The short film is a unique narrative art form that, while lending itself to experimentation, requires tremendous discipline in following traditional filmic considerations. This book takes the student and novice screenwriter through the storytelling process- from conception, to visualization, to dramatization, to characterization and dialogue- and teaches them how to create a dramatic narrative that is at once short (approximately half an hour in length) and complete. Exercises, new examples of short screenplays, and an examination of various genres round out the discussion.

短片是一种独特的叙事艺术形式，它在进行实验的同时，也需要遵循传统电影学的巨大原则。这本书带学生和新手编剧通过故事讲述的过程-从概念，可视化，戏剧化，人物塑造和对话-并教他们如何创造一个戏剧性的叙述，这是一次短（约半小时的长度）和完整的。练习，新的短剧范例，以及对各种体裁的考查使讨论更为全面。