Shorts and pacing

L

Lee Saxon

Well-known member
First post!

I'm working on a short right now and I have a pacing question.

Until my main characters meet in the climax, it just goes back and forth between 1.) main character A discussing main character B with a supporting character and 2.) main character B discussing main character A with a supporting character. There are changes in scenery though.

Since it's fairly short I'm not troubled by the repetition but I tend to be more patient about those kinds of things than most, so I'm a little concerned.

Should I try to weave in some kind of B story so that there's a little more variety? It seems like it would be difficult in the limited amount of time I have.

Another question : What's the typical length of a short? My target has been ~ 15 minutes, but I don't know if that's right.

Thanks
 
hi Lee, welcome to the site.

first let me tell you what I know about length. using festival submission requirements as a guide, a short is anything under an hour. that being said some fests cap it at 45 mins and some 30mins. while others split the category between long form shorts (30-60mins) and short shorts (under 30mins). every fest is a little different but that's a basic guideline you can follow. and here's a piece of insider information: many programmers have noted unofficially that it is much easier to fit a short under 10 minutes into their screening schedule than a longer one.

as for your short's story structure, please understand im basing this off the minimal detail you've provided, but I suspect your back and forth is to establish a relationship between the two, a backstory. have you considered what would happen if you more or less opened where these characters meet, letting the relationship reveal itself thru their interaction rather than preceding it through dialogue with supporting characters? just thinking of the old mantra, show, don't tell.

good luck with it!
 
I've heard under 15 minutes is a lot more marketable to festivals than longer stuff, and many prefer under 10 minutes. Seriously, I'd rather watch 3 dull 10 minute films than 1 dull 30 minute one (I'd probably walk out). But if your story genuinely justifies the longer length, go for it.

Ok, you're cutting between two sequences, fine, but are they linked at all, e.g. are both characters talking about the same things at the same time, or e.g. is A talking about B while we see B showing that A is correct/incorrect/deluded/lying/whatever. So long as there is some linkage, I'd be fine with just cutting between the two sequences. Or are they linked by space or time, e.g. are both A and B preparing to go to the same event or location (which helps set up their eventual meeting). If however the two sequences have no apparent linkage at all (until the climax), then as a viewer I may be annoyed or bored, unless both sequences are individually fascinating.
 
clang said:
So long as there is some linkage, I'd be fine with just cutting between the two sequences.
Click to expand...

They are interconnected / interdependent, which is what I was hoping would make it work. Glad to hear someone agree with me!
 
Hi Lee

You'll find wih any shorts if you include a surprise ending then that kind of works with audiences otherwise they get board.

I would stick to a 10 page = 10 minute script myself but this is my opinion of course..

Most folk at festivals have to watch through lots and lots of shorts and if you can keep it to 10 minutes or under it means all the shorts get watched and appreciated more..

Like I said, build in a twist/reversal for the end and these tend to be more satisfying for audiences..

Acquire a bunch of readers (4 or 5) from here or other places and get them to read your drafts and give you notes.. It helps..
 
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