1. A Great Script
Something that I’ve noticed about many shorts coming out of film schools and most film festival submissions is, that there’s a wealth of “well directed” shorts, or beautiful films shot on super 16mm, using Cooke lenses helmed by super-talented cinematographers.. but do I care for the actual film? Rarely.
What I know about the short films that have really nourished my life, are that those shorts that I’d happily pay money to see, such as Alexander Payne’s 14th Arrondissement and Wes Anderson’s Hotel Chevalier, is that they are wonderfully written.
These screenwriters have created truly interesting three-dimensional characters that I care for, and have a level of sophistication to their writing, which credits the viewer with intelligence – just like a well-written short story does. All of my favourite shorts are in no way poor relatives to feature films, rather they are their artistic equal.
2. A Great Script
3. A Great Script
4. A Great Script
5. A Great Cast
BA (Hons) Film & TV London College of Printing, Raindance MA in Film . Col is an award-winning writer/director who started in non-fiction at the BBC and now works primarily in fiction: writing and directing feature films for the cinema. He also runs his own documentary consultancy business. You can learn from Col in person at the Raindance Fast Track.
