Every screenwriter dreams to one day have their own feature length film on the big screen. Regardless of how grand that goal may be, many screenwriters inevitably start out by writing short films.
What exactly is a short film? To put it simply, it’s a film with a shorter runtime.
A short film is not just a portion of a feature length film, or a TV episode without a series to follow it. In this article, I will go over the purpose of short films for screenwriters, what a short film really is, and how it differs from feature films and TV episodes. Lastly, I’ll offer you a Story Weapon to keep your short film’s screenplay engaging the whole way through.
Master the art of making a short film as a reminder to yourself that you’re a filmmaker first. By studying the different types of short films that get programmed and awarded you can make a movie that will get serious traction. Learn what makes them unique by studying story and production scope, character development, structure, and budget — and create a self-contained experience for your audience that will be truly cinematic.
The purpose of short films for screenwriters
While short films can be easily overlooked by the greater mass audience, it remains one of the essential ways aspiring filmmakers and writers emerge into the industry.
Short films are:
- Short
- Cheaper to produce
- Open ended
- Readily accessible
All these characteristics allow you as a screenwriter to show off your storytelling qualities and find a foothold in the industry.
Short films are a powerful pathway for screenwriters to start their journey. Rather than a simple alternative format, the short film acts as a pillar for the screenwriting and filmmaking community to celebrate the potential of film.
Parameters of a short film
A short film usually has a runtime anywhere below the 40-minute range. You can actually find several short films on Youtube hitting between the 20-minute to even 1-minute range.
To qualify for the short film category in the Academy Awards and some film festivals, it could be anything under 40 minutes long.
In the 2026 Academy Awards, both The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva won the Oscar in a two-way tie (the seventh tie in all of Oscar history). The Singers is a mere 18 minutes long, while the latter is a whopping 36 minutes, nearing the limit of the category.
That range is extended in some other contexts, however. At The Sundance Film Festival, short films can be as long as 50 minutes (including credits).
While there have been notable entries in this category from streaming platforms such as Netflix, Youtube remains the ultimate place where you can find short films of varying production levels. This distinction is important, as platforms like Youtube have allowed short films with even just a minute of runtime to find a lot of traction.
Some examples:
- Meatball by Alexandra Robinson (12 minutes)
- The Wait by Nolt Vutthisak (1 minute)
- COPE by Anthony Sutcliffe (7 minutes)
- O.I. by N’cee van Heerden (18 minutes)
To illustrate the power of Youtube short films, Meatball hit close to 400k views after only three months. Meanwhile, others have garnered millions of views over time. All that being said, the most effective short films based on viewer numbers are usually 10-15 minutes long.
Of course, you cannot simply identify a short film by checking the runtime. A 2-minute commercial is not a short film. Neither is an episode in your favorite series, no matter how isolated the plot for that particular episode may be. Let’s look at what separates a short film screenplay from others.
Difference between a short film and a feature film
Length is the most obvious difference here. However, to truly make an effective script for either of the two formats, you need to really understand how the length affects the storytelling.
Scope
A feature length film allows it to take on a lot more within its runtime. Subplots, side characters, all these and more can be sprinkled about in a cohesive story. An ensemble cast won’t land nearly as effectively in a short film that only lasts 10 minutes.
In a story about, let’s say, seven cowboys defending a town, even 30 minutes of runtime will probably only get you one good shootout. You could create a spectacle out of the project, sure, but you won’t be able to properly flesh out all the characters within such a limited timeframe. In fact, a lot of feature length films already struggle with this. The beauty of short films is you don’t have that same challenge.
The idea with a short film is that it’s not about the breadth of your story, but the depth of key moments and the overall execution. It’s similar to flash fiction stories. The fact that you have a limited runtime means you can invest more in the emotional beats and jump straight into the action.
Character development
Short films are limited in that you don’t have time to show much development even for one main character.
However, that’s exactly the difference here. With short films, you aren’t meant to tackle the drawn out developments. You’re here to display moments and their significance. In The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), the first story told in an anthology of short films, Buster Scruggs doesn’t get a chance to change at all. But as an audience we do get a change in perspective. At the end, when he suddenly gets his comeuppance, we realize that no legend is invincible and that there’s always a sharper shooter out there.
