Marilyn Milgrom's Script

Why are some directors driven to write their own scripts?

Out of frustration and desire to make something.

You shouldn't make an intense character study if you are scared of what?

Actors.

What should you be careful o if you only have 5k to make your film?

If you develop an action story. Stunts/special effects etc.

If a feature film might be described as a novella, how might a short be described?

Haiku.

What are the length boundries different film festivals stipulate in their short sections?

Usually 30 minutes maximum. Good story 20+ minutes.

If the function of your short is to make the audience laugh, how long should it be?

2-3 minutes.

What are the 3 basic elements any kind of dramatic story requires?

A world, a character and a problem.

Why can it be useful to set your film around a familiar event/ritual?

Can establish a recognisable world quickly and get on with the characters bio's and establish a time frame.

Why can a literal journey be a good setting for a short film?

It can take the character on an emotional journey.

What are the 5 most important questions to ask when you begin to develop your story?

Main character? What is their problem? How will the audience recognise this? Are the stakes high enough? Is it from the best point of view?

Three things that must drive your character through your story?

Want, need, obligation.

What crucially must accompany this element?

Why it is hard for them to achieve these things.

Why are a lot of short films about children and teenagers?

A lot of easy problems to base the film on.

What is one of the most important ways that you can demonstate your skill as a filmaker and not just a storyteller?

How you turn your characters inner problem into the heart of your film.

What does ensuring that something is at stake in the story mean the audience can do?

Understand what the character can lose.

How can a different POV change a story?

The audience may not feel attached to 1 person which weakens the story's impact.

Why do many short film scripts fall down?

The main characters journey does not chime with what the writer is trying to show.

Why does an awareness of the meaning inherent in your story matter?

Helps make importany decisions as you refine/develop your script.

What is tone immediately connected to and what are the implications of this?

Genre. Important to think about what the film is in broad terms.

How does tone emerge in a film?

How elements support the meaning of a story.

What is a common flaw of most short scripts submitted for funding?

Too little development.

What is the 10 point plan to test the spine of your story?

Title

Genre/tone

Setting (time and place)

Main character

Want/need/obligation

Opposition

Catalyst for change

Climax

Resolution

The audience feels...

What point does Marilyn Milgrom make about unity?

Every scene must be revealing something that increases the understanding of the characters problem.

How can we make sure that what happens at the end could not have happened earlier?

Each scene must move the story on.

What is signified by the 'order' in which to tell the story?

Once you have a story, establish an order; beginning, middle, end.

Whatdo audiences instinctively know?

When something is pretensious.

As a writer, what is the crucial thing you are looking to ensure?

Keep the audeince engaged.

How do we establish the world and the character?

With speech and dialogue.

What final advice is given for ensuring that a short is more cinematic, less televisual feel?

Make sure the dialogue is the last thing you do.

Who is the first audience of your film?

The reader of the script.