The Secret Sauce for Writing Short Films

When the script man has MS paint open, you know he's cooking

A lot of this is applicable to short stories too! Too often, instead of simplifying and narrowing, people just try to cram a full 3 act epic into 5000 words. Great work, man.

And then it hits you. He probably had 6-10 pieces of advice for making short films, all the mistakes he made and how to avoid them. 20-30 minutes of analysis and insight that most of us would probably watch. But the medium is the message.

I saw the thumbnail in the preview notification and deadass thought it just said, “Don’t.”

this is why I enjoy the humble novella: not as sprawling and girthy as a novel, but typically more thicc with engaging concepts than a short story

Bro you SPITTIN. I’m making a shit ton of shorts on webtoon to practice getting the flow of creating on paper and releasing to hold myself accountable. I realize most people try to bite off WAY more we can chew, so to anyone I think it’s great practice. I’d almost say it’s like practicing your fundamentals in art, before actually making fully fleshed out content!

this made me realize why all of my project ideas end up becoming fully fledged stories. because i’m trying to dissect every aspect when i really don’t need to

just realised i'm diagnosed with quentin tarantino wannabe syndrome

>didn't slide down the slide >tremendous lack of payoff >just sitting there talking >no explosions >3/10 use of setting Jk I've been having similar thoughts this last year, so glad to see you make a video about this. Succinct and very well-communicated. Excellent work, man.

Did anyone else catch that ancientscriptman Saul cosplay in front of the courthouse? I cried. Incredible lore

I think a lot of this is applicable to D&D/TTRPGs as well. People want to create these highly complex multi-year epic campaigns, but the typical group lasts maybe a few months before half the players have cycled out or it fizzles out entirely—and even if the group gets through the whole thing, most players struggle to remember 90% of the detail & nuance. Instead, consider a string of short discrete adventures, each no longer than a session or two, each laser-focused on one idea you find fun or interesting. One adventure can focus on some high concept. Another can be as simple as “what if they go on an underwater quest”? As players progress, their affinity for their characters will organically create a sense of continuity, which can be seeds for other adventures (“What if the kleptomaniac thief has to choose between $10,000,000 or their own hand?”) It can take a lot of pressure off of you, because you’re no longer trying to be JRR Tolkien, and it can improve your relationship with your players, because you’re no longer forcing them to pretend that you’re JRR Tolkien. It also makes it much easier for players or characters to cycle in & out of the group and still have a satisfying experience. But it can also lead to much more fun, memorable sessions, because each has a clear focus & theme that stands on its own.

You just blew my mind with that Titanic short film. What a great way to get to the core of a story.

Here in New England, we have bells and the smell of the atmosphere too.

Also very applicable to animations! I've met a lot of young animators that don't know where to start, including myself, and the advice is always the same: focus in on one part of your story, a snapshot. Especially animation, it's a lot of effort and not a lot of wiggle room for mistakes to fix after the fact. Go out there and make some stuff!!!

Thanks for telling me this after I filmed my final project

Still haven’t seen you in the supermarket, my script has not chipped nor shattered, thinking about giving up. Inspire me, Lucas. Inspire me.

Just started the video and already a fire line "don't think of it as a short film think of it as a small film"

this video is gonna pop off, great title, great hook, clean thumbnail design also new upload :D yay!

I didn't mind the dystopian sci fi short you did. I thought you did a good job acting-wise I 100% agree with the sentiment though, I feel nervous asking friends or family if they've watched my short film. Mine has a 50/50 success ratio of jokes stretched over 20 minutes and I dread when people ask about it. It's kind of in no-man's land and I was rejected from nearly every festival I assume due to the length. Runtime is real

I NEEDED THIS!! i had a feeling my short film had too much going on, so I'll take the ambition and themes and pour it into the best part of the movie. THANK YOU!!