How To Direct A Short Movie

I’ve been in several shorts myself and have directed one documentary. But I don't want to write out the whole process because that is definitely a learning experience in itself and will teach you something no matter which way you go.

If you want to start, here's some useful information to get you started.

It's a great way to prove you can be a director as a small scale project can give you a good view into the future of a production company and the finances involved. Not many people run a small production but I can certainly say this can be a stepping stone to that direction.

The chances of getting involved with a well established production company are more limited because of the skill set needed to lead a production company but you can definitely be in charge of your own project for as little as 10K or less.

Basic information to get you started

I know what you're thinking. That sounds scary.

I understand. Trust me, I think it sounds amazing.

But before you can put your mind into this, you need to learn a bit about the production and distribution side of the production process. So here it is.

A few facts about a short film:

It's a low budget. It is almost always shot on a hand-held camera.

No video or sound mix. It's usually shot in a one or two day shoot.

The goal is to reach a target length of 90 minutes (depending on the shorts and how well you set the goals). It usually costs no more than 10K (if your idea is good).

It can be created with just a few people including the production, producer, writer, director and location.

It has to be post-produced and have a trailer or some other marketing material (this is another opportunity for a small team to step into a production role if you want it).

A lot of great ideas have been thrown around about the details of a short film production. But this article is about the production steps to getting it done. So let's start.

The requirements

1. The script

It doesn't have to be Shakespeare but it must be good. A good script is like a good poem, it must convey your vision and be quick and easy to shoot. There are many great example of scripts below and here are a few with the actors I had in mind for the Biotopia segment.

But for this short story, I have decided to just follow an idea I had. In my mind it's a horror story of a young family in a small northern town.

The girl in the family turns out to be a psychopath and is out to kill her family, leaving her baby for the detective to find. That's all there is to it.

Let's see the script.

Your original short script needs to be based on a short story idea you have and the producer wants it to be original. The script should also include the locations, props, costumes, and the director should be involved with the production.

I wrote the following in an email to the producer:

"This film takes place in a small northern town (something in Ontario, I'm not sure) where a family turns out to be psychopaths (nope I didn't see the Blair Witch) and the mother kills her family then leaves her baby for the detective to find. It would work out quite well if we get lucky and the girl is a blonde who grows up and becomes a biker chick."

This is my main idea, you need to work out your own ideas, but the biggest thing is to let the producer know what your idea is so he can run it by the other people on the short list.

2. Locations

How can we get the locations needed for the short. Short films can be shot in a variety of locations including urban, small town and traditional setting. There are several places you can try but these are a few suggestions:

A mall. They want an indoor location.

A hotel. I love doing this type of work.

You can change the lighting a bit as well as the quality of light.

Any back lot. Rent a set from your local studio and do your own set ups.

Any local location. Maybe you can use a truck or a house that was empty?

It's always a good idea to have an open mind and do some research.

3. Crew

There are a few possible people who might be able to help with the production of a short film. An editor to do the conversion of a script to a film.

A producer to run the set. An associate producer (or co-producer) to run the post production process.

The first and last are both simple tasks and I'm sure you know people who are good at both. However there may be some people who you haven't met yet who can help with both.

And I will warn you that the production part of a short film is very little compared to the post production. But these are good places to start as they can contribute greatly to your skills.

4. Casting

Once you have an idea of what the short film is going to look like, you have to cast it. If you are in Canada you have casting agencies and casting directors and some people will help themselves.

But for people out of town, I have a good friend named Dennis Heggen who is a casting agent. I had him bring in all the people you will see in this short film.

For this short story, we ended up with these 10 actors:

• Daniel Marsh, who played the main character.
• Damien DeChennac, who played the detective.
• Megan Short, who played the girl with the camera.
• Jamie Andrews, who played the boy.
• Grant MacMillan, who played the tattoo artist.
• Tony Turkel, who played the clerk.
• Miles Marton, who played the cop.
• Megan Cook, who played the waitress.
• The 3 little boys.

All 10 of the actors needed a script and were given a copy after one day. They read the script and cast their final five. It was done in about 2 days.

You will need some technical talent on your short film too. There are some people out there that can help with camera equipment, but mostly your camera person will do everything on his own.

So once you have the script and people cast, you will need a production crew. Make a list and see who is available.

5. Post production

Once the short film is complete you can edit it down to its final length. Here are a few more suggestions about post production:

The coloring and camera work. You don't want too dark and you don't want to over do it.

Music. Play a background music to set a mood.

Visual effects or editing. Add some special effects to the film.

Teasing in your plot. There are some jokes that you can add in.