Between day-break and midnight on Tuesday 16^th April 2019, one small moment changed everything for the character. 

 

Your challenge is NOT to create a film about that day, but to create a short film of no more than 5 minutes in duration that tells the story of that specific moment of change.

 

It could be the story of:

 

·      The character experiencing something for the first time.

 

·      Discovering something significant about themselves.

 

·      Discovering something significant about another person central to their life.

 

·      Achieving something significant against the odds, or despite significant obstacles, for the first time.

 

·      A major relationship conflict is, against the odds, resolved. 

 

·      Daring to reveal a secret.

 

·      Finding the courage to confess.

 

·      Finally accepting something within themselves or within their situation.

 

·      The last thing that they expected to happen, happens.

 

You can use a MAXIMUM of two different locations within the film.

 

Be specific with time. The film should cover no more than ONE hour of the character’s day.

 

The film should primarily focus on ONE relationship within the character’s life, although this person does not necessarily need to be seen in the film.

 

The film should aim to be faithful and accurate to ONE of the following genres:

 

·      A BBC3 ‘video-diary’ style short documentary.

·      A small camera crew-led Channel Four short documentary.

·      A short indie film.

·      A short ‘foreign-language’ indie film.

·      A short drama made for CBBC.

·      A Netflix Documentary short.

 

The character should be a convincingly real person and the life that they live should be expressed with authenticity. Although they can have a huge imagination and the film can express this.

 

The film’s story should have a beginning, a middle and an end.

 

The story should have a satisfying conclusion. You might even consider a ‘plot twist’ ending.

 

Although the film’s making is driven by you, the film will be ‘produced’ by your team’s company. So seek the artistic/technical help of your team members. Find opportunities to seek objective second opinions from your team. ESPECIALLY in terms of the clarity of your storytelling. 

 

Above all, keep it simple. In short-film making, to be simple is to be smart. 

 

Give the film a title.

 

 

Yes – absolutely.

 

Yes. The film can be as long as it takes to tell the story. 

 

Yes – but as they’re also making a film, take care not to ask too much of their time.

 

Yes. But it does become trickier to tell a clear story within the 5mins maximum brief if you do so. But have a go – why not?

Q: Locations. Can my film feature the character travelling from one location to the other?
Yes.
 

Yes. Absolutely. It might be helpful to see that earlier film as a ‘demo’ for this more story-driven film.

 

Yes please! 

 

Great stories start ‘in media res’ – ‘in the middle of things’. Hit the ground running so we can see your storytelling at its best.

 

The character should have a strong goal. The stakes should be high – achieving this goal  should matter. A lot. They should have a short amount of time to achieve this goal. Increasing obstacles should be thrown in their path. 

 

Tell the story as visually as possible. Don’t waste time with dialogue about back-story and world-building – show it within the shot’s composition and in character behaviour. 

 

Don’t rely too heavily on dialogue. Use every tool available to you - the character’s wardrobe, the objects that they handle and the objects within the composition of a shot - to show the audience who this person is.

 

All dialogue should move the story forward. If it doesn’t – cut it.

 

Aim for clear story-telling. Audience test your film and ask them whether the story is clear. If it isn’t, change it.

 

Don’t fall into the trap of having your characters become a vehicle for a point or a message you want to make.

BBC WRITERS" ROOM; SUNDANCE SHORT-FILM FESTIVAL; THE GUARDIAN CULTURE PROFESSIONALS NETWORK