Synopsis ( need some help )

68bird

68bird

Active member
I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read this post. I am doing a class called single camera production and second day in we are asked to write a synopsis of a Short and show at least 6 stills of different frames in the synopsis.

Im not asking people to write one for me but how does one go about starting this paper. Now it can be about anything events, short movie etc. does anyone have ideas about content and how much to give without giving away entire film plots. but to make it interesting enough to make someone read the entire document.

i am struggling with this, im a camera person with the thoughts and passion of wanting to be a director but im no story or script writer. I do have a few ideas in my mind but how to put them all together, to write this without having a script . This won't even make production i think but just want to give the class and teacher the wow factor . Some help and ideas would be appreciated .. I think this is going to be a challenge that i am up for and have one week to complete. ill post end results when finished with stills to show everyone how it turned out if interested i can through my ideas out there if anyone is interested in hearing them.
 
For a short, your synopsis is likely only going to be 1/3 to 1/2 a page long, single spaced (one page is standard for a feature length film synopsis). Write in present tense. You should give away the plot. The purpose of your synopsis is not to entice readers by hiding plot points, but to lay down a clear concise blueprint of your story. By making your synopsis ~1/2 page (or less), it will be self-correcting in terms of including the major plot points and characters, conflict, etc.
 
Ok thanks but the teacher is asking for a page .. im having some difficulties with that .. i guess i have to decide which short im going to use i have 2 im my mind ... that ive been working on .. thanks for the quick response ill keep checking back for more input , I am thank full for all the feed back given and to come..is it proper to start synopsis with a general idea of were this short might take place with dates
 
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Find out if it is supposed to be single or double-spaced. A full page single spaced for a SHORT script synopsis seems way out of line-- this is almost asking you to write a treatment rather than a synopsis, viz a complete narrative of your story, which perhaps is what your instructors but is calling it (mistakenly so) a synopsis.
 
I just want to mention I am french Canadian and my english is typed how its seen in my mind so please understand. I am not a writer this is just a project needed to be done for my production class.

anyone with constructive criticism is welcome .. I would like some feed back on this Synopsis... I don't even have a script written yet not sure if it will even go that far. But the teacher has requested that we do this on the second day of class along with some camera stills of at least 6 different screen shots so here goes, please be polite in commenting on my synopsis thanks..


The Drifter

A Drifter was wandering down route 37 in upstate New York and Stumbled into a local Diner outside of a small country town. As he makes his way into the diner he is greeted by a waitress named Meghan. Meghan is a local girl born and raised in Massena NY, she is very friendly with the stranger and directs him to a table located in the corner. Meghan has a boyfriend named James who works at the local car repair shop located half mile down from the diner on route 37. James is a very jealous person and doesn’t like the fact that Meghan works at the local diner, therefore he frequents the diner daily.

The waitress goes missing 3 days after the drifter first appeared . People in the small town begin to talk and are very suspicious of Thomas who is the drifter who wandered into town day’s earlier, Thomas has been seen all over town including the Neighborhood where Meghans house is located . The local sheriff also suspects Thomas because several items of clothing were found in the dumpster located behind the motel where Thomas is currently staying.

A week after the disappearance of Meghan ,James confronts Thomas at the local diner were Meghan works. James causes a big scene and accuses Thomas of knowing her were bouts . Not knowing what James is talking about Thomas Begins to fight back. Thomas is baffled for the accusations that are being made around town so he takes it upon himself to find the true story of the missing girl.

As Thomas starts to do some investigating of his own , several days later he finds evidence that points the finger in the direction of the jealous boyfriend. Thomas tries to convince the local sheriff of his findings, the sheriff seems reluctant but listens to what he has to say.
 
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I think your story concept feels much more like that for a feature, not a short. What you describe or outline is a great deal to expect to accomplish in a short. For a short, you generally want a single simple goal that a protagonist can accomplish in 1-10 pages or so, usually at one or a few easily accessible locations. To solve a missing person mystery as you describe would take a lot more than 10 pages. Coming up with ideas for shorts is something I find very hard, almost harder than features, because everything must be so compressed in time and location.

Think about that drifter, that diner he walks into. What could happen at that diner that could involve a complete story in 10 minutes, 10 pages of script or less? I would consider tweaking your story to have it all take place in that diner, in 10 minutes. Does your Drifter get rude, refuse to leave a tip, and then the waitress reveals she is a horribly ugly alien and kills and eats him? LOL. You get the idea. Does the diner serve magical coffee (or pie or ___) unlike that found any other diner, coffee that solves problems for customers, that perhaps helps the drifter in some way? See, something like that, make it work in that one location, one simple concept, 10 minutes or less, maybe five pages, or ten pages (ask your instructor how long it should be).

This is one of my favorite short films. The Youth in Us. It won a bunch of awards. Shows you the concept of a ten minute short film-- one concept, one location, small cast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct2wIB4KAk0
(ps: the male star of the short, Lukas Haas, is the boy from the blockbuster movie Witness)

Hope that helps.
Don't worry too much about the language thing, you are pretty smart for knowing the French language AND knowing pretty good English. I studied French for four years in college and I would not have the courage to participate on a french internet forum.
~randall
 
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thanks for the feedback ill see what we are required to do from the professor. i am using english as my first language now , the reason is cause i live were it is used the most but still have the french concept in my head all the time ..
 
I also watched your short was very good and inspiring . have you done any other small shorts. not sure ill ever do anything that good cause were i live there are not many people who share the passion i have for film and as we all know you need a team to accomplish something like this.. very well done Randall
 
It's amateur, I am a noob at filmmaking, but thank you.

68bird said:
I also watched your short was very good and inspiring . have you done any other small shorts. not sure ill ever do anything that good cause were i live there are not many people who share the passion i have for film and as we all know you need a team to accomplish something like this.. very well done Randall
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