“...I think you're both trying to get a big reaction out of the audience. So much of horror and comedy is also about pacing and timing and how you play it, how you lay the story out, surprise. So much of it is about surprise. The really good ones, too, they're very structured and loose at the same time. It's a weird combination where you have to be kind of intuitive, but then also have deep precision. Whereas like with a drama or something like that, you're just playing the emotions of those scenes, and it doesn't have to end. It has a rhythm, but it's just different. 

"But I mean, the biggest thing I think about in comedy and horror is at least for me, you're thinking of the audience. You're trying to elicit something out of the audience, a scream or a laugh or both."

This isn’t a notion that is unique to Hollywood insiders. Academic arguments have been made about this inherent link between humor and fear. A scholarly paper published almost 25 years ago in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism offers that the literary coupling of horror and comedy is about as old as horror literature, itself. 

But what does this mean for writers of horror, comedy, or both? From a personal angle, this knowledge has always yielded something of a Reese’s Cup Effect — “Two great tastes that taste great together!” Horror-comedy is a beloved phenomenon of a genre mashup (with a rich enough tradition to yield its own separate article). But a 50/50 genre split isn’t the only way to take advantage of the bond between the two genres. Adding a small dash of one of these genres has been proven effective in enhancing the flavor of the other. 

Enter Now  |  Final Deadline in 22 days

“You Got Comedy in My Horror!” 

The realm of comedy has left its sticky fingerprints all over even the most macabre works of horror. From American Horror Story to IT, clowns have become so prominent a horror trope that most of us seem to have forgotten that they were ever meant to be seen as funny. But beyond that, comedy manages to find its way into the scariest works of horror via dialogue, if not character tropes and types like the aforementioned. 

William Friedkin’s 1973 megahit The Exorcist has been hailed as the scariest movie of all time. By an actual study. But one of its most memorable moments boils down to the most crass “Yo’ Momma” joke to hit the screen at the time. Similarly, the cheeky one-liners intrinsic to Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street’s brutal villain Freddy Krueger have become a staple of the franchise. In the case of these films, putting humor in the mouths of evil antagonists yields a chilling effect. It’s a technique that demonstrates the villain’s confidence in their control over their target. It’s a psychological taunt that catches their victims off-guard and lets them know that disposing of them will be light work. It lets a character (and the audience) know they are dealing with a whole new level of twisted.

Read More: How William Friedkins 'The Exorcist' Became a Haunting Landmark in Horror Film

'It' (2017)

“You Got Horror in My Comedy!”

Comedy has taken a shine to parodying some of the most unsettling moments in horror. And this is not just true of TV and film. You can find examples of this on any social media site whenever a new scary title trends. The comedic influencer meme machine did most of the heavy lifting for M3gan (2022, dir. Gerard Johnstone) in terms of marketing. 

But on the big screen, comedic films often turn to horror when they need a quick build of tension. Body horror is a common staple in this toolbox. How many times have we seen a funny film where a character gets seriously hurt and pops up with a Cronenbergian injury that’s played for laughs? What makes this technique funny, as in the case of 2019’s Good Boys (dir. Gene Stupnitsky), is that the injury never quite feels as bad as it looks for the affected character. This reinforces the old comedy adage that we can laugh at the pain as long it all works out in the end. 

A Perfect Pair

This match-made-in-heck boils down to some crossover elements that have been well-studied. Film scholar Julie Selbo attributes this in part to their shared penchant for the hyperbolic. Both horror and comedy have upended this expectation, however, by exploring subdued and grounded ways to evoke the chills and chuckles they respectively seek. But this will always be true of both; an appeal to our most responsive emotional reactions. Our physical reactions to amusement and fear both live on involuntary hair triggers. This is why we make games out of stopping ourselves from laughing or flinching. An art form that can take us on a rollercoaster featuring both is a commendable balance beam act. 

Horror-comedy is a deft artistic maneuver that plays our feelings of fear and folly off of one another. The Evil Dead is one of the most popular horror-comedy movies of all time for its originality and irreverence. Other examples, such as the Scary Movie franchise, take a spoof approach to point out the underlying goofiness of more seriously scary films. But it makes one wonder if there’s a way for horror to normalize the converse and commandeer comedy tropes for its own purposes. What would that look like? Seltzer flowers full of hydrochloric acid? Banana cream pies to the face, except there’s a hidden layer of spiders? (All roads lead to clowns.)

