Afterimage: The Modern Field Guide to Short Film Screenwriting (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781069942609)

Short films demand a different approach to storytelling.

Many writers apply feature-length structure to the short form, resulting in scripts that feel rushed, unfocused, or incomplete. A short film does not give the writer room to wander. Every page has to create momentum, every scene has to earn its place, and every choice has to move the audience toward a meaningful final impression.

Afterimage: The Modern Field Guide to Short Film Screenwriting focuses on the practical work of writing short films. It presents clear techniques and working methods that can be applied directly on the page, from the first idea through the final rewrite.

Drawing on real experience writing and producing award-winning short films, Dustin Moore shows how to build stories for the short film format with clarity, precision, and emotional impact.

Inside, you will learn how to:

- Identify story ideas suited to short-form storytelling- Structure short films for momentum and clear resolution- Write action, description, and dialogue with precision- Develop character, conflict, theme, and subtext with purpose- Avoid common structural, formatting, and pacing problems- Use practical tools such as the Narrative Launchpad, the Six Story Moments, the CORE Conflict System, and the Four-Pass Rewrite- Present your screenplay with clarity and professionalism

The book also includes chapter checklists, short-film analysis, sample scripts, guided story matrices, and practical revision tools designed to help writers diagnose what is not working and strengthen what already is.

Whether you are writing your first screenplay, preparing a festival or competition submission, or refining your approach to the short form, Afterimage shows how to write short films that stay with an audience long after the screen goes dark.