consciously thinking about it or not in
the next scene we see the Greenwood is a
typographer which doesn't really add to
or take away from the core of the story
it's more of a stylistic choice then we
go to this snap judgment scene snap
judgment 1224 which happens a couple
more times over the course of the short
these sorts of moments are where you as
the writer begin to decide how you want
your story to feel moments like these
are character moments where we stop and
learn about Greenwood now we meet
Greenwoods father Greenwood tells an
interesting quote to his father the way
his father reacts after Greenwood
recites the quote tells us a lot about
who this man is
I like that one we see that he accepts
Greenwood he is not judging him or angry
with him for having a stutter he simply
accepts him and like I explained before
this is his philosophical role in the
story this also shows that it is not
enough that Greenwoods father accepts
Greenwood for who he is
Greenwood must learn to accept himself
this is also the first time we sit with
Greenwood as he says a full sentence
this scene helps us empathize and
understand how difficult it can be for
him to speak mmm
musics pleasure the human soul it
experiences from hunting now we enter
the unfamiliar situation Ellie asks to
meet in person let's talk about why this
moment works when Greenwood reads this
message he gets scared and we get scared
for him as the audience the fear and the
audience's mind isn't it's going to be
hard for him to speak on the date the
fear in the audience's mind is she won't
want to be with him after she realizes
that he has a stutter and those two are
very different things one is simply
about an external problem
the second is about what Greenwood and
the audience believe do you see the
difference that difference is everything
if you don't nail that no one will care
about your story
no one will care about simple external
obstacles they only care about how your
characters beliefs come into conflict in
the story so now we go to another scene
with green woods father talking on the
phone with a company from the beginning
[Music]
this adds to the shame that Greenwood
feels if he can't even operate as an
independent person then how can he
function in a relationship the internal
voice he uses to judge other people
exists because he judges himself
Greenwood decides to follow his current
beliefs he tries to find a way to skip
meeting with Ellie okay hey oh sorry
only getting back to you now amazing
that you're in London I'd love to meet
with you but the thing is my bloody
cousins are visiting and my but then
Greenwood makes a decision he decides to
meet with Ellie
he quickly writes a message and hit Send
this is his biggest move towards getting
what he wants eight minutes into the
short Greenwood tries to break up an
intense argument between a couple and
gets beaten up for it this shows us
another moment of how his stutter holds
him back in different situations
now Greenwood does one of his snap
judgments on himself and in this scene
he states the philosophical conflict
that has been at the center for the
entire story snap judgment 1226
reclusive typographer invisible to the
naked eye communication skills in an
infant Excel was in the art of self-pity
and then Ellie finally responds and is
still willing to meet with Greenwood
which is exactly what Greenwood wants
and also the scariest thing that could
happen
Greenwood prepares for the date this is
where the short film ties in a scene
where Greenwood gets beaten listen to
Greenwoods thoughts she feels like a
first date I know this is a cosmetic
surgery oh yes we had a little bit of
work on Greenwood is still trying to
cling on to his old beliefs he is still
trying to think up a convenient lie
rather than be honest this adds to the
conflict as Greenwood heads to the date
and then the climax
Ellie is deaf which isn't just a reveal
for the sake of being a reveal this
reveal has a major impact on the
philosophical console
in the story that's what makes the
reveal impactful Greenwoods external
problem isn't a problem at all he is
able to be honest with her about his
stutter she will accept him for who he
is and he will do the same for her in
every scene of this short film Greenwood
is dealing with his external flaw and
his internal limiting beliefs sometimes
that conflict feels big like trying to
intervene in the couple's argument
sometimes that conflict feels small like
Greenwood sitting by himself thinking
either way Greenwood is constantly being
pressed by what he believes and how
those beliefs shape his life this is a
fantastic short film it has strong
philosophical conflict good structure
and an ending that works perfectly while
this is a case study there's a lot of
elements that you can apply to stories
that are not in this genre when you look
back at the process we covered hopefully
you can see how these ideas can work
with all sorts of stories with all sorts
of lengths and genres and by
understanding those fundamental elements
of story you can write your short film
as a strong narrative drama hello I hope
you liked the video for an in-depth dive
at the different concepts I've covered
in this video I recommend you check out
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for watching
[Music]
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