Every award-winning short film begins life with a clever idea, a good story and a screenplay. Patrick Nash analyses the process of writing short film screenplays and gives advice on: Story and structureIdeas generationPlot and paceScreenplay formatDos and don'tsEliciting emotionDialogue and subtextCharacter designProtagonists and antagonists Character motivation and goalsConflict, obstacles and stakesCliches and StereotypesBeginnings, middles and endsHooking the viewerScreenplay competitionsLoglines, outlines and synopsesRewriting and lengthPracticalities and budgets The book also includes a number of award-winning scripts and interviews, advice and contributions from their award-winning screenwriters and a discussion of the benefits to writers of writing short screenplays.