Rather than developing a character’s story arc, great short films focus quickly on a specific event to drive the narrative, and cut to the core of a character’s nature in the predicament they may be facing. And that feeds into the next point.
Structure
Feature films often follow the Three-Act Structure, allowing for character transformation to occur later on, usually at set points. You may think this means short films don’t have as much breathing room to develop each segment of its story, but the truth may actually surprise you.
Because of a short film’s length, it allows for more creative reimagining with its story structure. You can start your screenplay right in the middle of the action, letting the audience fill in the blanks where feature films would do it for them.
Short films are your greatest chance to go experimental. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) is a short film that almost doesn’t tell you when it’s going to end. It does so suddenly and abruptly, cutting an almost fantastical journey through the Wild West short. Unique and unpredictable is the type of structure short films thrive on.
Budget and production
All this culminates to the most important truth, short films are cheap — or, at least, cheaper. It’s unlikely you’ll get a short film taking place in a spaceship. Short films tend to be set in simpler settings with fewer scenes. They’re a singular vision without the weight of hefty budget concerns that feature films require.
Difference between a short film and a TV episode
Another format some may be confused with when discussing short films is the television series. Ranging from 30 to 50 minutes, can’t an episode in a series be considered a short film? Well, the answer lies in one key aspect: intent.
A short film will not continue
No matter how self-contained a series episode is, it is still meant to add to the bigger picture of a series narrative. Meanwhile, with short films, you only have that one film to tell the story you want.
Now you may see short films that eventually get turned into a series, but it’s not a guarantee. When that does happen, the narrative is expanded to accommodate the longer format.
Notable examples include animated productions such as Adventure Time and Goldie.
Made to sell
This is one of the key differences between the two formats. When a screenplay is made for TV, it becomes a matter of success. Specifically, of the monetary sort and this also holds true for feature films. However, this aspect is what makes short films actually closer to feature productions than series productions.
The budget and production involved with a short film is smaller, and that’s for a purpose. Short films won’t find you much return in terms of money, but it’s a good way to hone your craft and get some screenplays actually produced.
Your story weapon: Focus on the experience, not the plot
You can’t tackle the same sort of story in a short film as you would in a feature film. However, in that difference there also lies a strength.
In a short film’s script, you can focus all your attention on a singular character, often experiencing a singular event or conflict. This allows you as a screenwriter to make the most of the moment. Focus on micro writing the scene without having to worry about what comes next. It’s small scale work with eagle-eyed attention. This is your chance to write a story that can really capture the audience.
Take a look at the short film Big Take (2024) on Youtube. In only about four minutes, it presents a situation, a pair of characters, and even a surprising ending. It’s able to do this by starting the screenplay in medias res.
From the opening scene, we:
- See the protagonist on the run
- Run into the second character while the protagonist goes in hiding.
- Experience the mutual rapport between the two thieves
- Realize the protagonist is one step ahead in his thieving ways
And all this happens while the two main characters have no spoken dialogue whatsoever.
Every choice you make matters when writing a short film. That challenge invites clear and careful steps. The story you want to tell is no longer constrained within popular structure or predictable fads.
Instead, writing a short film is a process that leaves you out in the open, you decide for yourself how to tell the story you want in a complete way. We don’t need to explain why the thieves in Big Take (2024) are even being pursued, who they stole from, or why they’re thieves. The point isn’t to package a complete story for the audience to dissect. It’s bringing an interesting situation, and maximizing the effect on your audience.
A short film’s screenplay should not serve a plot, there’s usually not enough time to do so. Instead, guide the audience along an experience towards the intended emotional response as efficiently and as nuanced as possible. Simple and short.
Short films offer the chance to cut right to the dilemma at the heart of your story, and move the hearts of your audience.
FREE STORY DILEMMA GUIDE: Every great story begins with a dilemma. If your plot feels unfocused or your tension falls flat, this FREE Dilemma Guide will help you identify, explore, and sharpen your protagonist’s central dilemma to reveal the most dynamic version of your story.
