Reader Question: What about story structure for a short film?

From Ray:

What advice can you give for short film structure? On the one hand I’ve got both Linda Cowgill and my writing prof from last semester saying you still need 3-act structure, just that the pieces will all be much shorter. On the other hand you’ve got Roberta Munroe’s book on short films (which admittedly was aimed at directors more than writers) which says “screw 3-act structure, you don’t have time, just get in and get out.”

I’m working on a short script now, hope to get it to come in at less than 15 minutes, and although I think the story is good, I’m feeling a little lost without the structure signposts.

Ray, you got me. I’ve never written a short script. I’ve never shot a short film. Anything I say on this subject would be complete and utter conjecture. So let me ask GITS readers up front — and I know there are a lot of you — any of you who have a background making short films, would you provide some advice in Comments on Ray’s behalf? Thanks in advance!

[Jeff Messerman, I know you just shot a 15 minute short, so I’m asking you specifically to chime in.]

As to the ‘debate’ between Cowgill and Munroe, neither of whom I know personally or professionally, let’s just say I’d probably have a more agreeable dinner discussion with Cowgill.

What is three-act structure at its core but this:

Beginning.
Middle.
Ending.

Is it possible to tell a story without those three movements? Sure, you can approach them backward, go nonlinear, play around with them any way you want, but I don’t know how you tell a story, an actual narrative, not a vignette or a set-up with no payoff, without have a beginning, middle and end.

Re Munroe’s concern about time in a short film: Sure, it’s an issue. But time is an issue for any script, whether it’s 3 pages or 120. A writer is always concerned about time, most often not having enough of it.

And yet you have this:

Three minutes. A complete story. Contemporary time frame and historical. Beginning, Middle, Ending.

It’s amazing what a filmmaker can do in 180 seconds.

Using some theoretical frenzy over not having enough time as a justification for dumping three-act structure for short films seems… what’s the word I’m looking for here… nuts?

So if you’re “feeling a little lost without the structure signposts,” I don’t blame you. My advice: Take whatever you can get from Munroe’s book about short films, then simply skip whatever he has to say about three-act structure. If you’re comfortable with that approach to narrative — which you should be because it is universal to story — embrace it for your short film.

GITS readers, what’s your advice?

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