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. This edition has been expanded to include a chapter on character development, plus a new section that includes chapters on melodrama, docudrama, hyperdrama, and experimental drama- genres well suited to the short film.