How to Write a Short Film Script

A short film script is written from a single core: a moment, a decision, a feeling. In order: find the idea, compress it into a one-sentence logline, build it as a quick setup + a single situation + one turn, write an earned ending, then trim the script for shootability and read it aloud to rewrite. Don't force a feature's three-act template onto a short.

A short film's structure isn't a feature's structure

A feature carries many characters, years and subplots. A short film has a single core. The setup is quick (who, where and what's wrong within the first minute), a single situation deepens in the middle, and a turn arrives. The secret in one word: focus.

How many pages should it be?

1 page ≈ 1 minute. For a first short, 5–10 pages is a realistic target. Don't worry about the page count; worry about whether each scene has to be there: a scene that doesn't carry anything comes out.

The ending is the most critical moment

In a short film, the ending is what stays with the audience. A good ending isn't a surprise for the sake of surprise; it's earned by what the story has been building from the start. As you write it, ask: does this ending change the situation we saw at the opening?

Write it shootable

Two or three locations at most — and you must really be able to get into all of them.
Three or four speaking characters at most.
Night, crowd and exterior scenes are either absent or can be planned one by one.
No expensive work like special effects, stunts or in-car shots — or it can be cut.

Wrong / Right

Wrong

“Ali thinks about how much he regrets it and remembers his childhood.” — Inner thought and the past can't be filmed; in a short film there's no room for them at all.

Right

“Ali picks up the phone, dials the number, stops on the last digit. He puts the phone down on the table, then picks it up again.” — Behaviour you can see and hear.

How to do it

Core — Say what your film is “about”: not “a boy whose ball falls in the water” but “a boy learning to lose for the first time”.
Logline — Who, what they want, what stands in the way? No more than two sentences, and don't give away the ending.
Skeleton — Quick setup → the single situation deepens → turn → earned ending.
Scenes — Write in standard format, by showing: slug line, action, dialogue.
Shootability — Cut locations, actors and expensive scenes down to your means; mark the scenes you can't shoot.
Reading and rewriting — Read it aloud start to finish and time it, get at least one other person to read it, sort the notes into “craft” and “taste”, then produce the shooting draft.

Checklist

Does your film have a single core (a moment, a decision, a feeling)?
Is your logline clear on who, what they want and what's in the way?
Within the first minute, is it clear who, where and what's wrong?
Is the ending earned, or does it come from outside?
Is everything you've written something that can be seen or heard?
Have you read the script aloud and timed it?

Download as Word and PDF

Open the Word version and write straight over it; the PDF looks the same on every device and prints as it is.

You can write without downloadingStart writing in screenplay format →Senaryum — opens in the browser, nothing to install. It formats the slug line, the action and the dialogue as you type.You can try it without an account; you'll need one to save and download what you write.

Sample screenplay — “The Scale”A complete 5-page short film script in standard format: slug lines, action and dialogue.Word (.docx)PDF

Blank screenplay template — standard formatOpen it in Word and start writing: Scene Heading · Action · Character · Dialogue styles built in, Courier New 12.Word (.docx)PDF

Frequently asked questions

How many pages is a short film script?

In standard format one page is roughly one minute of screen time. For a first short, 5–10 pages is a realistic target.

Does a short film need three acts?

Not the feature's template. A short works as a quick setup, a single situation that deepens, one turn and an earned ending. What it needs is focus, not a set number of acts.

What's the most common mistake in short film scripts?

Too much story for the length: several characters, years, a whole life in ten minutes. The other one is writing thoughts and memories the camera can't film. Pick one moment and show it through behaviour.