By now, you should have already picked your shoot date(s) before getting to the step of selecting your script. That is, unless you already had your heart set on a specific script before you even decided to plan a shoot.
And even if you do have your heart set on a script, there are some aspects of the script you need to consider before it passes the final veto.
Do not try to produce the Battle of Normandy or a remake of I Claudius in a 5 minute short.
Make the project short, simple and to the point. Less is more.
One of my favorite shorts consisted of grainy, black and white shots of a cat with French voiceover and English subtitles. The voiceover was the inner thoughts of the cat, lamenting its boring day-to-day existence, existentialism and its jaded attitude toward life. It was simple and hilarious.
You want a script that does not cost much to shoot. There are lots of ways a script can get expensive, more ways than I can outline here, but here are some basics.
Where to get a Short Script
It’s easy to find material for your movie.
There are many different sources for a short script that will suit your needs perfectly.
You may decide to write the script yourself, or you can always have someone else write it like a friend college writing student.
There are websites that will hook you up with pre-written screenplays.
You can even look to more alternative sources like newspaper articles, poems and personal stories that create interesting short movie material. You can even come up with great ideas playing improv games.
