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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    Screenwriting Discussion    Screenwriting Class  ›  The Point of a Short Moderators: George Willson
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DanBall
Posted: May 29th, 2013, 11:38am Report to Moderator
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Most of the shorts I read seem to involve a setup and a payoff, rather than being an actual narrative. When I write a short, I try to cram the hero's journey into 8-15 pages.

Is that wrong, unique, or equally-viable?


"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."

THE PINBALL WARRIOR (scifi, WIP, ~30 pg.)
A STAND AGAINST EVIL (short, 9 pg.)
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Reef Dreamer
Posted: May 29th, 2013, 3:59pm Report to Moderator
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To me shorts are different, yet parallels can be made.

Shorts need a twist, or they 'can' lack. If you have only 5/8 pages you don't have much time to set up, hence why the reversal is key.

You can have an a tonal thing, arty type - does that work for most, I'm not sure.

But I do believe in there being a balance, a flow.  So whilst it doesn't always need a start, a middle and an end, if does need change.

The best tip I can give is the stand back approach. It's simple really...

Do you thinks its good?

Do you think it works?

Does it surprise you?

Does it make you think about it after reading?

If none of the above, think again.


My scripts  HERE

The Elevator Most Belonging To Alice - Semi Final Bluecat, Runner Up Nashville
Inner Journey - Page Awards Finalist - Bluecat semi final
Grieving Spell - winner - London Film Awards.  Third - Honolulu
Ultimate Weapon - Fresh Voices - second place
IMDb link... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7062725/?ref_=tt_ov_wr
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Eoin
Posted: May 29th, 2013, 4:16pm Report to Moderator
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I think the point of a short should be about - a simple story, well told. Some of the best ones I have read usually have an emotive quality.
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dogglebe
Posted: May 29th, 2013, 5:31pm Report to Moderator
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Shorts are just that... short stories formatted in screenplay form.  I've seen feature scripts that should've been written as shorts.

You can only pad a script so much.


Phil
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AmbitionIsKey
Posted: May 31st, 2013, 2:41pm Report to Moderator
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I personally think the point of all screenplays are to tell a story.  And a short is the exact same thing, just done in less pages.

I think shorts need to be interesting to get a reader's attention, since they lack the page-count of say a feature.  Therefore, you need to reel in an audience sooner and keep their attention.  So the story must be entertaining or interesting,

But overall to me the point of a short is to tell a story, like all screenplays, it just has to be done much more effectively.

-- Curt


"No matter what you do, your job is to tell your story..."

Short scripts

GONE
(6 pages, drama/thriller)
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DanBall
Posted: May 31st, 2013, 4:21pm Report to Moderator
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Okay, I think I'm still on the right track. I'm trying to write a quick little tale, like something from 1001 Arabian Nights, set in modern day. Those stories are super short, so I figure it's good short film fodder.


"I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called 'Max'."

THE PINBALL WARRIOR (scifi, WIP, ~30 pg.)
A STAND AGAINST EVIL (short, 9 pg.)
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