Telling a story in 6 minutes or less!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I usually post a thread shortly before the big event so here goes.

Telling a story in 5 or 6 minutes can be quite the daunting task, especially for new filmmakers!
I've been making short films for about 2 years now and I still don't have it down yet.

We have seen some pretty great examples of how to tell a well told story within the time limit given.
Here are some examples from the last Fest, plus one that didn't fit the time limit but I feel deserves a look.
If you haven't seen them yet please take a look and learn from some of the best from LoveFest.

Remember When (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=116467)
The camera is locked down for most of it. It's the story and acting that really help sell this short. Definitely one of the best of last Fest.
Simple, yet crafted beautifully.

Winter Lilacs (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=124423)
This movie is a great example of everything coming together perfectly. Great set, excellent acting, solid cinematography, just excellent all around.
Captured the theme perfectly. I was stunned that it didn't place but the competition near the top was stiff.

Constance (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=115660)
This was a non compete... lucky for the rest of us. Reason: It went over time. Still a great example of film making so I'm throwing it in.

Great story, extremely well lit and shot. Excellent acting performances all around. This movie reminded me that I don't have to move the camera around so much. If the story and characters are interesting the camera can just sit there and allow us to watch them through the window.

What I really liked about all of these shorts (and many others from last fest) was that they captured the theme (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=115864) extremely well.

I'm really looking forward to what everyone does with the theme of TIME.

Should be fun.

Good luck to everyone!

Cheers,

Mike

[Mark Harris]

Um...CONSTANCE was NOT 6 min, Mike. :)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

LOL! Yah, I mentioned that yours was a non compete. I guess I should have explained why for any of the newb's. :D
I probably should have stated the time concerning yours. I thought I did but I guess I just called it a non compete and expected people to figure it out.

Fixed that.

[hazelwould]

Yea, being fairly new to this... I had a 10 page (wordy) script. I had to cut it (ITBOTM) down pretty dramatically (especially since I'm partial to the long "artsy/ complex" takes).

My (6 min) cut is more mysterious, and I'm hoping that lends a hand to the way the story is told. Otherwise I'd need about 10 mins to explain things a bit more.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Yup, that's something I learned early on. About a page per minute.
Give or take depending on your style.

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Yup, that's something I learned early on. About a page per minute.
Give or take depending on your style.

Lol, mine is a 4 page script and is busting at the seams, 6:01 runtime!

[Gohanto]

I think the hardest part about this fest isn't getting the films made, but just writing a script. Not only do the best entires of previous fests have great scripts, but they don't feel rushed either. The content was perfect for the length.

And imho, whoever said 1 page = 1 minute didn't made short films.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I think the hardest part about this fest isn't getting the films made, but just writing a script. Not only do the best entires of previous fests have great scripts, but they don't feel rushed either. The content was perfect for the length.

And imho, whoever said 1 page = 1 minute didn't made short films.
Really? I guess I make crap then.

I did say "give or take" depending on your style. :happy:

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Lol, mine is a 4 page script and is busting at the seams, 6:01 runtime!Yes, but is it filled with chatter or nice long scenes of a man walking across a vast landscape? :)

We'll see soon enough. I'm looking forward to yours.

Like I said guys, it does depend on the individuals style.
I'm sure one director could shoot and edit a 6 page script and make a great 6 minute movie out of it. While someone else might take it and make a 12 minute snooze fest.

Just my 2 cents.

[Barry_Green]

The "page a minute" rule holds up a lot better over 120 pages than it does over six. In short films I think you're a lot better off assuming that a page = 1.3 minutes, and keep your script to 5 pages if you're aiming for a six-minute cut.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

The "page a minute" rule holds up a lot better over 120 pages than it does over six. In short films I think you're a lot better off assuming that a page = 1.3 minutes, and keep your script to 5 pages if you're aiming for a six-minute cut.Agreed.

I've been cutting back on my script length a tad since my first entry or so. I would always write about 6 or 7 pages. I've been trying to cut back.

Although, when I write for myself I stick in little camera notes and they take up space that really shouldn't count since they work together simultaneously. They do add to the page count though. :)

Mike

[ZazaCast]

I write 20 pages...throw them at the wall & the 6 that stick are my script!
(you'll see what I mean when you watch my movie)

[J.R. Hudson]

I write 20 pages...throw them at the wall & the 6 that stick are my script!
(you'll see what I mean when you watch my movie)


:cheesy::cheesy::cheesy:

[totitefilms]

I got this problem in LoveFest. I wrote a 10 page script and the first cut was around 10 minutes. I had to throw out a lot of footage in order to make it fit within 6 minutes.

[totitefilms]

I write 20 pages...throw them at the wall & the 6 that stick are my script!
(you'll see what I mean when you watch my movie)

Nice, I would do the same :laugh:

[Ben Sliker]

I've been cutting back on my script length a tad since my first entry or so. I would always write about 6 or 7 pages. I've been trying to cut back.
Mike

In Pieces was 3.25 pages. We bulked up huge for John Abbot Mitchell. All the way to 4.5 :thumbsup: (of course, we got an extra minute this time around.)