Read More: 25 Films You Have to Watch If You're Writing a Horror Script

HAVE A GREAT HORROR SCRIPT? GET SCRIPT NOTES FROM THOSE WHO REALLY KNOW HORROR!

The post You Slay Me: The Delicious Marriage Between Horror and Comedy appeared first on ScreenCraft.

1.) Enjoy Greater Creative Freedom

Unlike their longer counterparts, there are almost no traditional mandates for what a short film script should contain — aside from an exciting or moving story. Short scripts can rely on dialogue or be fully silent. They can feature just one character or even opt to replace a protagonist in the traditional sense with a setting. Tone poems and other “artsy” short film genres completely subvert the usual prescribed must-haves for a film project. While scripts for these may look more like treatments than screenplays, writing one can push the boundaries for an artist’s notion of what a story actually is and allow them to explore their narrative creativity in new ways. 

Read More: 101 Story Prompts to Kickstart Your Short Film

2.) Streamline Your Revision Process

Revision is the most important, but often most painful part of being a writer. Finding people to give notes. Figuring out which of those notes will actually make the story better. Applying the notes, and repeating. It’s far easier to practice this notes process — which, like all components of writing, requires practice — with shorter scripts. Readers have more time for a 5-pager than a feature script. Use a short film script to learn who in your network enjoys your style, what kind of notes they give and how eager they would be to read a larger piece from you. 

Enter Now  |  Regular Deadline in 22 days

3.) Try a No-Fear Page-One Rewrite

Whenever a writer receives the advice to try starting a script over from scratch, it can send us reeling. “Is there nothing of value in this draft?” we ask. But sometimes the solution is to attack a story from a completely different angle. The great thing about a short film script is that it can take less than a day to draft one from concept to completion. And if a writer is curious about what the story might look like from the perspective of another character, or even with a totally different tone or genre lens, playing around with the shortest version of it is relatively pain-free.

Read More: Write Your Short Film in 7 Days

4.) Distill Your Unique Narrative Voice

It’s just as easy, if not easier, to leave a reader with a desired impression via a shorter script. So, it’s beneficial to consider using short scripts to represent your distinct writer's “voice” while you are building a reputation. With less page space to fill, the nuances of your tone and style are amplified. If you’re a comedy writer, your funniest punchline will be the reader’s takeaway. If you write a thriller, your twists won’t get tangled in backstory or B-plot. Writing a short script allows you to shine a light on your favorite facets of your writing, which makes your work more distinctly “you.”  

Read More: 4 Lessons Taylor Swift Can Teach You About Storytelling

5.) Spend Less (Or No) Money on Promotion

Just like feature-length screenplays and teleplays, there is a contest/competition market for short scripts. And guess what? Their fees are understandably lower. Festival-based contests allow short script awardees to participate in all the same on-site networking activities as feature-length screenplay winners. If you’ve earned a place of honor at the same festival as someone who paid a higher entry fee and spent more time writing a longer script, haven’t you come out on top? But there are also some significant free opportunities to promote a short script. I’ve had several of my short scripts reviewed at no cost.

6.) Wear More Creative Hats in Production

The intuitive step for writers looking to expand into directing or producing — or, even acting — is to focus on short-form content. Most short scripts are going to have an independent, non-commercial path to production. That means the financial stakes are lower and there’s more room to try new things and make learners’ mistakes. So, if you’re looking to build up a multihyphenate resume, writing a short film script and helping to see it through production could be your answer. 

Read More: 10 Great Short Films You Can Watch Online Right Now

7.) Increase the Likelihood of Production

Short scripts usually necessitate low-to-no-budget productions, with very few exceptions. At the end of the day, screenwriters write for the screen. And having made it there puts a writer in a better position than one who has not. Whether for student productions or showpieces for working professionals, short scripts are more likely to be produced by people other than their writers compared to long-form pieces. This is because they are a filmmaker’s first stop for a creative showpiece, as full pilots and features have more structured and guarded paths to production. They’re often made with skeleton crews, few locations, minimal shoot days and shared equipment. You might be surprised by the high production value that a short script can inspire, even with a minimal budget.

