... that is counter-
productive to the dramatic elements of the story, much as the third-person
position is.
The second-person position, then, is a risk for the writer. The danger is
that the writer ... Character and the Antagonist
In the longer film, the relationship of the main character to the antagonist is
used to create a heroic dimension in the main character. Th...
... incident
on film, but when threatened by the young man, who wants the incriminat-
ing footage, the filmmaker tries to call his bluff. The young man kills him
and takes the film.
The character of the filmmaker ... turn.
Style in the Short Film
In the short film, the notion that you are watching a documentary is even
more critical than in the long film. Consequen...
... about their fate, rather than
to see ourselves in them. These observations make us curious as to the rea-
sons for their desire and the consequent self-abnegation. Unlike in hyper-
drama, where the ... a
powerful energy into the experience of the film.
Linkages to the Other Arts
More than any of the other genres in this section, the experimental narrative
takes up the othe...
... stocky, grey-haired
male takes his ticket from the small opening in the glass
partition of the ticket office. The open-air station leaves
the harsh winter breeze free to prey on the dozen
passengers ... makes
out the Nazi soldiers boarding the last passenger car. He
jogs over to the bench to retrieve his suitcase under cover
of the steam and boards the first passenger ca...
... next to each other in a line. WE
HEAR THE BELL SOUND. Girls are to either side of the
little girls.
MERYL
I like sugar . . . and I like strawberries.
266 Writing the Short Film
App-B.qxd 9/27/04 ... play. They have not seen other children in a long
time. They stand statuesque for a moment and then are
lured in by the children’s game.
11. EXT. THE SHACK—DAY
Rachel is taking...
... of a
PARTY.
SHEILA
Well, hi there, sweetheart.
JULIE
Hi, mommy.
SHEILA
When did you get in? Come talk to me . . .
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JULIE
Mom, the ... share everything.
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IRIS
Not even him?
LUCY
No, not him . . .
They slowly get up out of the windowsill and walk to...
... from the Aristotelian con-
cerns of their predecessors. Consequently, the relevance of these books to
the writing of the short film posits an analogy between the structure of the
short film and ... driven, realism-oriented long film. Indeed, one of our
major points about the short film is its linkage to literary forms such as the
short story, the poem, the...
... destructive.
The clang of metal doors as the students are shut into their sleeping areas
at night and the tone and pitch of the alarms that awaken them in the morn-
ing create a strong sense that the ... Now, slowly, the
shapes of the huts and other buildings become
discernible: the gates, the near watchtowers with their
guards and machine guns, the prison block, the m...
... across the street top,
smothering the air with Christmas joy. Snow pours out
of the sky. The faint sound of Booker T & the MGs
playing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”
Then, out of the snow, ... you.
He grabs the letters and dismounts his bike. Swiping his
hand along Rudolf’s body, he gives him a quick pat on
the head and moves toward the house.
338 Writing the Shor...
... is whether the target of derision merits the
treatment. The form works best when the target is important or well-
known, because the bigger the target, the more likely the target is a can-
didate ... more savage than other forms,
because the object of the satire, in the mind of the writer, deserves to be
ridiculed.
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