Why are some directors driven to write their own scripts?
Out of frustration and the desire to get on with making something.
You shouldn’t make an intense character study if you are scared of what?
Actors
What should you be careful of if you only have 5k to make your film?
Don't make it into something which will require expensive stunts and special effects, etc.
If a feature film might be described as a novella, how might a short be described?
Haiku
What are the length boundaries different film festivals stipulate in their shorts sections?
Anything under 30 mins (over 20 mins are hard to place)
If the function of your short is to make your audience laugh, how long should it be?
2 - 3 mins max
What are the three basic elements any kind of dramatic story requires?
A world, a charcater, a problem
Why can it be useful to set your film around a familiar event/ritual?
Audience familiarity, barely supressed emotions, good for genereating tension.
Why can a literal journey be a good setting for a short film?
Pivotal, significant event, metaphorical emotional journey
What are the 5 most important questions to ask when you begin to develop your story?
- Main character
- Problem
- Does the Audience recognise the problem?
- Are the stakes high enough?
- Whats the best POV?
One of three things must drive your character through the story. What are they?
A want, a need, an obligation.
What crucially must accompany this element?
An external obstacle.
Why are a lot of short films about children and teenagers?
Lack of experience of the adult world.
What is one of the most important ways that you can demonstrate your skill as a filmmaker and not just as a storyteller?
Turning the characters inner problem into the heart of your film and make sure the audience can see it.
What does ensuring that something is at stake in the story mean the audience can do?
They can understand what the character stands to lose if they do not solve their problem.
How can a different POV change a story?
It can present a different meaning.
Why do many short film scripts fall down?
The main characters journey does not chime with what the writer is trying to say.
Why does an awareness of the meaning inherent in your story matter?
It helps you to make important choices as you develop your script, i.e. tone.
What is tone intimately connected to and what are the implications of this?
To genre - how you present the story to the audience.
How does tone emerge in a film?
From the way in which each element supports the underlying 'meaning' of the story.
What is a common flaw of most short scripts submitted for funding?
Far too little development work.
What is the ten point plan to test the spine of your story?
1. Title
2. Genre/Tone
3. Setting
4. Main Character
5. Want/Need/Obligation
6. Opposition
7. Catalyst for change
8. Resolution
9. Theme/Audience Reaction
What point does Marilyn Milgrom make about unity?
Every scene must be revealing something that increases out understanding.
How can we make sure that what happens in the end could not have happened earlier?
To move on the story.
What is the step outline and what does it ensure?
Its a good way of checking that you have no slack in your film. What is revealed? Is it significant to the plot? Does the audiemce grasp understanding of character and theme?
Every scene of significant action should deliver something on at least two out of three possible fronts. What are these fronts?
Plot, Character and Theme
What is signified by the “order” in which to tell the story?
Whether it's a linear or non-linear narrative.
What do audiences instinctively know?
When something is pretentious or dishonest.
As a writer what is the crucial thing you are looking to ensure?
To keep the audience engaged.
How do we establish the world and the character?
Maximum speed and minimal dialogue.
What advice is given for making the film CINEMATIC once you have a good story?
Visuals and sound. Tone. Make sure the character is active. Show change. Use cinematic devices. Check step outline.
What final advice is given for ensuring that a short is more cinematic, less televisual in feel?
Less dialougue is better.
Who is the first audience of your film?
The reader of the script.
How can you help the reader SEE the film you are intending and not get irritated?
Follow screenwriting conventions, read scripts, avoid writing camera directions, etc.
Why is SIMPLE a useful descriptor for your short?
Small story = big impression. It gives it cinematic flair.
Name some of Daniel Mulloy’s shorts and the awards they have won?
Dance Floor - BAFTA - Best Newcomer
Sister - ATRE Grand Prix
Dad - Premiered in the Edinburgh Film Festival 2006
Antonio's Breakfast - BAFTA - Best Short Film
Compare/contrast Antonio’s Breakfast with Dad?
Dad is the antidote to Antonio's Breakfast, characters are reversed, the sexual tension differs.
Explain what Mulloy is “aware” of and has a “strong sense” of when developing his scripts.
What needs to be communicated.
What does Neil Hunter suggest is the best way to tackle a short which covers a lot of ground?
It has to be part of the piece, of its style.
What idea did the short film The Sickie develop from?
That a character overhears the voice over of the film he's in. Same story as Stranger Than Fiction starring Will Ferrell.