Read More: 6 Features That Started Out as Short Films 

8.) Open the Door for Your Longer Projects

Another anecdote from my personal vault: a 15-minute web short almost turned into a half-hour series featuring and executive produced by Emmy-winning stars Sheryl Lee Ralph and Niecy Nash. And while “almost” doesn’t pay the bills, you can bet that completing even a short-form project with these names led to development for my longer projects. Your work doesn’t need to be long to pack the kind of punch that draws the right talent to launch your career. Film festivals demonstrate this every year with their short film offerings — and it’s something anyone can achieve.

So, what are you waiting for?

Try your hand at a short film script today and know that ScreenCraft has got you covered throughout the process. 

Read More: How to Write Short Stories That Make An Emotional Impact

CHECK OUT OUR PREPARATION NOTES SO YOU START YOUR STORY OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK!

The post 8 Reasons Why You Should Write a Short Film Script appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Some, I’ve seen. Some, I haven’t. All of them, for better or worse, Diddy Bop atop my Interest Button — and likely, yours.

More info coming soon  |  Remind Me

Nope

Writer: Jordan Peele, Director: Jordan Peele

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “Two siblings who run a California horse ranch discover something wonderful and sinister in the skies above, and the owner of an adjacent theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon.”

Jordan Peele has not only redefined the horror genre, but he also managed to successfuly mix westerns, sci-fi, and horror with Nope. Also, this cast is incredible, with Keke Palmer CONSISTENTLY killing it and Daniel Kaluuya’s once-in-a-generation talent showing its versatility yet again. Aliens. Unscrupulous entrepreneurs. Existential dread. Sounds like the aptest representation of our post-pandemic zeitgeist.

If you want to dive deeper, check out our video essay about the meaning behind Jordan Peele's Nope.

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Writers: Sarah DeLappe/Kristen Roupenian/Chloe Okuno/Josh Sharp/Aaron Jackson, Director: Halina Reijn

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “When a group of rich 20-somethings plans a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game goes awry in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong.”

Seeing Amandla Stenberg, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson in the same movie is a little like getting yogurt and honey on my bacon at brunch — not quite what I would have asked for, but I absolutely do not hate it. Plus, spoiled rich kids getting slasher’d is a lot more fun and efficient than bringing back the guillotine.

Glorious

Writers: Joshua Hull/David Ian McKendry/Todd Rigney, Director: Rebekah McKendry

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “A heartbroken man finds himself trapped in a bathroom with a strange voice who says he may be the only hope in stopping a terrible event.”

From True Blood to Dead Silence (which was WAY scary, thanks very much, haters) — it’s safe to say Ryan Kwanten deserves to be treasured as a Scream King. Public restrooms are terrifying on many levels. This film is sure to have the next generation of Horror movie fans making sure they go at home.

Prey

Writer: Patrick Aison, Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, ‘Prey’ is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.”

As our protagonist Naru, rising powerhouse Amber Midthunder steals the show from an extraterrestrial legend — with lovable Dakota Beavers bringing up the rear. Midthunder is the heiress to a quiet storm of a Hollywood dynasty. And her ability to carry this film, mostly on her back alone, shows us that her reign was written in the stars.

Piggy

Writer: Carlota Pereda, Director: Carlota Pereda

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “With the summer sun beating down on her rural Spanish town, Sara hides away in her parent's butcher shop. A teenager whose excess weight makes her the target of incessant bullying, she flees a clique of capricious girls who torment her at the town pool, only to stumble upon them being brutally kidnapped by a stranger, who drives off with them in his van. When the police begin asking questions, Sara keeps quiet. Intrigued by the stranger — an interest that's mutual — she's torn between revealing the truth and protecting the man who saved her.”

Being “big-boned-ed-ed” myself, I can absolutely understand the appeal of this film when talking about creative catharsis. Messy-and-Complicated™ heroine Sara is giving “Carrie White With A Tighter Alibi” in this revenge-by-proxy flick. It also doesn’t shy away from some philosophical questions, which always makes Horror a little juicier.

Hellraiser

Writers: Ben Collins/Luke Piotrowski/David S. Goyer, Director: David Bruckner

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “A new take on Clive Barker's 1987 horror classic in which a young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.”

