Stages of film production

Click on writing to view it the font bigger.
http://www.inspiredfilmandvideo.co.uk/content/stages-of-production

7 rules for writing a short film

1. The shorter the better 
The script for the film should be as short as possible so its less costly to produce. Digital technology fees up filmmakers. It has to be cheap but shouldn't look too cheap. If you want to get a short film into a festival then you should keep it to no more than 10 minutes which is usually 7-8 pages maximum. This is because if a short film is longer, it will eat up a longer slot and festivals love to play as many shots as possible. You can create emotion in just a few minutes. For example Sebastian's short film 'Voodoo' is a 4 minutes and is about a voodoo doll who must pierce his own heart to save his friend from being impaled. It creates a heartbreaking emotion for the audience.

2 .Keep the practicalities of writing in mind
You should choose locations that are interesting, yet practical, think of access and control and avoid remote locations requiring driving for miles. Don't create a script that is going to be time consuming. If you have access to modest resources think small.

3. Make it visual
Film is about telling stories in pictures, without too much script. Creating visual back stories for your characters makes it more better. 

4. 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. For example a conflict that has to be resolved, where there is a dilemma at stake and a choice the protagonist has to make. It is good to add a deadline or ticking clock. It is not necessary but it will add some tension to the short film.



5. Tell a story
A compelling story is a good way to engage the audience. Short films are an opportunity to push the boundaries of what cinematic storytelling can do, for example making the audience emotional. A short film should have a hero with a goal and an obstacle/antagonist in the way. For example in 'I love Sarah Jane it shows a bunch of teenagers in a ghost town where adults have turned into zombies, yet at the core it is a love story about a young boy who cant reach through to the older girl he loves.






6. Engage the reader
Since there's so little time to make an impression the impact of page one is crucial. It is important to hook the reader in the first 10 pages of a feature length script. The ending is also essential as its rare to truly feel moved at the end of a short, so it needs to be meaningful and a satisfying ending.


7. Beware of cliches 
Avoid stereotypes unless you have a fresh viewpoint on them. In the Descendant, a couple of bewildered hit men actually have to kill a seemingly cute little boy and one of them gets cold feet until he realizes that the child is a supernatural being who terrifies his mother.

Therefore by watching lots of short films you get ideas on how to make your own one.


http://www.raindance.org/7-rules-for-writing-short-films/

The history of short films

The history of short films:

The first films were presented to the public in 1894 through Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope, a device that allows individual viewing at one time, examples include on current affairs and scenes from everyday life. 

  

Short films began in 1910 in America, most of the films were comedy.
Improvements in recording and editing technology allowed filmmakers to produce longer films. 

From 1910 and onwards, studio competition and audience demand persuaded filmmakers to make even longer, multi-reel films and the first feature film was made at this time. 

However, by 1955 were on the rise again because of a famous comedian Charlie Chaplin who people enjoyed watching. 



Pixar and Disney have made a couple of short films in the recent times such as 'For the bird's', 'Geri's game' and 'The lamp'.

In the UK television has been central to the success of short films like Wallace and Gromit which reached popularity. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-life/7593291/The-long-history-of-short-films.html

-This is a reliable post from a journalist for the Telegraph news.

What is a short film?

• A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film.
• The Academy of motion pictures art and sciences defines a short film as " An original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less." 
• Short films can be professional or or amateur productions.
• Short films are often screened at local, national or international film festivals.
• Short films are often made by independent film makers non profit, either with a low budget, no budget at all, and in rare cases big budgets. 
• Short films are usually funded by film grants, non profit organisations, sponsor, or out of pocket funds. 
• These films are used by indie filmmakers to prove their talent in order to gain funding for future films from private investors, entertainment companies, or film studios.
• Short films qualify for Academy Awards if screened in Los Angeles.

A short film script can be a great calling card for a writer. Writing them requires the same skills as writing a feature length script, though on a small scale. TV broadcast opportunities may be limited, but there are more outlets for these opportunity such as posting it online for example YouTube.
IndieWire: " Shorts used to be this artsy thing. But now there really is this explosion in film making, With all this new technology, short films have a lot more interest among regular people, because so many people are making them and putting them on the web. Suddenly, we're not explaining short films to people. Everybody's seen one".

Secondary research from books

Short film:
Definition-
A brief film of between 5 and 30 minuites which deals with a particular film. In the hollywood studios of the 1930's to 1950's, a short film was a cartoon which ran between 6 to 7 minuets.
Channel 4 in Britain has commissioned a great many short features.
Source: The complete A-Z media and communication handbook- Stuart price

Previewing allows studios to 'road test' their film before releasing it. Bad previews can lead a film to drastically altered. for example Blade Runner (1982) had a voice over added and a new ending tacked on.
Source: Media institutions and audiences key concepts in media studies- Nick Lacey