[Dustin R. Rogan]

I have noticed my "average" is I write 8 or 9 pages when i first piece everything together its about 7:30, then I trim the "natural pauses" and then start looking at can be cut from the story and still flow together. Timefest was about 8 pages and I used every bit of the 6:02 that they gave us! Even using the rule "credits maybe on your site and not in the movie" the thanks to the dvx is over video (hope thats legal) so I tend to use all the time they give me. HURRY UP JUNE 16th!!!

Rogan

[Jim Montgomery]

No kidding, I have forgotten where I put it on my HD.

[Gohanto]

I actually wrote 5 1/2 pages for LoveFest (silent film all action and no dialog). The first cut was 14 minutes. Between cutting a whole lot out and ramping the speed up (mimicking 16fps played back at 24fps) I just barely got it down to 6:00, but I'm well aware that the film suffered as a result.

Need to be more careful on my next fest film as somehow I don't think accelerating dialog footage is going to work out too well. (Well, unless I do a drugs film)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I actually wrote 5 1/2 pages for LoveFest (silent film all action and no dialog). The first cut was 14 minutes. Between cutting a whole lot out and ramping the speed up (mimicking 16fps played back at 24fps) I just barely got it down to 6:00, but I'm well aware that the film suffered as a result.

This is something you learn as you go I find. Eventually you learn to do it well.

There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to fit 5.5 pages into a five or six minute short. A 5 page script definitely shouldn't have been running at 14 minutes. IMHO.

That's what's great about these Fest's. They make you focus on telling a complete story withing the time limit. Not an easy task.

Mike

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I actually wrote 5 1/2 pages for LoveFest (silent film all action and no dialog). The first cut was 14 minutes. Between cutting a whole lot out and ramping the speed up (mimicking 16fps played back at 24fps) I just barely got it down to 6:00, but I'm well aware that the film suffered as a result.

Need to be more careful on my next fest film as somehow I don't think accelerating dialog footage is going to work out too well. (Well, unless I do a drugs film)

This is something you learn as you go I find. Eventually you learn to do it well.

There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to fit 5.5 pages into a five or six minute short. A 5 page script definitely shouldn't have been running at 14 minutes. IMHO.

That's what's great about these Fest's. They make you focus on telling a complete story withing the time limit. Not an easy task.

Mike


I bet it's an issue of not breaking it into paragraphs / skipping lines for every shot. The script was all action. 5 pages of block text describing action could easily run 15 minutes or much, much more.

To get to the 1 minute per page average, which again is an average which works better averaging out over 90 or 120 mins / pages you've gotta be in exactly correct form. Which is not just tabs and margins but also making the script a good vertical read and skipping lines (double space) between every shot / new idea.

So ...

Ledbetter turns the sink's knob but nothing comes out - at
first.

Then the pipes chug, the walls shake, and a single spat of
brown sludge ejaculates from the faucet.

He picks up a nearly empty bottle of bourbon, pours some
over the paste on his toothbrush and gives his teeth a good
once over.

Not ...

Ledbetter turns the sink's knob but nothing comes out - at
first. Then the pipes chug, the walls shake, and a single
spat of brown sludge ejaculates from the faucet. He picks
up a nearly empty bottle of bourbon, pours some over the
paste on his toothbrush and gives his teeth a good once over.

If it takes time to do or time to look at it should take up space on the page, which makes for a clearer, better read that's more like watching a film anyway.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I bet it's an issue of not breaking it into paragraphs / skipping lines for every shot. The script was all action. 5 pages of block text describing action could easily run 15 minutes or much, much more.



I've read plenty of scripts made into features and on average they run a page a minute. Give or take a few. I've never seen a 30 page script turned into a feature. Doesn't mean they don't exist.

I think turning a 5 page script into a 14 minute movie shows that something is off a tad. Unless as you say it was filled to the brim with action. Was this the case? Maybe.

Just my 2 cents.

[Gohanto]

Yes it was all action. By the nature of silent film.

There were a few blocks of text that could've been broken up though.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

One example of what I'm talking about...

The script with scene descriptions for The Silence of the Lambs is longer than the running time of the movie.

Cheers,

Mike

[Mobie540]

Whenever I write a script, I get very descriptive when opening a scene or describing a character. My timefest shoot script is 8 solid pages. The final cut came in around 5:30 min to include credits. So I don't think there is hard fast rules with a minute per page.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Whenever I write a script, I get very descriptive when opening a scene or describing a character. My timefest shoot script is 8 solid pages. The final cut came in around 5:30 min to include credits. So I don't think there is hard fast rules with a minute per page.I agree. Every director is different and the theory of one minute per page is more of a ballpark. That's why I originally said "give or take" depending on the director and the script.

As JDS mentioned, heavy action filled scripts can run much longer.

Also, some directors can make shots with nothing being said last forever. While others cut to the chase. It's really a style thing in some ways.

So. Has anyone watched the movies that I linked from last Fest? If you haven't seen them you should.

Cheers,

Mike

[Duff]

My script was 9 pages, and I'll make 6 minute mark without cutting anything. Then again, my scripts are mainly fast-paced dialogue.

[Heather]

That would do it. I think we were at 6:00 without cutting too.