6 things you need to know
about making a short film
1 The Script
The most important thing about your short
film is the story. It drives everything, so it’s
important to make that work on the page before
it can work on the screen. Here’s a great way to
approach writing your story.
2 Cinematography
Film is a visual medium – you need
to get visuals that tell your story.
It’s all about getting great coverage
- footage that covers the action
in each scene.
3
Sound
You might have amazing footage,
but if the sound
is bad it won’t work.
• Use an external microphone
to get clear dialogue.
4 The Crew
To make a great film, you need a
great team. Here’s some of the
roles you might have.
• WRITER: They construct the
story and get it down on paper.
5
Editing
Once you’ve finished
shooting, it’s time to
assemble your story.
6 Acting
Your actors are the people that your story is
told through, so they need to be engaging and
believable.
• Know the story you’re telling
– read through your script and
ask questions.
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A STORY IS A CHARACTER DOING SOMETHING RISKY
TO GET WHAT THEY WANT
• CHARACTER: People are engaged by characters,
your story should revolve around them.
• DOING SOMETHING: Good characters don’t wait
for things to happen to them, they take action.
• RISKY: What could go wrong? How can you create
tension and drama?
• WANT: Every character needs a clear goal, and
everything they do should be in pursuit of it.
• Run each character closeup for the
whole scene – don’t just get their dialogue,
get their reactions.
• Shots with movement are hard to get right.
If you’re starting out, think of it like shooting
photos – for each shot you’re getting, keep the
camera still.
• Get a master shot of the whole scene, then
closeups of each character, then closeups of
any key actions.
• DIRECTOR: They decide how to best shoot
the script, and communicate that to the rest
of the team.
• PRODUCER: They organise the shoot,
and make sure the film gets made.
• CINEMATOGRAPHER: They’re responsible for
the visuals.
• SOUND RECORDIST: They make sure clear
dialogue is recorded.
• Start by getting the action in sequence.
• Try starting with your master shot and
replacing appropriate parts with your closeups.
• Remember the 5 W’s – WHO, WHAT, WHY,
WHERE and WHEN.
• Engage your imagination – this is crucial
to your acting – ask yourself, if this was really
happening, how would I respond? Avoid
‘indicating’ to your audience –
this usually comes off as bad acting.
• Always be thinking – how you react when
another actor is talking is just as important as
when you’re doing the talking.
• Get as much coverage as
you can – decide how to
use it when you edit.
• Block the scene first –
figure out who
goes where.
• Concentrate on recording clear dialogue while
you’re shooting – you can add sound effects
and background noise later.
• Get a wild track (a recording of nothing but the
background noise) everywhere you shoot, use it
to paste over problems when you edit.
• When you edit, add sound effects and music,
but watch your levels to make sure the
dialogue is always the clearest thing the
audience can hear.
• PRODUCTION DESIGNER: They deal with all the
sets, props, and costumes.
• CONTINUITY: They make sure the action stays
the same between takes and shots.
• Remember you don’t have to keep it like you shot
it – experiment wildly to see what works best.
• Pace is crucial – find ways to cut your film as
short as possible. Remove needless pauses
between lines of dialogue, and try jumping
ahead in the action where it’s feeling slow.
• When you’re ready, export an MPEG4 to upload
it to a website.
• Find out what shot size
you’re in, check your
continuity and never
look at the camera
(unless you’re meant to)!
• Don’t stop acting until you
hear CUT. Even if something
goes wrong, just keep going.