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FilmSkool — a free film school

How to Write a Short Film

Tyler Mowery breaks down the structural DNA of a short film versus a feature, focused on economy of scenes and character. Useful for writers coming from feature screenwriting who keep instinctively over-plotting their shorts.

Tyler Mowery · 13 min · Intermediate · SCR · Screenwriting · 2019

What you take away

A short film should revolve around a single dramatic question, not a plot with subplots.

Watch it

Filed under

Oscar winners for screenplay

Books on screenwriting

Making Short Films — Clifford Thurlow
Crafty Screenwriting — Alex Epstein
Inside Story — Dara Marks
The Screenwriter’s Bible — David Trottier
The Coffee Break Screenwriter — Pilar Alessandra
The Anatomy of Story — John Truby

Kit for this lesson

Panasonic LUMIX S5 IIX — The S5 II with raw out and ProRes internal
Sony a7 IV — The all-round full-frame hybrid
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
Rode Boompole Pro — Carbon fibre, internal cable

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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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