All images from Inspired 3D Short Film Production by Jeremy Cantor and Pepe Valencia, series edited by Kyle Clark and Michael Ford. Reprinted with permission.

Budgets, schedules, outlines, blueprints, game plans, flowcharts, strategies… to a cinematic storyteller who is eager to dive into the more creative areas of short film production, such words might inspire dismissive shrugs or all-out fear and loathing. After all, creating a short film is supposed to be a fun and exciting experience, and the thought of spending even a small amount of time planning and organizing might sound like an unappetizing chore rather than an interesting part of the production process.

However, every short film director we interviewed either wholeheartedly acknowledged the benefits of replanning or regretted having not done more of it. As the saying goes, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”

If you happen to have unlimited time and money, you might be able to get away with just rushing into production without a plan and simply making things up as you go along. Some filmmakers actually prefer to work this way to stay fresh and motivated. However, we assume that you have a budget and an official or self-imposed deadline; therefore, it is extremely important that you assume the role of producer and create at least a semblance of a production plan to organize and streamline your filmmaking process and avoid unexpected complications down the line (see Figure 1).

[Figure 1] In this chapter, you will assume the role of producer.

A production plan is like a roadmap. Of course, to construct a logical and methodical pathway toward a destination, you must have at least some idea about the specifics of where you are going (see Figure 2).

Consider the intended length, style and complexity of your short film based on the plans and discoveries you made in your development phase.

• How long will it be? 30 seconds? Three minutes? Seven minutes? Half an hour?

• What is the overall style of your film? Cartoony or perhaps highly realistic?

• How many characters? One? Three? Two dozen? Perhaps none at all; just a few abstract shapes?

• Will there be dialogue? Narration? Music? Sound effects?

• Will there be rich or limited background elements?

• Will your images be ray-traced, hardware-rendered or toonshaded?

• Will you need procedural effects, such as smoke, water, fire, rain, cloth or hair?

• What will be the final output format of your short? A 320×240 AVI file running at 30fps for the Internet or perhaps a 24fps film rendered at 1024×768?