For example, maybe you use a childhood memory of going to the dentist as inspiration, where the dentist is actually a serial killer with a drill. You can also try taking a familiar film concept, such as someone finding a dead body on the beach, and make it strange. For example, maybe the person finds a dead alien on the beach.
For example, you may focus on a theme like “identity” by thinking about your parents’ experiences growing up poor and Black in a bad neighborhood. Or you may focus on a theme like “friendship” by thinking about a friendship between a young person and an older person.
For example, you may have a main character who is a young boy struggling to succeed in high school and deal with an alcoholic father. Or you may have a main character who is an alien trying to find their way back to their home planet.
Set up: This is where you outline the setting, the protagonist, and their conflict. For example, a young boy struggles to fit in at school and deal with an alcoholic father at home. Inciting incident: This is an event that changes the course of the protagonist’s life. For example, the young boy meets his new neighbor, an older boy who is a senior at his high school. Rising action: This is where you develop your characters and their relationships. For example, the two boys bond by hanging out in their neighborhood. They become best friends. Climax: This is the high point, where the most drama occurs. For example, the alcoholic father confronts the older boy, and they get in a physical fight. Falling action: This is where your protagonist deals with the climax. For example, the younger boy kills his father to save the older boy. Resolution: This is where your protagonist resolves their conflict and succeeds or fails in getting what they want. For example, the boys bury the father’s body and swear to tell no one what happened.
Stutterer by Ben Cleary. [5] X Research source Controller by Saman Kash. [6] X Research source Cargo by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke. [7] X Research source Prego by Usher Morgan. [8] X Research source
For example, you may start your short film with a shot of the alien crash landing onto a beach next to a family who is sunbathing. This is an interesting image that will make the viewer wonder what happens next.
For example, you open with a scene involving the main character leaving the house and going to school. You may show them dealing with their alcoholic father and with bullies at school to establish the conflict.
For example, you may have one central location, like a high school, and a secondary location, like your main character’s bedroom. You may also have only one main character, with one or two secondary characters. Or you may have two main characters and no secondary characters at all.
For example, you may write a horror short film where the main character is in love with a zombie during a zombie apocalypse. Or you may write a coming-of-age short film where the main character bonds with a young alien who has crash landed on the beach.
For example, you describe a setting as “a busy day at the beach, with families playing in the sand by the shore. " Or you may describe a person as “a green alien wearing a fanny pack. "
For example, you may write, “Rhonda SLURPS her milkshake” or “The zombie GURGLES in bed. ”
For example, you may have a main character who is shy and only communicates with one word answers. Or you may have a main character who only speaks to their pet turtle and is silent around other characters, communicating instead through action.
For example, you may start with a scene showing two boys burying an older man in a grave in the woods. You may then work backwards to show how they got there. Make sure your structure is not confusing or unclear to viewers. Your experimentation should never come at the expense of the story. It should add to the story, rather than distract from it.
For example, you may have an ending where it turns out the mother paid the older boy to help the younger boy kill his father.
You can also do a live read through of the script to help polish it. Ask friends to play certain characters and voice the dialogue. Have actors come in and voice the dialogue to see how it sounds.
If you know anyone who has written screenplays before or worked in film, ask them to read the screenplay as well.
The slugline: This appears in ALL CAPS at the beginning of each scene and explains the location and time of day. INT is used in the slugline if the scene is interior, or indoors, and EXT is used if the scene is exterior, or outdoors. For example: “INT. HOUSE - NIGHT” or “EXT. ROAD - DAY. ” Transitions: These show how the camera is moving from scene to scene. They appear in ALL CAPS. Common transitions include FADE IN, FADE OUT, CUT TO, and DISSOLVE TO. Character names: Your character names always appear in ALL CAPS in the screenplay. For example, “MONICA walks down the street” or “PAUL shuts the bedroom door. ” You can find more detailed formatting information at Write a Screenplay.
For example, the short film Stutterer focuses on a man who has a bad stutter. The short film Prego focuses on a woman who deals with an unplanned pregnancy.
If you are acting as the producer, you can apply for grants through your local government or arts council to help get the money to make the movie. You can also ask friends and family members to donate money to the production so you can get it made.