The original Hellraiser is one of the films that scared the marshmallow fluff out of me as a young padawan — and I know I am not alone in that. This reboot is exciting in the way it embraces a more grimly gorgeous side of the macabre. Sumptuous design elements add a subtle allure to the “violent delights” these neo-Cenobites have to offer.

Men

Writer: Alex Garland, Director: Alex Garland

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “In the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Harper (Jessie Buckley) retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to have found a place to heal. But someone or something from the surrounding woods appears to be stalking her. What begins as simmering dread becomes a fully-formed nightmare, inhabited by her darkest memories and fears in visionary filmmaker Alex Garland's (Ex Machina, Annihilation) feverish, shape-shifting new horror film.”

Alex Garland has the whole Subtle Horror thing in the bag. With work chock full of intelligent commentary, it’s easy to make it a point to just stay up-to-date on his releases. Besides, this seems like the quintessential example of Gaslight Horror since — well — Gaslight. (RIP, Angela Lansbury).

Pearl

Writer: Ti West/Mia Goth, Director: Ti West

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “Filmmaker Ti West returns with another chapter from the twisted world of X, in this astonishing follow-up to the year's most acclaimed horror film. Trapped on her family's isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother. Lusting for a glamorous life like she's seen in the movies, Pearl finds her ambitions, temptations, and repressions all colliding in this stunning, technicolor-inspired origin story of X's iconic villain.”

When considering Pearl over its same-year prequel, X, there are a couple of factors working in the follow-up’s favor — mainly that this one stars a Philadelphian. As well, there’s just something about the setting and tone of the origin story which makes me wonder if it was the overall point of the franchise all along. Maybe Mia Goth’s creative partnership is the secret sauce here, but this one makes me want to watch the films in the opposite order.

Smile

Writer: Parker Finn, Director: Parker Finn

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.”

This one goes out to every individual who has ridden a train across from Creepy McSlasher-Smile. If you ever wondered what producers mean when they say they’re seeking a “high concept project”— it’s this. Smiles are canceled indefinitely.

The Black Phone

Writers: Scott Derrickson/C. Robert Cargill/Joe Hill, Director: Scott Derrickson

Rotten Tomatoes Logline: “Finney, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer's previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn't happen to Finney.”

Who doesn’t want to see a brilliant kid Escape Room his way out of a hell-cell? Joe Hill’s original short story by the same name definitely lays the groundwork for this riddle-ridden magic. But Cargill and Derrickson are a dynamic duo to be reckoned with. And as someone who’s had the distinct honor of reading oracle cards for Scott — I can personally say, the guy is ascended AF.

Happy hauntin', Horror movie fans!

Read More: What Fandango's 2023 Most Anticipated Movies Can Teach Screenwriters

The post 10 of the Best Horror Movies of 2022 appeared first on ScreenCraft.

This year, I was approached by a producer interested in purchasing a short script of mine called Grandma's Hands — which makes the third short screenplay sale of my career. (And we know how screenwriters feel about The Rule of Threes.)

With the first two sales (Rock Bottom and Edie) going to the same company, I hadn’t thought much about what I’d done to achieve that — other than being in the right place at the right time. But with the acquisition of Grandma's Hands, I came to wonder whether there was a subconscious technique at play. After all, I wrote these stories as “palate cleansers” in between larger projects to keep my creative juices flowing. Originally, I thought maybe I’d pass one off to a friend who had the means to make it, pro bono. Or maybe I’d take the helm myself as a writer/director’s sample.

But the idea that someone would take the time to draw up an agreement and pay me legal tender for a story less than 15 pages has continued to blow my mind. More than that, it let me know that these producers see something worth investing in within those sub-15 pages. So, I thought I’d analyze what that was.

After reflecting on their feedback, I find that the selling points with my collaborators boil down to three categories. 

Enter Now  |  Regular Deadline in 22 days

Conceptualizing Short Scripts

Creating a "Story Within a Story"

When approaching a short script concept, I find it helpful to conceive a story within a story. That means the short script should be its own contained narrative depicting a Beginning, Middle, and End — but that it could also be a snippet of a larger narrative.

Chances are if a writer vividly envisions a larger narrative surrounding their short script, a producer will sense the opportunity to yield a return on their investment that might go beyond festival recognition.

