tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8496585120938599514.post6680202312951571033..comments2023-05-04T03:37:04.200-07:00Comments on The Rouge Wave: Should You Write a Short Script?Julie Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14690487940378619749noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8496585120938599514.post-43422795415465779192008-08-29T00:04:00.000-07:002008-08-29T00:04:00.000-07:00Great post Julie!I have done a couple of short mov...Great post Julie!<BR/><BR/>I have done a couple of short movies and always tried to apply some kind of dramaturgy.<BR/><BR/>Just yesterday i read a post from a "writer" that said "short movies don´t need a proper ending, they are short". Yeah right, make them just a waste of time...<BR/><BR/>Anyway, some time ago wrote a post about the structure of short movies, if anyone should be interested, here it is: http://www.sokolar.com/blog/to-structure-a-short-movie/<BR/><BR/>Best,<BR/>MichaelMichaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03423207497456276073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8496585120938599514.post-90272215051952486372008-08-28T10:36:00.000-07:002008-08-28T10:36:00.000-07:00This sort of brings up the question I often had ba...This sort of brings up the question I often had back when I was making short films -- what is a "short" film? Is it three minutes? Ten minutes? A half an hour? Because those are three very different sets of parameters. <BR/><BR/>A three minute film is hardly "about" anything at all -- it's a music video, and music videos with strong narratives are usually terrible. Music videos that are largely imagistic, on the other hand (I'm thinking of Johnny Cash's "Hurt," or any of Spike Jonze's videos), are often quite compelling, even though we can't say exactly "what happened."<BR/><BR/>A half-hour film, on the other hand, is as long as, say, an episode of <I>Californication</I>, so obviously you've got some room for complexity and even subplots.<BR/><BR/>A ten-minute film is obviously somewhere between these two poles. Wes Anderson's <I>Hotel Chevalier</I> is a good example -- it has a plot, but it's not really about "what happens" so much as the tensions between the two characters in the scene.<BR/><BR/>My own shorts generally ran between twenty and thirty minutes, meaning I opted for complexity rather than punch. But could I write a coherent three- or ten-page script that wouldn't make me barf? I don't know, but it's an interesting question....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8496585120938599514.post-63826397443301187492008-08-28T10:29:00.000-07:002008-08-28T10:29:00.000-07:00Kirkland, as always, thank you for your informed p...Kirkland, as always, thank you for your informed perspective. Short films are a director's medium, for sure. But it can be a shorter route for a writer dying to see his/her word comes to life on screen. You won't make money, you may or may not kick start a career or valuable connections. But it's a much shorter route. And honestly, a skill set to be pretty durn proud of. I'm still kicking myself for not getting it in gear on this type of stuff. My gears grind slowly at this point. C-r-e-a-k.Julie Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14690487940378619749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8496585120938599514.post-35635386696495492522008-08-28T10:15:00.000-07:002008-08-28T10:15:00.000-07:00P.S. A short script or film as described by the WG...P.S. A <I>short script</I> or <I>film</I> as described by the WGA, SAG, and DGA is any script/film (other than TV, of course) that comes in under 35 minutes. Most are in he less then 15 minute range, but from a technical perspective than can run up to 35 minutes. The reason for this is that that length allows for actors, directors, and writers to work in that medium under permissible work contracts and defer pay, etc. and still not violate Guild rules. This allows non-professional writers the opportunity to get professionals involved in their work. It's a win-win.Kirklandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04858762006283118835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8496585120938599514.post-90945803648187468602008-08-28T10:06:00.001-07:002008-08-28T10:06:00.001-07:00Here's the thing about short scripts: it's much mo...Here's the thing about short scripts: it's much more of a medium for <I>directing </I> than it is for the writing. While the writing is necessary--as it always is--when used as a <I>calling card</I>, the kudos and potential for getting a feature made lean toward the directing end of the spectrum. Short films showcase the director's skills. So, my advice (and it's not mine alone, talk to other insiders--agents, etc) is, if you're a writer (even if the market for short films is drying up) who aspirers to by a hyphenate, then go for it. Otherwise keep writing the TV or feature specs. Make that spec your calling card.Kirklandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04858762006283118835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8496585120938599514.post-48624264790075828042008-08-28T10:06:00.000-07:002008-08-28T10:06:00.000-07:00I should have sent my other one. The one I sent wa...I should have sent my other one. The one I sent was definitely too controversial, but also definitely cheaper with fewer logistic issues. Someone suggested that change something but it was actually a test of my detachment from the story and characters.<BR/><BR/>Sorry to those who have no idea what I'm talking about.Christian H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8496585120938599514.post-52204189943158564352008-08-28T10:05:00.000-07:002008-08-28T10:05:00.000-07:00Hi Julie,This article of yours is like a fresh dri...Hi Julie,<BR/><BR/>This article of yours is like a fresh drink of guava-mango-papaya mix with Bailey.<BR/><BR/>If you had to answer this question .....Short scripts written by directors are so "dull", why? but on screen, they are so exciting and colorful?<BR/><BR/><BR/>Best,<BR/>LAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com