11 Rules for Making a Short Film Worth Finishing

I went to a one-day film festival over the weekend highlighting female filmmakers, and it only reinforced my love for shorts as an artform.

The filmmakers were given platforms to discuss their goals for their work—some wanted to highlight locations, causes, or the impacts of illnesses like Alzheimer’s or cancer.

All of them looked great. A few were from first-time student filmmakers, so they had their pacing issues or clunky dialogue, and a couple were a bit overlong, but those are things you can learn from and refine later. Overall, it was inspiring for the short film I’m prepping now.

You might be thinking about a short idea you want to tackle. You’re probably excited—but you also know how wrong things can go. You don’t want it to look like every other bad short film you've ever watched. You want to get the most out of your budget, and it might be small.

Commercial director Jesse Senko knows that feeling well. He built a set of personal rules to get past it.

Check out his video, then his tips.

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Know Your Role as a Director

As Senko puts it, a director's job is to be a dedicated decision-maker. The resulting project is the sum of all those decisions. Which costume? What do you want the lighting to look like? How do you want a line read?

No single lens or editing technique makes something watchable.

“Story, linked with a bunch of really great choices, are what makes something watchable,” he says.

Cast for Capability, Not Convenience

Senko talks here about “the bearded bro,” referring to himself and his friends, whom he would ask to be in his early work. It’s basically just grabbing bodies that are nearby and willing, regardless of the story you’re trying to tell. It's whoever you're casting out of convenience rather than capability.

If you’re trying to tell a story about a teen girl’s hardest day in high school, a bearded bro would not give you the same story.

This is not to say never cast your friends. It can work, especially if the material is written for them.

“At some point, you'll want to elevate what you're creating, and casting is a really great way to start,” Senko says.

When you start getting serious, your casting choices need to get serious, too.

Plan Before You Pick Up a Camera

Humans hate planning because it's boring. We get it. You want to be doing the thing and bringing your vision to life. But winging it is just as bad.

“If you're shooting a short film with little or no budget, the one luxury you do have... is time,” he says.

Use it. Jumping from idea to camera is how you end up improvising problems on set instead of solving them in prep. The same process that runs big-budget productions scales down.

Build a Director's Treatment, Even for a Tiny Project

Senko recommends the commercial director approach, which is to create a visually rich document covering wardrobe, casting references, look and feel, all of it. Even on the smallest project, it forces clarity. It also gets people excited to say yes, even for free. Good creative opportunities attract talent.

This is one of my favorite parts of prep, honestly. I put together a deck covering the logline, characters, story, and pulled some frames for visual reference. Bam, we’ve got something to send talent.

"A lot of people are willing to really put themselves out there if the creative opportunity is legit,” Senko says.

Give Everyone a Role and Respect It

Even if it's you and two friends, every department needs to be represented, and every person needs a title.

Give someone a defined role, because it empowers them. That person will feel ownership over the final image.

And if you're directing, you shouldn’t also be adjusting props or doing hair.

Credit: Jakob Owens

Find Your Free Production Value First

If you want to make a short, the first question to ask isn't, "What's my story?"

It's, "What do I have access to that no one else does?"

It might be a location, a prop, a contact, or a visual element that costs little or nothing but looks like production value. Find what yours is, and play to that strength.

Never Cut Corners on Hair/Makeup, Actors, or Audio

There are three things Senko won't skimp on, and you shouldn’t either. Hair/makeup is one. A skilled artist for the camera is different from someone who makes you look good in real life.

The second is actors, which he’s already touched on. Think carefully about their fit for the role, and audition people to see how seriously they'll take it if you have the time.

The third is audio. Bad location sound or a sloppy mix can undo everything else, and it’s one thing that is absolutely a bear to fix in post.

"If you're watching your piece and you're happy with it, but it's not quite right yet—usually color, audio mix. Those are some of the details that really make it click."

Set Deadlines for Everyone, Including Volunteers

Give yourself a framework. No deadline means the work drifts, and your crew has no expectations. It also just feels unprofessional.

A deadline reduces pressure on a free project because contributors know when they're off the hook. It protects your post-production timeline and respects everyone's time.

Don't Talk About It Until You Have a Date

Don't talk about projects you're planning. Talk about the ones that are actually happening, with a shoot date locked.

Otherwise, you become the person with a lot of ideas and no films. Better to show up with the finished product to impress everyone.

Finish the Film, Even When the Footage Looks Rough

Raw footage can look bad, but that's not a sign the whole project is bad. Editing is where the story comes alive, but it's also where a lot of filmmakers freeze.

Senko says he sat on a short for months before the pandemic forced him to reopen the project, and it eventually turned out great.

“Not done” is the worst possible outcome for any creative endeavor. Sometimes you write pages, get stuck, and think the whole thing must be terrible. But then you open your script and realize you were cooking with something. Maybe you feel you didn’t get the performance you wanted, but another day gives you new eyes.

Write Something Original

Speaking of writing short films, you need to keep your ideas fresh. Don’t just make a short-film version of a popular IP. If you're derivative, you're inviting comparison.

Write something meaningful to you. The short film is one of the last places where you have total creative freedom. Use it before someone takes it away.