How to Write (and Direct) a Contained Story

Low-budget and accessible—but how do you start?

I'm on a contained story kick right now. My creative partner and I are fresh off a short film shoot and want to make something else, but we want to make it as easy on ourselves as possible in terms of production, and cheap. So, of course, my mind went straight to single-location, contained ideas.

While contained stories are easier to produce and one of the most practical formats for emerging filmmakers, they're also one of the hardest to pull off well at the writing stage. You have to have characters that are interesting enough to carry 90 minutes, as well as a plot compelling enough to keep the audience hooked.

So I was excited to find StudioBinder's breakdown today. It's a good excuse to go through the core mechanics, from the page to the set.

To read the full article on nofilmschool.com, click here