Writing short film scripts

Given that short films are supposed to be a good entry point for screenwriters there seems to be relatively little advice about writing short film scripts. On his blog, screenwriter writer John August offers his own suggestions as well as a free download of his own short film script, God.

The hero’s fundamental problem/challenge/obstacle needs to occur by the time you get to the 1/3rd mark. So, if your short is meant to be three minutes long, the big event needs to happen on page one. If it’s a 10-minute short, it happens around page three. It’s not that you’re worried about your reader getting bored before then — if you can’t entertain us for three pages, there’s a problem — but rather that if you delay any longer, your story is going to feel lopsided: too much setup for what was accomplished.

Here's some other short film scriptwriting advice, from the BBC Writersroom and The Times.