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FilmSkool — a free film school

How to Write Short Films that WORK.

Focuses on diagnosing whether a premise is actually shaped correctly for the short film form before you waste pages writing it. A useful gut-check video for writers who keep finishing shorts that feel unsatisfying without knowing why.

Standard Story Company · 13 min · Intermediate · SCR · Screenwriting · 2024

What you take away

A short film idea works when it's built around a single moment of change — if you can't identify that moment, the idea isn't ready.

Watch it

Filed under

Oscar winners for screenplay

Books on screenwriting

Making Short Films — Clifford Thurlow
Writing Short Films — Linda J. Cowgill
The Anatomy of Story — John Truby
The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters — Karl Iglesias
Which Lie Did I Tell? — William Goldman
The Screenwriter’s Workbook — Syd Field

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

More Screenwriting

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Screenwriting Plot Structure Masterclass - Michael Hauge [FULL INTERVIEW] — Film Courage · 68m · Intermediate
Anatomy Of Story - John Truby [FULL INTERVIEW] — Film Courage · 60m · Intermediate
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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