THE FUTURE IS SHORT

There is never been a better time to make a short film, says Clifford Thurlow, author of the nifty guide book Making Short Films.

Equipment is cheaper than ever before and easier to use, easy enough for even technophobes to have a go. There are more places where shorts are being shown. There are more people who appreciate the short film as a genre in its own right.

So where should you start? With the camera, a mate or two who knows a bit about sound and lighting, a prosthetics modeller with a good line in fresh blood?

All these things are necessary, even the blood, if you're making a Dracula spoof. But a short film truly starts with the script.

Sounds easy? All you need is a few pages of dialogue, after all. But to tell a memorable story in the ten minutes or less - currently the optimum length - is devilishly hard. Hard because there is so little time to enrich the plot, to develop the characters and to make us feel for them as they make their life-changing journey.

In fact, the script is the point at which most shorts fail. Their chances of success are gone before the director says "Action" for the first time.

A good short script contains no wasted words, every scene is vital; every gesture and nuance driving the narrative to a climax that should achieve two seemingly contradictory goals:
1. To be what the audience expects;
2. Yet not in the way they expect.

Truly satisfying shorts will appear to be telling one story while actually telling another. They aim is to make the audience reassess what is taking place and encourage them to see the world in a new way. They should be like a puzzle; when all the pieces fall into place, our everyday realm of entertainment is enriched with depth, ethics, morals and a satisfying movie experience.

It is asking a lot, but that is what producers are seeking, and that is what inspires funding bodies to whip out the keys and unlock their treasure chests.

Feeling daunted? Don't be. A good rule for anyone making their first short is NOT to write the script; or at least, not to write the story on which the script will be based. Get the right story, and the script can be got right; eventually.

It is the core story that matters and good stories are gold dust, rare as a real blonde, the needle in a haystack; or, more aptly, the appropriate needle in a stack of needles.

If you are looking for one, consider the country's hundreds of small press and literary magazines, in print and on the net, with stories by assiduous scribblers who have done the hard work, sweating for weeks and months over their narratives to tell tales with pace, satisfactory character development and nicely concluded plots.

A bonus : short story writers tend to think visually and are often experimental by nature, which is ideal for a first time short film maker.

When you find the story, you face perhaps the biggest challenge of all: to spend time on the script before rushing out to film. But patience will be rewarded. If your short film is going to sparkle like the tip of a iceberg in the midst of so much cinematic dross, long hours spent crafting the script are invaluable.

Clifford Thurlow is the author of MAKING SHORT FILMS: The Complete Guide from Script To Screen, Berg Publishing.