Have a 28 page script of a movie I have great confidence in. Thoughts on fleshing it out to more pages. Modern day version of High Plains Drifter meets Fist Full of Dollars with ACDC Highway to Hell as soudtrack. Help please.
Screenwriting : Flesh out action movie by Louis Zinser
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You could outline more scenes for the main storyline, Louis Zinser. You could also outline new storylines and connect them to the main storyline.
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Does it feel like it tells a complete story at 28 pages? Only expand it if the world and the characters really ask for it and the story really needs it!
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It does tell a complete story. I just get concerned the length of it when shot. One thing I take some comfort in is the action sequence when shot would be longer then what appears on paper.
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Even with that said, it still usually evens out to a page a minute after all is said and done. As long as it feels earned and organic I'd say go for it, at least start outline and creating character outlines. I have been a part of one particular feature that was expanded from a short film and the results were decidedly mixed. In hindsight it may not have been the way to go. That's the only reason I share my concerns here!
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That is a short film, but long for a short. So either cut it down to 20 pages for a short or expand into 90 minimum for a feature.
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A possible general risk in making features from (successful) shorts:
https://www.npr.org/2014/12/05/366645932/before-i-disappear-a-long-night...
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Definitely expand it then. Thanks. I am confident it needs to be a full length and will be a good movie. Thanks all for feedback and thoughts. Greatly appreciated!
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You're welcome, Louis Zinser.
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No money in shorts, other than using them as samples for paid directing jobs. My college classmate is a DGA member and 20-year career directing movies & tv. The short movie that started the career sits in a closet, nobody wants to see it, not even him.
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Dan MaxXx This is true, but the usefulness of shorts does also depend on your location to some extent. In Europe, a lot of film funding comes from state entities, both national and EU. One of the main avenues for gaining "street cred" with producers is to prove your ability to get state funding for a short, and then, preferably, have it do well on the festival circuit. Once you have managed that, subsequent funding is easier to obtain. The state entities will not typically fund you for a feature right out of the gate.
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If you started a screenplay and have no idea how it's going to end, then you don't have a concept or a theme or even a coherent story. It's like starting a trip without knowing your destination. If you know how it's going to end, you work backwards...adjusting everything to get to your desired resolution.