How to Write a Short Film, Documentary or YouTube Script
Real runtime rules for short films, the paper edit and two-column AV script for documentary, the YouTube spoken-word script, and how to write voice over.
How to Write a Short Film, Documentary or YouTube Script
Short-form scripts have different rules from features. A short film is one moment. A documentary is written after the footage. A YouTube script is written to be spoken. This guide covers all three, with a short film planned in Skrib.
Short film scripts
Runtime: for festivals, shorter is safer. Many programmers favour shorts under about 15 minutes. The Academy counts short films as 40 minutes or less.
Story: one character, one moment of change, few locations. Start late and end early.
Do it in Skrib: plan the short on the Fichtean Curve board and write the script beside it.
Format a short exactly like a feature:
Documentary scripts
Documentaries are mostly written in the edit.
- Treatment: before shooting, describe the story you expect and who you'll film.
- Paper edit: after shooting, pull the best quotes and moments from transcripts and arrange them in order on paper.
- Two-column AV script: a table with Video (what we see) on the left and Audio (what we hear) on the right.
YouTube scripts
Write for the ear. Short sentences, a hook in the first seconds, and one idea per section. Read it aloud and cut anything you stumble on. Mark b-roll and on-screen text in brackets.
How to write voice over
In a screenplay, voice over is marked (V.O.) after the character name. Keep it short and let it add something the picture can't. For documentaries and YouTube, write narration in the Audio column, in the speaker's natural rhythm.
FAQ
How many pages is a short film script? About one page per minute, so a 10 minute short is about 10 pages.
Write your short in Skrib
Copy the free Fichtean Curve board for screenplays and plan your short on one page. It is free to start.
Copy the Fichtean Curve board for screenplays
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