Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoyvinmayvin/3936022339/

I am a huge proponent of writing short screenplays, particularly if your future goals are to direct and/or produce feature-length films.  Writing short films gives writers the opportunity to hone in on their skills by conveying an attention-grabbing story in just a few minutes.  A short film also offers the chance to actually get a film made, as its length, financial and logistical constraints are minimized.

I began my filmmaking career by writing and collaborating on six short films — and this experience was invaluable.  On a creative level, it taught me how to hone in my writing skills by conveying a compelling narrative (even though these films were categorized as experimental narratives) in 20 minutes or less.  I learned how to craft each word of dialogue (or text) for a viewing audience and not just for the page. Visual storytelling, music cues, genre, and more, were all vital elements that I grew more confident in with each film.

READ MORE:

http://www.newenglandfilm.com/magazine/2012/06/screenplay