How to Create a Narrative Short Film

Co-authored by Kendall Payne

Last Updated: August 10, 2021

Ever dream of creating a film, but don't want to spend forever preparing a couple hours of movie time? This article will tell you how to create a beautiful Narrative short film.

Steps

1
Have A basic idea. Ex: you are going to make a short film about a poor girl in Africa who dreams of becoming a famous singer. This is a basic idea.
2
Sit down and write all of the main characters. try to keep it under 5 characters to make it easier. If not, that's okay too! Write their personality and background. And if your Artistic, draw them out, along with what they wear (costumes).

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3
Write a script. If you are doing this alone, try testing different voices you can do. Go along with the story line, and have scenes. EX: Scene 1; Nina's home. Scene 2; The farm, etc. Then, write what you envision the characters saying and write what they're doing. EX: Scene 1; Nina's home. Nina: Mother, I'm done my chores. May I go sing outside? *Mother is cooking* Mother: Yes, Dear, etc. Have this going for every scene.
4
Read it over. Read it again and again to see if it makes any sense. Try timing how long it takes to read with a timer. Take an occasional pause at parts where the characters have a big choice to make, etc.
5
OPTIONAL: Have a crew. If not, skip to step 6. Maybe you don't know how to edit, And your best buddy Jim does. Have Jim help sort out the short. Also, maybe your friends Bob, Lois, and Sam want to act in this movie. Danny wants to make the costumes, and Cindy will record the short.
6
Create costumes. Maybe she has a dress on because its so warm in Africa. Maybe you need to wear a parka because your character lives at the North Pole. Try to relate you costume with the weather.
7
Practice. Don't just step in front of the camera with your script! Try to memorize the most part of your script. Make sure you are saying your sentences in the right tone of voice, and make sure your costume will stay on if you do some sort of dance.
8
Have the camera set up on a tripod. If you don't have one, make your own. if your filming in the hallway, put the camera on a chair, or even the closet shelf. A good angle for a running scene its to turn the tripod upside down with the camera on it, and point it at whomever is running.
9
Choose your editing software. Windows Movie maker is fine if you're just a starters at editing, But if your more advanced, try Imovie, or even Adobe Premiere Pro or After Effects!
10
Edit. Did you want to grayscale that clip, or flip it around? Editing takes a huge amount of patience. If you were talking in one clip and can't hear yourself, turn the volume on the clip up. Depending on how you want it, you can accomplish almost anything on the higher advanced software.
11
Narrate it. Have the movie complete, and have the narrator record his voice as he watches the movie. Most computers now have a built in microphone, but if not, webcams work fine, and you can purchase microphones at your local Walmart or Target.
12
Export it. MP4 is one of the most popular formats for video. AVI is another. Do some research on what file does what, because Youtube only allows some formats. Burn some discs to give to friends, e-mail your movie, Put it on Youtube, or anything. Now you can look back and say "I made a short film."!

Community Q&A
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Question

How do you start a short film?

Kendall Payne
Writer, Director, & Stand-up Comedian
Kendall Payne is a Writer, Director, and Stand-up Comedian based in Brooklyn, New York. Kendall specializes in directing, writing, and producing comedic short films. Her films have screened at Indie Short Fest, Brooklyn Comedy Collective, Channel 101 NY, and 8 Ball TV. She has also written and directed content for the Netflix is a Joke social channels and has written marketing scripts for Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Astronomy Club, Wine Country, Bash Brothers, Stand Up Specials and more. Kendall runs an IRL internet comedy show at Caveat called Extremely Online, and a comedy show for @ssholes called Sugarp!ss at Easy Lover. She studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and at New York University (NYU) Tisch in the TV Writing Certificate Program.

Kendall Payne

Writer, Director, & Stand-up Comedian

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

You don't have to have expensive equipment to make your first film—just get a cheap tripod for your iPhone and start shooting. If you'd like, you can get a plugin microphone as well, although the microphones on iPhones aren't bad. When you're ready to upgrade, the next step would be to get a cheap DSLR, a tripod, and a mic that you can attach to the top of the DSLR.
Question

What is narrative film?

Community Answer

Narrative films tell a story. Most popular short films are narrative (think Lynch's "Cowboy and the Frenchman"). Great examples of non-narrative short films would be the many works of Stan Brakhage and Bruce Conner or "Wavelength" by Michael Snow.
Question

What is the minimal time for a short film?

Community Answer

Most short films are at least two minutes long, and can be up to an hour long, but there is no set time.

Warnings

Don't put your camera on a dangerous spot, such as a wood stove, in the snow, etc. The last thing you need is for your camera to not work.

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Try not to be too bossy if you have a crew. Work together and don't take all the credit.

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