If you’re a filmmaker or writer/director trying to break in, chances are you have thrown away your business cards and are just using a short film as your calling card. The question is – is that calling card dialing the right number for you?
Short films are basically good for three things; practice, as inspiration for a larger project, or as a sample to show off your talents. But if you’re going to use them as the latter, they better show off your talents in great ways. And no matter what genre you write, there are some elements that a short film should contain to get attention.
short filmsIt doesn’t take a great deal of money to make a great short, but it does take great production value. If you’re a director or producer, then you need to make your short look like it was made for at least 5x what the actual budget is. So if you have a $5K budget, it should look like a $25,000 short.
How do you ensure great production value? Choose great locations that add a visual element to your story and allow for great shot choices. A great location can make or break your movie. It can be the key to creating tone and mood and can make your story look much more expensive – or it can make it look small, cheesy and like you shot it in your bathroom.
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