If you are screenwriting or a TV writer, creating a piece for a short movie is an exciting affair for anyone in the field. Short movies do not imply they are a lesser-known form of storytelling in Cinema. Writing needs the same levels of skills, like writing for a full-length feature film but on a shorter length scale. The opportunities for TV broadcasting may be restricted; however, today’s scope of more outlets is increasing.
Roger Wolfson – How can you create an outstanding short movie?
Roger Wolfson is a prominent TV writer, speechwriter, screenwriter, and an activist for animal rights. He has been the Vice President for Channel One News and has been associated in the fields of entertainment, law, and politics. He has been on the staff of four US Senators. He has worked as a Civil Rights Attorney and has established his own strategic consulting firm.
Key rules to keep in mind when writing for a short movie on the screen
When it comes to writing for short movies, he says that you should keep its length short. If the movie is short, its production costs are less. Modern technology indeed helps filmmakers a lot, but in this industry, time costs money. Moreover, the longer the movie is, the more you need to cater to the crew’s food needs.
Again, the movie should not be wrapped up too fast as this will appear amateurish. Short movies are screened at film festivals. It should be of the right duration. The writing you should do here should be about 7 to 8 pages long. In case the writing is longer, it takes up a longer slot, and the short movie cannot be screened at the festival.
The trick here is to create the right emotions in your script in just a few minutes.
Be Practical when you are writing the script for a short movie
When you are writing for a short movie, you need to consider all the practicalities of scriptwriting. For instance, some scripts have car crashes and chase scenes. Writers fail to understand that such scenes take a long time to shoot. When you are writing for a short movie, you actually need to take into account every line you write.
You should be aware of what you put down on paper with its costs and implications. Though galloping horses’ thought does look amazing in your imagination, you need to consider the modest resources you have at your disposal. This is why you need to think small when you are writing for a short movie.
Roger Wolfson believes that good screenwriting for a short movie is to show and not tell the audience. You need to use the right words to tell a story. A good writer for movies is an amazing storyteller and should have a good visual imagination. You should always keep this at the back of your mind when you are writing a script for a short movie.
