The Short Screenplay

I. Introduction What is a screenplay? What is important in a screenplay? The screenwriters skill set II. Shorts The fundamentals of the short film The four categories of short films: short-shorts, conventional shorts, medium shorts, long shorts Film vs. theater Film vs. television III. Character Character and characterization Putting your characters in charge of the action What a character wants, what a character needs Adding depth to your characters Types of characters and their function Secondary characters IV. Narrative The five forms of conflict The three-part nature of screenplay structure: setup, rising action, resolution The importance of cause and effect The elements of a scene Scene structure Writing the scene V. Dialogue The goals of film dialogue The characteristics of film dialogue Writing effective dialogue Structuring sentences and speeches Dialect, slang, and insider speech VI. Development Generating ideas for a short screenplay The development process Creating a concept Creating a synopsis Creating a step outline The first draft Revising Writing screenplays for non-theatrical films (podcasts, Internet only, mobile phone) VII. Production Production considerations for a short screenplay Working with a director Working with a producer When the director or the producer is you Conforming the screenplay to existing locations and budget limitations 'Theres no such thing as a free lunch' Permissions and legal considerations Writing the shooting script VIII. Format The standard industry format: the way a screenplay looks on a paper Screenplay form: using language to suggest film images What to avoid: directing on paper and acting on paper Film grammar vs. English grammar IX. Glossary X. Appendix IX. Index