Short film development

short-film-development

When to use

• A user has a raw idea, image, premise, theme, genre, character, or mood and wants a short-film concept.
• The user asks for loglines, treatments, outlines, short-story plans, character conflict, theme, acts, or a revision plan.
• The next downstream task is screenplay, shot list, visual bible, image prompts, or video prompts.

When not to use

• The user already has locked script pages and only needs shot extraction.
• The task is only model-specific prompt translation.
• The user wants legal clearance, financing, casting, or production scheduling.

Required inputs

• Raw idea or constraint
• Target length or runtime range
• Genre/tone/audience if known
• Any required characters, locations, or production limits

Optional inputs

• Reference films or style anchors
• Theme or emotional promise
• Available AI models or output format
• Continuity bible entries

Workflow

1. Clarify the creative intent layer: story engine, theme, protagonist desire, emotional wound, obstacle, stakes, point of view if prose, and audience experience.
2. Generate 3 to 5 divergent concept routes when the idea is early; select or recommend one based on specificity, feasibility, and cinematic promise.
3. Write a logline with protagonist, goal, obstacle, stakes, and irony or pressure.
4. Expand into premise, theme statement, character engine, central conflict, world rules, and ending direction.
5. Choose a compact structure: unity-of-effect short story, Fichtean crisis curve, single turning point, three-beat micro-arc, circular reveal, escalation spiral, or procedural countdown.
6. Create a scene list where every scene has dramatic purpose, visual purpose, emotional turn, and continuity needs.
7. Produce a revision plan that strengthens causality, compresses exposition, and removes unfilmable abstraction.

Decision logic

• If the idea is vague, run idea intake before writing.
• If the concept is visually strong but narratively thin, build the character want/need conflict first.
• If runtime is under 3 minutes, prefer one location, one core conflict, and one major turn.
• If the user wants prompts soon, preserve image/video-ready visual anchors in every scene.

Output formats

• Logline
• Premise sheet
• Theme and audience experience brief
• Character conflict map
• Short-story plan
• Short treatment
• Scene list
• Revision plan
• Downstream handoff brief

Quality checks

• The logline contains a filmable conflict, not just a mood.
• Each scene changes story state or emotional state.
• The ending answers the opening tension.
• The concept includes reusable visual anchors for continuity and prompting.
• The treatment separates what the audience sees/hears from backstory.

Anti-patterns

• Abstract themes with no visible action
• Too many locations for a short runtime
• Worldbuilding that does not affect choices
• A protagonist who only observes
• Prompt-ready imagery that contradicts the story tone

Exit criteria

• A concise concept package exists and can feed screenplay, shot list, bible, or prompt generation without re-interviewing the user.

Supporting files

Read only the supporting file needed for the active task:

• references/story_development_workflow.md
• references/ai_storytelling_workflow.md
• references/screenplay_structure.md
• references/continuity_handoff.md
• templates/idea_intake.md
• templates/logline.md
• templates/short_film_treatment.md
• templates/short_story_plan.md
• templates/story_revision_audit.md