In preparation for making your narrative short keep these simple guidelines in mind:

You are telling a STORY.

Whose story is it?

What happens? Have a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Where does the story take place?

When does the story take place?

Why have you decided to tell this story?

What is the importance of this hero story to you and others?

The best place to begin your filmmaking process is with writing your SCRIPT.

Keep the story and action as simple as possible.

Outline the main points you are interested in.

Make a list of questions.

Structure the beginning, middle, and end.

Write, re-write, and re-write some more.

Get feedback.


STRUCTURE:

In structuring a narrative short, you can combine establishing shots, scenes, montages, and subjective footage in a variety of ways to create an interesting story.

Establishing shots are usually wide exteriors of the location to establish where the story takes place.

Scenes are usually shot with actors interacting in a location. Some scenes have dialogue, some do not.

Montages are usually created by combining music and stills (or footage without dialogue) in sequences to help tell the story.

Subjective footage is "getting inside the character's head." There are many ways to be creative in expressing what a character is feeling, thinking or dreaming. Point of view (POV) shots with some sound effects and narration (voiceover) can create the effect of being in someone's head.