So.....You Want To Make A Short...

The Short Film...the gateway to fame and fortune or, the final nail in your (un)creative coffin.

Many have tried...most fail...to create the perfect short film...it's not as easy as it looks.

So...we have decided to give you a few simple pointers...

PART 1: Before You Even Touch A Camera

Step 1…

Before you do anything…ask yourself one question…how are you going to promote your film?

The answer is incredibly simple…yet, inexplicably, over half of the short films in the CGiii database don’t do it.

A poster...a window to your mini masterpiece. Remember: people do judge a book by its cover!!!

Here's what to do...

Create a black rectangle, in the region of 100 x 140 pixels…we put a frame around ours to make it look pretty…

Now, take the title of your film and insert it into the black rectangle…

A word about your title...go to IMDb, type your title into the search box...if there are 3, 4, 5+ titles exactly the same as yours...CHANGE YOUR TITLE. Popular titles include: Angel, Blue, Blow, Boy, Brothers, Class, Closet, Coming Out, Crash, Crazy, Crush...ad nauseum.

There, you now have a little poster that will promote your film. Simple. If you are feeling more adventurous …add your own name…it is your film…promote yourself.

Step 2...

Watch as many bad short films as you can...there are, literally, thousands to choose from.

Step 3...

Watch as many good short films as you can...bearing in mind...there is always room for improvement.

Step 4...

Watch as many great short films as you can...sadly, there are only a handful.

Step 5...

Read your script again.

Step 6...

Let other people read your script...listen to what they have to say...be it good, be it bad - it's all constructive.

Step 7...

Re-write your script.

 

That's enough to keep you busy for a while...Part 2 will follow shortly...