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FilmSkool — a free film school

How to write a short film: Episode 14 - The Dan Harmon Story Circle

Dan Harmon’s eight-step circle, worked through for a short. A useful counterweight to three acts because it is a cycle rather than a runway.

Anthony Hett · 4 min · Intermediate · SCR · Screenwriting · 2021

What you take away

The circle asks what changes, which is the only structural question a short has room for.

Watch it

Filed under

Oscar winners for screenplay

Books on screenwriting

Making Short Films — Clifford Thurlow
The Screenwriter’s Workbook — Syd Field
The Screenwriter’s Bible — David Trottier
Crafty Screenwriting — Alex Epstein
Story — Robert McKee
Screenwriting Tips, You Hack — Xander Bennett

Kit for this lesson

Canon EOS R6 Mark II — The affordable full-frame RF hybrid
Nikon Z6 III — Partially stacked sensor, N-RAW internal
Fujifilm X-H2S — Stacked APS-C, F-Log2, open gate 6.2K
Fujifilm X-S20 — Small, cheap, 6.2K open gate
Sony a6700 — APS-C hybrid, a first serious camera
Rode NT1 5th Generation — Studio condenser for ADR and voice-over

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THR Writer Roundtable: Chloe Domont, Andrew Haigh, Cord Jefferson, Tony McNamara, Eric Roth & More — The Hollywood Reporter · 40m · Advanced
12 Stages Of The Hero's Journey (Narrated By Christopher Vogler) — Film Courage · 23m · Beginner
Pedro Almodóvar | BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series — BAFTA Guru · 60m · Advanced
Céline Sciamma | BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series — BAFTA Guru · 55m · Advanced
Essential Skill Sets Screenwriters Need To Write Professionally - Corey Mandell [FULL INTERVIEW] — Film Courage · 75m · Intermediate
How to write amazing endings for your film. — Standard Story Company · 11m · Intermediate
Mike Leigh | BAFTA Screenwriters' Lecture Series — BAFTA · 62m · Advanced
Writing Subtext — The Secret to Writing What's Under the Surface — StudioBinder · 22m · Intermediate
Anatomy Of Story - Television Edition: The Complete Film Courage Interview with John Truby — Film Courage · 55m · Intermediate

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