GLOWMEDIA SCRIPTWRITING GUIDELINES

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A great short film is often built around emotional honesty, relatable characters, and a clear point of view. This guide is here to help you think deeper about storytelling, character development, and how to turn an idea into a story that leaves an impact.

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We’re looking for scripts that are roughly 10-12 pages in length that feel personal and relatable to the youth of today. The mission is for these stories to be written by the youth and made for the youth to spark further mental health conversation and awareness. Even more specifically for this competition, we’re interested in the relationship between the growing use of technology and youth mental health.

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STEP 1 - START WITH A SIMPLE IDEA

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Instead of trying to tell an entire life story in roughly ten minutes, focus on a specific moment in time that changes your character. The most memorable short films work best when they focus on one main character, an emotional conflict, one central relationship, and one turning point. Oddly enough, the most personal stories tend to become the most universal. That being said, specificity is key and vulnerability is championed.

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STEP 2 -THINK ABOUT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Character development is the emotional core of the film and the most iconic characters are the ones that evolve within the narrative. It’s important to track how your character changes emotionally, mentally, and/or physically throughout the narrative from the beginning, middle, to end. That being said, remember that character development isn’t just explained through dialogue, it’s also a visual language shown through character choices, actions, and behavior. Instead of simply explaining emotions, take a swing at explaining those emotions visually. For example, instead of writing “Sam feels lonely” maybe it’s “Sam sits alone in a busy cafeteria, scrolling endlessly on her phone.”

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STEP 3 - CREATE A THREE ACT STRUCTURE

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Most films follow the rules of a three act structure.

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Act One is where you introduce your main character, their world, and their main problem or conflict they’re bumping into. An example to ask yourself is “what is happening in your character’s life before a change is made?” Think of Act One as the story's foundation or setup to the world.

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Act Two is where your character’s tension grows in their world. Something has disrupted their life and they’re now facing conflict, difficult choices, emotional struggles, or obstacles. Ask yourself “what is forcing your character to confront the change in their life?” Think of Act Two as the conflict.

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Act Three is where your character has a resemblance to an “ah ha” moment or a turning point in their journey. Typically it’s an exploration of either your character having changed the world or the world having changed your character. In Act Three, your character can make an active decision, realize something important, change their behavior/resemble growth, and/or reconcile relationships. Think of Act Three as the space for exemplifying change for your character. Ask yourself “how has my character changed from the beginning to now?”

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STEP 4 - CRAFT YOUR ARTISTIC VISION

These are critical things to keep in mind while fine-tuning and shaping your story.

THEME: Memorable films often explore layered emotional themes such as identity, loneliness, belonging, connection, or grief. When writing, ask yourself what your story is really about underneath the plot? What are you hoping audiences leave with?

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TONE + WORLD: Be intentional about the world and tone you’re crafting. What emotional journey do you want your audience to go on while engaging with your story? What genre do you see your story living in? What films would you compare your story to?

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ENGAGEMENT & PACING: It’s imperative to keep the audience emotionally invested and a key component in that is through intentional story pacing. It’s easiest to achieve this by keeping your story emotionally driven with a very clear storyline.

That being said, every scene in your script should:

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- Move the story forward emotionally
- Increase tension
- Reveal something new
- and/or change character relationship dynamics

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STEP 5 - CONNECTING YOUR STORY TO MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

Emotionally honest stories are often the best ones. Keep in mind that your perspective and vulnerability around what it’s like to grow up in today’s world are valid and these feelings hold strong narrative weight. Your voice matters and these stories are here to create space for people to feel understood, seen, and less alone in the world.

Research & Authenticity Matter: If your story explores a specific mental health experience, take the time to research real perspectives around this. News articles, books, films, tv shows, etc can all be strong resources and launch pads. Again, your understanding doesn’t have to be perfect, we’ll be here to help fine-tune with you.

STEP 6 - HAVE FUN!

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Ultimately, have fun with this competition! There’s no wrong or right answer, this is all about what feels imperative to you. Explore what you believe the youth of today are searching for in terms of sparking mental health conversations and what you’re observing among yourself and peers as technology continues to weave its way into your relationships.

If you have any questions, reach out to support@glowmedia.org

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