Short Film Screenwriting

About this Class

The most important ingredient in a successful short film is a great script, yet few people focus on learning how to write well before they begin making films. In this 6-week Zoom course, students will acquire the skills and practice to write a great short movie script (it's different from writing a feature!) With accomplished writer and filmmaker, Eli Rarey as their instructor, students will go through practical writing exercises designed to get you from the blank page to a complete short script, ready to be shot. We will also discuss what makes a short film attractive to film festivals and how to write a script to be shot with a limited budget and resources. Curriculum: Week 1: What is a short film? Discuss examples of great short films and what qualities they share. Week 2: Demystifying story structure. What is a three-act structure? What makes a story compelling? How do I make an audience care about the characters? Week 3: Story genre and tricks of the trade. Different genres of short film, and tricks to make your screenplay delight the audience. Week 4: The rewrite. What do I do with my first draft? Am I done yet? (Spoiler: no, you're not done.) Week 5: Writing for production. How to rewrite your script with production constraints in mind. How to format a "shooting" script. Week 6: Next steps for new writers. Where are you at in your screenplay? What's next for you? Reviewing work so far. Every class will also provide time for feedback on student writing. Every student will get written feedback on one short script turned in the final week. Eli Rarey is an independent filmmaker, performance artist, and poet. His feature film The Famous Joe Project premiered at Outfest in 2012. His short films have appeared in festivals and won awards all over the world. The short documentary project Two Faiths One Prayer has been viewed nearly 300,000 times on YouTube. Rarey is a founding member of SCIENCE PROJECT performance collective and a regular contributor to the online art and literary journal Ohio Edit. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Theater Arts and an MFA degree from USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he later taught in the Interactive Media Division. In addition to his work as a writer and director, he has worked in visual effects on both independent and major studio films. ​ Rarey has lived in New York City, Dublin, Santa Rosa, Los Angeles, and Reykjavik. He is currently based out of Detroit