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I. Whereas Minnesota Premieres are required of all feature films, they are not required of short films. Additionally, short films may also have streamed online prior to their festival screening.
- Preproduction
- Production
- Post-Production & Festivals
- Conclusion
Hone the Script
Take as much time as you need on the screenplay and study other shorts to see what they did well or didn’t do well. There are a wide variety of shorts that work—some of them are closer to tone poems, and some feel like mini-features with full character arcs. Get feedback from people who understand what you’re trying to do. With every slug line and description comes hours of planning, shooting, and editing, so working things out on the page will make the best use of your time and energy throug...
Build a Great Team
Being surrounded by great people and having a good vibe on set is everything. I developed the script with a writer who is a close friend, Addison Anderson (CBS’s Tooning Out the News), and worked with another friend, Colin Moneymaker, to produce the film. Having a great producer will shape the project in ways you may not expect. Colin did a huge amount behind the scenes from giving story notes to designing the structure of the shoot and a workflow for post. We worked together to find people f...
Previsualize
Storyboarding will help clarify the intention of each shot for yourself and also make it easier to communicate what you have in mind to other departments. Before getting together with the DP, I’ll draw out how I imagine all the shots. Most of the shots in this film align with the storyboards, but there were also plenty of places where the DP suggested doing something completely different than I had imagined, and the film is all the better for it. Beyond storyboards, I’ll cut together a mood r...
Use What You Have & Shoot When You Can
I designed the film around a country cottage my family owns in the Virginia countryside. Whatever locations you have access to, use them. Compared to NYC, where I live, finding locations in the country that were interested in having us film there was simpler than filming in the city, and also more fun. Trey Edward Schultz shot Krisha in his parent’s home in Texas, and Clerks was shot at the convenience store where Kevin Smith was working. Work with your limitations, not against them. Addition...
Be Flexible
As a director, it’s important to plan everything and then be open to doing something completely different. One example in this film was that I planned a shot for the opening that had some interesting blocking and camera movement, but during the scout, we weren’t able to find a visually dynamic location to shoot it. While filming another scene, the DP noticed that the sun was going to create an incredible silhouette over the landscape adjacent to where we were shooting, and he suggested shifti...
Limit the Length of Shoot Days
Every shoot is different, but on indie projects lasting more than a few days, it’s important to try and keep the days to 12 hours to be respectful of the crew’s time and energy. We went longer than this one or two days of our shoot, and I wish we hadn't. Having an AD will help. Planning will help. There are always curveballs, but as much as humanly possible, it’s in everyone’s interest to stick to a sane schedule and turnaround time between shoot days. Editing Shut Eye
Kill Your Darlings
In some ways, the film is only as strong as its weakest link, so losing pieces that aren’t working is critical. During editing, make sure you’re either collaborating with an editor or getting feedback from viewers who can give you notes on what’s working and what’s not. I worked with an incredible editor, Alex Trierweiler, and he really helped to shape scenes, scares, and performance, and also got me to lose an entire 90-second scene. It included a separate location and character that we film...
Get Creative with the Score
This one is less of a tip and more of something I discovered and wanted to share as an option for those recording an original score. In all my previous films, I used source music, or the composer I worked with used a digital library of instruments to create the score. On Shut Eye, I worked with a great composer, Jerome Leroy. There were some particular, swirling off-kilter sounds I was after that could only be created with live instruments, so he recommended hiring a Budapest-based orchestra...
Consider Your Festival Premiere
Aim high and try for the best festival premiere you can get. Some major festivals place a high premium on premiere status, while other major festivals do not. However, premiering at a major festival will help set the trajectory of your film’s festival run.
Making a short is fun but can seem a little overwhelming if you haven’t done it before. Reading about it can definitely help prepare you. Even more helpful, collaborate with friends who’ve already made shorts. These tips are nowhere near comprehensive, so if you have specific questions, feel free to ask in the comments! And be sure to check out Shu...
- Robert Gregson
Dec 13, 2018 · Come and celebrate the Minnesota film community! Join us for a compilation of outstanding Minnesota connected short films. This is your opportunity to not only see some great films, but meet the filmmakers, cast and crew and learn more about the films.
Mar 24, 2023 · Short legal guide for independent filmmakers. You may see your filmmaking as passion, but in the eyes of the law, it's business. Here's what you need to know to protect yourself and your creations as an independent filmmaker.
Nov 29, 2023 · 2023 Cinema Lounge dates: May 31, July 26, September 27, November 29 (Canceled). Cinema Lounge is presented at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater, 810 W. Lake St. in Minneapolis. All shows: doors open 6:00 pm; show starts 7:00 pm. All screenings will be closed captioned with ASL interpreters upon request.
Jul 16, 2019 · The Strategy. Short of the Week lays out a 10-part strategy to successfully release your short film in today’s marketplace. Create an Online + Festival Strategy. Unlike with feature films, most festivals don’t care if you have your film online before submitting.
Oct 18, 2018 · For my first film “Hide/Seek,” I spent about $1000 on festival submissions, at around $50 average a pop (some festivals are $20 to submit a short film, some can be just around $100).
