Taking risks by not writing scripts

Did I take the right risk by not writing a script?

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    2
KhrispyK

KhrispyK

Active Member
I agree that having a well structured story line is crucial. But what if the script of what the actors/actresses are all improv? It is risky, I agree, but it can work well if executed correctly. I recently tried this strategy out on my new short film titled Mask, where it talks about how several people cover their emotions in front of their friends by putting on a "fake smile." I would like to see if I took the right steps into making this film, or if I should have took time to write out what people should have said instead. My youtube channel is KhrispyK. Thank you!
 
I think letting actors improv is a huge risk, especially if they're not incredibly experienced. A lot of profesionals in the industry have told me to let actors ad-lib and have input on their character, but have a basic script that you'll follow to make sure things don't become a mess. It's a lot harder to structure a film if no one has any real idea where it is going.
It can be done, it is just quite tricky and risky, I'll take a look at your short though.

EDIT: Just finished it, I'm sorry to hear about what's happening to you, mustn't of been an easy subject to tackle.
Firstly, considering that is your first short film, that's a relly good effort, I've seen some "first shorts" over the years and this one was really good. The dialogue was good, the lack of a script didn't hurt the film at all and if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have assumed there wasn't a script!
The main bit of advice I can give you is to cut shots a little bit shorter. Some of them lingered on a little bit, this was mostly noticeable towards the beginning and the scenes where he is alone. No need to cut too much off, as longer shots are quite suited to this form of short, but just a bit. That's of course just my opinion, but worth a share.
But yea, I've rambled on quite a bit, just want to say keep it up! Really solid first effort.
If you need any advice regarding production in the future shoot me a PM and I'll do my best to give you a hand.
 
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Yes, I agree 100% of the way! Please tell me what you think of the short film I made and how I can improve it. I would like to get more training in film making as well as doing music videos!
 
KhrispyK said:
Yes, I agree 100% of the way! Please tell me what you think of the short film I made and how I can improve it. I would like to get more training in film making as well as doing music videos!
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Just updated my first post, go give it a read :)
Can't give you much advice on music videos as i have never shot one.
 
Thank you so much for your remarks! I will definitely keep it into consideration and apply it to my next short film soon. I value your time for watching my video. Truly means a lot to me!
 
KhrispyK said:
Thank you so much for your remarks! I will definitely keep it into consideration and apply it to my next short film soon. I value your time for watching my video. Truly means a lot to me!
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Time well spent, always happy to help a filmmaker out.
Something quite important they teach during editing is to cut on action, makes the cut look a lot fluider and more natural.
Don't ALWAYS cut on action, as not every genre of short needs the same type of editing, but it does help a lot.
 
Can you provide an example of what that may look like? I would like to visually see what you are talking about, even though I have a concise idea of what you are stating.
 
If the actors are very experienced it's not much of a major risk but it's good to let them be open with what they say, ad-lib and also can be good to incorporate a little bit of their own personality. I'm not an expert myself, i'm far from it actually :P This is just what a director said to me once it seems to work. It's good to have a script too, I think a little mix of improv and scripted acting is quite nice and doesn't seem robotic/planned in that way it flows naturally (depending on the actors) :)
 
brodielawrence said:
If the actors are very experienced it's not much of a major risk but it's good to let them be open with what they say, ad-lib and also can be good to incorporate a little bit of their own personality. I'm not an expert myself, i'm far from it actually :p This is just what a director said to me once it seems to work. It's good to have a script too, I think a little mix of improv and scripted acting is quite nice and doesn't seem robotic/planned in that way it flows naturally (depending on the actors) :)
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You are absolutely correct! Thank you for sharing that experience you had with the director! I will definitely remember that when prepping up for my next project!
 
It is always good to have a structure...to save time specially...and it helps the actors too...but if you feel like working without a script is your thing...try it out...it could work...just make sure you know your story :)
 
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