Screenwriting : Turning a short into a feature length script by Solange Plaza

You will have to obviously flesh out the characters and the backstory more. Why don't you take a look at the short - Curfew (which I believe you may find for free on YouTube or you can get it on I-Tunes or somewhere) - and then see what the filmmaker, Shawn Christensen, did with his fleshed out feature, Before I Disappear. He wrote and directed both. I believe it will help you immensely. GOD BLESS and STAY FRESH!!!

Thanks much! I will have a look :)

Happy Holidays, everyone! The theory with the short is: if you can make ten minutes of fire, you can rinse and repeat for 20, 30, up 90 or more. Ten minutes is like the magic rinse and repeat number. The 'issue' with the transition will be the number of sequences. A short is 1,2, maybe 3. A feature averages 21 to 24. Fresh news, or plot points every 3 to 7 minutes. Hope this helps.

I did a short.

https://youtu.be/jcy6SbxfkXI

It was the theme of a novel I have and a feature I intend to write.

1) Not true. 2) You need a conflict that goes the distance. 3) Structure and pacing are important.

I'm an Actor by trade and training and a Creative by choice. Actors say this, "...if it ain't on the page (in any format), it aint on the page." Why is that important? It's important because if you got a short (ahem-it's on the page) then you got a feature (you just have to project it out). I bet if you find some actors in your city, Solange, they can turn it into a feature. So if you can't see you way clear, I would say listen to your Protag, surely he (or she/they etc) has said or did something that would piss the Antag off in a longer timeframe. If not, show me a treatment of your short. I guarantee that I can give you a feature. #YouHave2WriteIt but I can find your golden nugget. Maxwell out.

True. As Sun Tsu said, “There is no difference between leading a small army and leading a large army. It is merely a matter of divisions.” A feature done well is, after all, several shorts with a common theme all strung together. People just sense a huge psychological barrier toward shooting a feature, so they treat it like a bigger deal than it is.

Thank you everyone for your input!

Hi Shawn the short is not quite 10 mins, its just about 7 so I don't know if that makes any difference.

Thanks William Martel, that's a very good point about the conflict, I will definitely need to raise the stakes higher for the feature.

Hi CJ Walley, that truly is the burning question, is it feature length worthy? But I do think the overall theme has many layers to explore, just worried I may not be expert enough to bring it all out or maybe that I want to say too much and it gets lost in translation.

Thanks for your kind offer to help Maxwell, lol @ the protagonist pissing off the antagonist... that certainly does happen.

Thanks Stephen! That indeed is my problem, really worried about running out of breath for the feature, but there's no way to know unless I attempt it really :)

Thanks for all the advice I'll keep you posted on any progress.

Interesting film Craig.

Here's what I learned from my three year stint in Denver, and that regions independent film market: The more creatives involved in the project, the greater the chance of failure. I was a lead in many projects that still haven't been finished - and probably won't. Of all the stuff I shot, I have one project that made it to Amazon. No worries here,. it was great practice. Got some solid reels. What you will find when you shoot a feature, most creatives are playing creative. That, and a feature takes forever with a crew that has real jobs is an uphill battle from the get go. If you're thinking of shooting anything, I would absolutely stay away from the feature.

Solange Plaza thanks. The entire story is about religious fanatics and how damage a person is willing to do when they believe they are correct.

Plus how large organisations like the FBI can corrupt an outcome by sticking to process.

A big story. Which we squeezed into 2 mins. There is a behind the scenes in my channel as well. Luck I can write, I am garbage as an actor.

Hey Shawn that's a bit depressing since the ultimate goal is to get to the shooting phase but I understand completely how frustrating it will be especially with people who have other jobs. I'll let you know if it works out :)

And Sam Thanks so much for the recommendation... I am inspired :) It's a really good reference.

Craig D Griffiths all the best to you. Keep on creating!

Is the short simply "source" material? Unless this is a job where you gotta follow employer's notes, just use your imagination/your own Point of View and spin the idea for a feature film.