ABSTRACT
WHEN YOU DIRECT FROM YOUR OWN WRITING As a beginner, you will need to write and direct your own short films. Though your first films will be simple, read the chapters on writing, form, and structure. Sometimes people are impatient and look down on exercises and projects as “not real films,” but every piece for the screen, no matter how short, faces you with options in point of view, genre, plot, and style, all of which are treated in the coming chapters. There is a huge amount to learn from making short films, but be prepared to profit as much from negative experiences as from positive ones. Later I will argue for collaboration with a screenwriter, but for now, let’s assume you are a writer-director.