Case Studies: Saw 0.5 & Monster

There are so many great examples of short films from a myriad of genres. However, as a writer rooted in Horror/Thriller, I’ve been given a smorgasbord of examples of successful short horror films ranging from Leigh Whannell and James Wan’s Saw 0.5...

...to Jennifer Kent’s Monster (which would go on to become The Babadook).

Both of these short films drop in on dramatic situations that were established before the start of the script and have a clear path to continuing onward after the end. Saw 0.5’s David has a teased backstory in that something about his life has gotten him into the pessimistic space where Jigsaw finds him. And clearly, Jigsaw’s M.O. implies a rich history of depravity. The Mother in Monster is at her wit’s end when we meet her. And after watching her wrangle spirited little Samuel, it’s no surprise that she can son a snaggletooth phantasm with such ease.

Economizing the Short Script Page Count

I won’t drive home the “make it producible” adage, because writing to minimize budget — few characters, limited or easily doable SFX, minimal/cheap/free locations — almost goes without saying here. Instead, I’ll focus on getting the most out of your page space, story-wise.

How Long Should Shorts Script Be?

Short scripts tend to fall within a range of 5-20 pages. But a sweet spot for me has been between 10-15. This allows me to play to my personal strength of dialogue while still keeping the narrative moving along quickly. Some filmmakers would say, “The shorter, the better.” This was certainly the case for David F. Sandberg’s 2013 short film Lights Out which inspired the feature film of the same title.

What Should Writers Establish Early On?

In the first few moments of those 10-15 pages, it’s imperative to me that I establish three things:

• Character Voice
• Character Need
• Character Obstacle

Write in Short-Hand to Save (Run) Time

There are a number of narrative short-hands for showing the audience who a character is; the specific way they perform any given action, their unique phrasing of basic statements, and what their priority is when we meet them. The good news is that all of the above elements can be folded into the reveal of their need/obstacle.

If a machinist is shown downing energy shots during their shift while still sweet-talking their boss into giving them more hours, the writing has already set up a terrifying scenario in two dialogue lines and one action beat. From there, the flow of the plot becomes more intuitive — especially if the ending has already been conceived. 

Mesmerizing with a Hook

…Which leads to my trick for ending on a mesmerizing hook. “What kind of reversal will meet the characters with ultimate irony while upending the audience’s expectations?” This is a bit of a personal signature, which might not feel resonant with every reader who comes to this post.

Do Hooks Work with Every Genre?

If one is planning to write a quiet family drama about their vacation to the Jersey Shore, they might not find my "mesmerizing hook" tip as helpful as someone working in the genres I’ve leaned into. But there are very few short scripts that won’t benefit from the application of dramatic irony.

In the "quiet family drama" example above, the main family’s bickering could cause them to leave behind a souvenir that another family finds and bonds over. Even a twist so grounded and subtle is likely to leave an impression on a prospective producer — especially if it serves to sharpen the picture of our characters.  

Tease the Hook

The “mesmerizing” part also comes in with just how intentionally the hook has been teased. The benefit of short scripts is that they make it painless to re-read for spots in which to leave little easter eggs, punctuating an ending. It’s these narrative clues that add sparkle to a truncated tale. Short scripts are also a great space to experiment with style. They’ve been instrumental in developing the use of some of my favorite motifs, such as pre-laps and quick flashes. 

Read More: What Can We Learn From the 2023 Oscar-Nominated Shorts?

In the End, "Marketable" Means "Memorable"

All in all, it’s difficult to tell exactly which elements of a script are going to attract someone’s interest, let alone lead them to back that interest with a payment. But at the end of the day — whether we’re talking shorts, features, or TV — "marketable” means “memorable”. That means learning how to write memorable characters, memorable monologues — memorable everything is key to finding success.

A short script that stands out a cut above the rest possesses the same basic elements of any screen story that does the same. The difference is that a short script presents an opportunity to rise to the challenge of its length constraints and make the little things count tenfold.

With this list, hopefully, writers will be empowered to go the distance with short-form material in a way that boosts their confidence across mediums. But that’s not to imply short scripts are just a means to a presumably more lucrative end — they are certainly an art in and of themselves. And the first step to mastering them is setting out to write one that blows your own mind. 

Need some inspiration? Check out these 101 story prompts to kickstart your short film!

The post 3 Things Your Short Scripts Should Have In Order to Sell appeared first on ScreenCraft.