All we need is LOVE and it's true!

afton: All we need is LOVE and it's true!

Absolutely; thanks for watching it.

Beautiful piece

ehvez: Beautiful piece

Thanks a lot Ehvez, really nice of you to say.

[size=14pt]The Four Essentials of Great Short Filmmaking[/size]

by David Wolter, December 7, 2012

[size=18pt]“In your opinion, what are the components of a good short film?”
-Noah[/size]

Aristotle said it first (and best): Beginning, Middle, and End. But the secret is in the way you approach each of these pieces. After the jump, specific ideas about all three, plus what I believe is the single most important ingredient.

1) Beginning: What’s the goal? In the context of narrative filmmaking, it’s vital to establish what your character wants. This can be as complex as executing a military coup or as simple as enjoying a cup of tea in silence.

A lot of student films are ruined by characters who simply react to their surroundings instead of having a goal and pursuing it. This is the key to narrative momentum – will they or will they not get what they want?

The crucial part is that your audience understands their goal. Clarity is paramount.

The other side of this is relatability. Communicating a goal is one thing, causing your audience to identify with the character is another. Show your audience why they should care.

2) Middle: Climax means complication. This is the part of the film a screenwriting teacher I had referred to as “Get up ‘em up a tree and throw rocks at ‘em.”

Heroes live and die by their villains. Characters are only as strong as the things that test them. The greater the complications your characters face, the more satisfying the experience of your film.

This can be true for small, quietly-observed films as well.

Two good rules of thumb: 1) Utilize the rule of threes 2) Make each successive complication a little bit bigger and badder than the one before it.

3) Ending: Inevitable yet surprising. These are the two qualities of a great ending, and for me it’s probably the single hardest part of filmmaking.

How do you deliver what your story promises without being predictable?

There’s no secret here. Put in the work, test numerous iterations, and wait (pray?) for inspiration to strike.

Which leads to our final, perhaps most important element.

4) Rich Character is Everything. The character is the vessel through which the audience experiences your story, and it is crucial that your characters be compelling. Likability can help this, but isn’t necessary.

Think about people you’ve recently met. Which ones did you find compelling and why? You need to find the specific, esoteric details that make characters feel like real people you’ve met. Your own experiences is a gold mine!

In Eyrie, my character hook was to show how much my character despises sheep so much he doesn’t even care when he hurts a defenseless lamb. Obviously a negative character trait, but I hoped that it was specific enough that it made him interesting. (This also happens to be the exact same attitude I had towards picking up the dog poop when I was twelve.)

Those are my thoughts, Noah – thanks for the question. Taken together they’re a tall order, but if you can pull them off in a creative and elegant way, your film will absolutely sing.



Have a question? Write me at david(a)davidwolter.com/blog

^^^
Nice! Good info.

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