How to Write a Short Film Script as a High School Student
How to Write a Short Film Script as a High School Student
By Riley Wescott
By Riley Wescott
High school is a time for teenagers to discover themselves through creative expression; whether that creative outlet is drawing, painting, singing, acting, dancing, playing an instrument, taking photos, or writing, everyone at some point finds what they enjoy putting their heart and soul into.
As the vice president of the Abington Heights Film Club, it is fair to say that at this point in my high school career, I have found that magical task that makes my brain run and allows me to be completely and honestly myself: screenplay writing.
Writing a screenplay seems simple enough; just come up with a solid idea and go with it. But in reality, it is significantly more difficult then some may suspect. As a veteran screenplay writer, I will be introducing you to some of my personal tips and tricks in writing a successful script for a short film.
To begin the process of writing a screenplay, you must begin with the brainstorming. You cannot begin writing without a clear idea of what you want to write about. Coming up with the initial idea is truly the hardest step in the process, so it is good to know what allows your creative juices to flow.
The number one thing that is proven to get my brain running is going for a walk. The walk doesn’t have to be anything too fancy, just a brisk stroll through your neighborhood is fine. Walking allows me to clear my mind of everything else going on in my life--school, family problems, personal issues, stresses, etc.-- and when you put all of that to the back of your mind, you allow more space in your brain for new concepts.
I would recommend that you begin your walk with a genre in mind, so while you’re on the walk you can begin to explore around that genre and start to form a concept. You should say to yourself, “What other movies in that genre do I like that could be inspiring?” Just by looking at your list of favorite films in a genre, you’ll be able to pick up on some of the points that you enjoy and would work well in your screenplay (without any plagiarism, of course!). Walking will provide you with some key points that can get you started on the path to a finished screenplay.
Once I have a genre in mind, I usually listen to some music while on my walk to help me begin to formulate ideas. Specific songs may peak your interest and assist in providing concepts leading to the creation of your story. Whenever I am listening to music, I visualize a scene that could feature the song that I am listening to and then I go from there. Having the genre already picked out, visualizing scenes to music is easy-peasy. When you have a scene playing out in your head, it makes it so much easier to begin constructing a plot around that scene. Music is a very important tool in my process of writing and could be the same for you too.
The best and most effective way to get ideas flowing into a concrete story is to talk with others about your concepts. Everytime I come up with something that I believe could make a good script, the first immediate action I take is talking to some of my fellow film club members and explaining it to my parents. Their feedback, criticisms, and added ideas will help an immense amount in the construction of ideas into a plotline. If your ideas had some inconsistencies that you didn’t notice, your friend probably will be able to point it out or if you're stuck on how the ending of your script will play out, your parents may have some ideas that may work. Once they help guide you into writing a good enough story for a script, you can begin writing your screenplay! The initial brainstorming to the eventual conversations with trusted companions for advice will lead you to a successful writing process in beginning what will hopefully become a short film!