Contrasting and comparing the differences and similarities between feature films and short films, Writing Short Films offers readers the essential requirements necessary to make their writing crisp, sharp and compelling. Emphasizing characters, structure, dialogue and story, Writing Short Films dispels the "magic formula" concept that screenplays can be constructed by anyone with a word processor and a script formatting program. Writing a good screenplay, short or long, is a difficult job. Citing numerous examples from short films as well as feature films, the author teaches strategies to keep a short film on track and writer's block at bay. Chapter headings include "The Three Part Nature of Film Structure," "Proper Screenplay Format," and "Dialogue: The Search for the Perfect Line." - Publisher.