Jasmine Draper

Senior Project

Research Paper

April 2019

What it Takes to Make a Short Film

Making a short film takes a lot more work than most people would think. Before

doing anything else, it is important to be realistic and look at the equipment and experience one

has and understand that if it is your first or second time making one, it is not going to be very

good. Before starting the film, set goals on how you want things to go while making your film

and try to stick to those plans so you don’t get overwhelmed and feel as if you failed when the

film doesn’t come out perfect. The best film makers are more concerned about telling their story

rather than how good the movie actually looks.

People tend to want to jump right into making their movie because of how excited they

are about their new project, but the script is obviously crucial and needs to have time spent on it.

Make sure to not rush through the script. Write a script that is short and concise so viewers don’t

get bored. After the script is done, work on shot design. Draw out each scene as you would see it

through the camera. If you do detailed shot design, you will be able to get through filming a lot

easier and quicker.

The better quality you want the film to have, the more money it will cost to produce. If it

is a project that isn’t sponsored and you have to fund it on your own, then you will need to reach

out to everyone you can. Use every social media platform that you have such as Facebook,

Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. in order to get the message out their and tell people that you
need money. Those who choose to donate to your project will want to know what their money is

going towards. Make sure to have a detailed description of your film available. You’re also

going to have to budget and decide what resources you will need and an estimate of how much it

will all cost. The materials you will be purchasing should also be included when you are trying to

fund your project. A good thing to try to raise money is crowd funding. With crowd funding, one

usually promises their donors something in return. For a film you could make T-shirts, stickers,

DVD copies, pins, etc. and give them to your donors based on how much they choose to donate.

It can be a good way to raise money and get people involved with your project as well.

Another very important step is getting actors for your film. It is difficult to do so when

you don’t have funds to pay them, but the acting is going to be what makes the difference in your

movie. Many people like to reach out to their friends and family who are “good” actors or took a

theatre class in high school, but those people should be your last resort. A good way to find

actors who are willing to do the project for free are actors who want to improve and gain

experience. Some ways to find people like this are reaching out to high schools, universities,

theatre companies, etc. you can also pay for an ad in the paper and post on all your social media

to see if you can get lucky and run into someone good. Don’t settle. Don’t use the first actor you

find. Give yourself enough time to search for actors and have as many auditions as possible. The

main actor will make or break the movie, therefore, it is okay to be picky when it comes to

casting. A few things to consider when you are considering an actor are:

● How they carry themselves

● Can they work well with you?

● Can you work well with them?

 ● Are they willing to adapt?

● Can they work well with the other actors/crew?

Also keep in mind that chemistry between actors who will be interacting with each other a lot in

the movie is important. Take the time to get different people auditioning together and do

readings to see how well they work together.

In short films, the dialogue is often times not long enough to convey the whole message.

Visuals are extremely important and can give the film the themes and metaphors it needs to get

to the audience like you would want it to. If the film is a project for school, or anything else that

isn’t a very big deal, you probably won’t have the gear you’d need to make it look very good.

Work with what you have, but make sure to focus on doing everything you can to make it look as

good as possible. Make sure to look into the lenses and keep your scenes in mind and how you

will film them. Lighting is also important and sets the tone of each scene. Think of how you want

your audience to feel when they watch a scene and set the lighting according to that. Use every

or any resource you have to set the tone. Make sure you do research on camera work and

movement. Some good things to consider with camera work are:

● What’s going on in the scene?

● It is a long dialogue? If so consider doing close ups and cutting from person to

person more often

● If there is not much talking and there is more movement, then consider less

cutting and having a more hand held work and a continuous scene

Also make sure to pay attention to the audio. Poor audio is a very obvious thing for viewers to

notice and can be frustrating to those who are watching as well. Get familiar with the
microphone you are using and make sure that every scene is set up so it will work with the

microphones you have.

It is hard to keep people interested and cliches are not the way to go. It may be hard to

avoid certain trends or cliches, but try to keep them to an absolute minimum. Most people have

seen hundreds if not thousands of movies or tv shows. Make your story unique to pull your

audience in. Also try to keep things at somewhat of a fast pace. Don’t rush things, but you also

don’t have time for long scenes with no dialogue like you maybe would in a full length feature

film. Make sure every scene you add in the film has meaning to it and get to the point. That

makes a better lasting impression.

Treat your cast and crew well. You want them to like and respect you. Making sure your

cast likes you will make it more likely for them to want to put effort in and help make this film

good for you. Because they are doing it for free and it is a big commitment. Make sure some of

your budget goes towards buying things to please your crew. Drinks and food on set is important

and will keep people happy.

Last but not least, editing. Editing can make films so much better or significantly worse.

Don’t be afraid to cut parts that you think are unnecessary or drag on too long. It’s better to make

it shorter and better rather than longer and boring. The viewers will not be impressed with a short

film that lacks meaning.

Sources

“9 Tips for Filmmakers Struggling to Make Their Short Film.” ​ScreenCraft​, 11 Feb.

2016, screencraft.org/2016/01/22/9-tips-for-filmmakers-making-their-short-film/.
“How to Make a Short Film with Practically No Budget!” ​Film Connection Film Institute,​

www.filmconnection.com/reference-library/film-entrepreneurs/short-film-no-budget/.

New York Film Academy. “Gain Film Experience: How to Make A Short Film.” ​Student

Resources,​ 27 Aug. 2018, www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-to-make-short-film/.

“Writing Short Films: 7 Rules Successful Filmmakers Follow.” ​Raindance​, 18 Apr. 2019,

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