I have had a 30 page screenplay that I have been wanting to produce for almost a year now, but I have had friends tell me that I need to either cut it down to less than 10 minutes or bring it up to feature-length. So let me ask everyone here:
Could I do anything with a 30 page screenplay, such as get funding from a producer, or should I make it a length that is more sellable?
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Your friends are right. With the exception of certain documentaries, no audience wants to sit through a 30-minute short, so you may as well trim it down or give them a feature. Or turn it into a pilot if you can make a series from it. Why 30 pages, anyway? Did you just write and stop when the story felt done? Or was 30 pages the goal from the outset?
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Stephen Floyd I considered making it a pilot for a series, but I got more crowd support for a short than a series. As far as why did I make it 30 pages, I wrote until the story was properly and naturally concluded. Not to say it can't be extended, but I saw an ending while writing and I wrote until I reached it.
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Three ten minute web episodes. online time is not an issue.
30 minutes is long for a short. Don't forget you still have time to add for credits.
Festivals do their programming in 2 hour blocks. 30 min shorts eat up the blocks. They prefer 5-10 minutes. It would be easier to get the final product into a festival if shorter, even if you could only get it down to 15-20 minutes. A cable station that might roll an award winning short is also looking to fill a small 5 minute gap between programs, 30 minutes would be long for them.
And you're right, it raises your burden on the crowdfunding end due to the costs.
@Marc If you already have funds for CROWDS for the short do it. You can expand or change your project in future. Folks put “Labels” on works of art before it has even been shot. If you have money, crew and crowd, make it before circumstances alter. They might not be there for long. You can change it down the line. The crowds and crew availability might change next month. Why does shoot need to have acceptance with a ready made institutionalised template? So many minutes at exact cut off time. If acting, location and dialogue are cool in your example, the viewers will determine its fate. In the past I pitched a project as a pilot that got accepted as a short and visa versa.
Marc, The obvious answer is either cut it down five pages or turn it into a 75-80-page feature. I would be careful of doing a web series, but I admit, that's just me. Most people don't watch them and they don't carry the same sort of weight that Short Films or Feature Films do. These days, even on a lower-budget Indie, if you get a great young DP with a great camera and some wonderful actors, you can play either a short or feature in Film Festivals and get them on Amazon, Hulu or DVD/BLU-RAY. You can four-wall it or get limited distribution in anywhere from 1-100 theaters. And, if you got a real, experienced producer to help you, you can even get some character actors or television actors with recognizable faces and in some cases, names. I can only tell you my experienced coming from 18 pictures produced and this is what has worked for me. A web series, will not carry that sort of merit - not in terms of marketability or in terms of a calling-card. Again, these are just my opinions. But, it's a New Year and you have time to make it yours! Hope this helps! GOD BLESS and STAY FRESH!!! <3
I agree with @Sam Great DOP and great actors will enable you you to self stream a polished product on certain platforms. Also if you are “Pitching” an idea there is no harm in having extra footage left over standard industry running time period for supposed “short”. If an executive or producer likes your work they will ask for more of what you got. I always have it ready up my sleeve. Nothing wrong with a long short as long as its good. It can be cut. Web/Tv streaming has morphed last few years, there are now hybrids of genres and a newer phase of closed ended stories with shorter viewing slots. Not everyone has time to be glued to a screen for several hours each week, more and more built in audiences are watching shorter streaming on social platforms such as Facebook Watch. I would not dismiss web streaming when pitching your idea, for either shorter closed ended views or longer episodic hourly slots. Their is no short or long. People are watching twenty to thirty minute stories, commuter viewing as its lovingly called. The other side of the coin is sixty, or ninety minute episodic viewing.
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Do the short. There was a short made in 1999 called "Last Request" with Michael Chiklis in it. It's about 17 minutes long, but it's good. I have faith that if they could do it with 17 minutes, you can do it with 30. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, friend.
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Have you thought of making an anthology movie?
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The other question you want to ask yourself is what are doing with it after? If its something for the festival market, then yes I agree to cut it down. The shorter the better.
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Please check it: https://www.filmaka.com/competition-rules.php?p=3
May be it will help
All these are good comments. I’ll have a few 30-40 page scripts. I’ll have an idea and start working it out. I can do that in 30-40. These may never be a feature, and they are too big (scope and budget) for a short film.
This has given me so food for thought.