Screenwriting Tip: Should I make a short film?

A video series addressing key screenwriting concerns in one minute.

Some time ago, I proposed an idea to my DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts colleagues: What if we produced a lively, informative series of videos called 60 Second Screenwriter? The concept was simple: Aggregate questions relevant to anyone interested in the craft of screenwriting, then use DePaul students and faculty to produce the series?

And we did it! There are 14 videos, each about one minute long.

Today: Should I make a short film?

The film school faculty in this video make a good point: There are some things about movies you can ONLY learn by making them. This is an important point for screenwriters. If you have a chance to get involved in a short film production, do it. If not, create that chance by writing a short film script.

Learn. By. Doing.

I had a great time producing the 60 Second Screenwriter series working with my fellow faculty members and a terrific group of undergraduate and graduate students. Here is the production team:

Director: Penny Penniston
Producer: Scott Myers
Cinematography: Shannon Kuncé
Production Audio Mixer: Eagle Liao
Editor & Colorist: Ana Christian
Post Audio: Joey DeFabio

You may see more videos in the series at our YouTube channel.