How do you write a short film script?

Write a short film around one simple idea, one or two characters and as few locations as possible. Aim for 5 to 15 pages. Start in the middle of the action, build to one clear turning point, and end quickly. Format it like any screenplay, then read it aloud and cut anything that doesn't serve the ending.

1. One idea. A short film is a single moment, not a compressed feature.
2. Few locations. Every location costs time and money to shoot.
3. Start late. Open in the middle of something happening.
4. One turn. Build to a single surprise or change.
5. End fast. Once the turn lands, get out.
6. Format it properly. See how to format a screenplay.
7. Hear it. Read it aloud or use a table read, then cut.

Short on time? Talk it through: True-Script turns dictated scenes into a formatted script on your iPhone or iPad.

Start with one idea

A short film has room for one strong idea, one main character and one turning point. Features can wander; shorts can't. Ask yourself what single moment of change the film is about. If you can't describe it in a sentence, the idea may be a feature in disguise, or not yet focused enough.

Write for what you can make

Most short films are made on small budgets, often by the writer. Every location, actor, night shoot, crowd, vehicle and special effect costs money and time. Writing a story set in one or two locations with a small cast in daylight isn't a limitation; it is what makes the film possible. Plenty of celebrated shorts take place in a single room.

A simple structure

1. Hook: drop the audience into a situation in the first minute. There's no time for slow set-up.
2. Complication: something gets in the character's way or changes what they want.
3. Turn: a reveal, decision or reversal that recasts what came before.
4. Resolution: end soon after the turn. The best shorts leave the audience with something to think about.

Length

Aim for 5 to 10 pages. Festivals programme shorter films more easily, audiences forgive a short film almost anything except outstaying its welcome, and every extra minute adds shooting days. A tight 7-minute film is far more likely to be made and seen than a baggy 25-minute one.

Show, don't explain

With so little time, every image needs to work hard. Let the audience work things out from what characters do rather than from what they say. Cut any dialogue that only explains, and trust the pictures.

Hear it before you shoot it

Run a table read with your cast, or use True-Script's Table Read to hear the whole film in a few minutes. Short scripts are especially sensitive to timing, and hearing the draft tells you quickly whether the turn lands and whether the ending comes at the right moment.

Common questions

Related guides

• How long should a screenplay be?
• How do you format a screenplay?
• How do you outline a screenplay?