How to Write an LGBT Short Film

If you're LGBT+ or are a strong supporter of the LGBT+ community, making a short film is a great way to share your support, and get involved! This article will show you how to get started.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Writing

1
Decide on the plot of your film. There's no use in finding actors and starting to film if you don't know what the film is going to be about. It is also useful to decide on a timeframe (eg. 20 minutes) for your film to be, so you have something to base it on. Like writing a story, decide on a beginning, middle and ending for your film. You'll also need to develop ideas for characters. Remember to be original, although it is alright to take inspiration from short films you've already watched. Some ideas for plots could be:
- A person or couple's journey discovering they are LGBT+
- An LGBT+ person or couple not being accepted by one or both of their families
- A person's journey through transitioning
- A romance
- Any type of story in which one or more major characters happen to be LGBT+
What message do you want to send with your story? What conflict (inner conflict, conflict with someone else or society, or conflict with dangerous forces of nature) will your main character grapple with? The theme often stems from the conflict.
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3
Create compelling major characters. An interesting character is a proactive character who is skilled, flawed, and perhaps conflicted. A well-written character will have most or all of the following traits:
- They want something. An interesting character pursues a goal.
- They're conflicted. They're unsure about something and are grappling with contradictory feelings about it.
- They're hiding something. Many interesting characters are keeping a secret.
- They add something positive to the plot. Skills, kindness, and/or optimism can give a character a chance to have a positive influence on the world around them.
- They have a real flaw. A true flaw involves questionable thoughts and decisions, and it creates real consequences for the character.^{[1]XResearch source}
- They defy stereotypes. They're a unique person who doesn't match stereotypes about their identity.
Make each character unique, with their own strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. Show how they support and interact with each other. Relationships are central to a story, so spend time thinking about how they interact with each other.
5
Follow best practices if you're writing about a character whose identity is different from your own. You want to be mindful that you're telling a positive story, without trying to act like you have the authority to define what it's like to be who they are. There's a huge difference between (for example) a straight person telling a story about a gay character and a straight person claiming to be an expert on how it feels to be gay.
- Research thoroughly. Read from people whose identity is the same (or similar to) your character's. Learn about how they feel about themselves, what challenges they face, and what makes their lives better or worse.
- Tell a story about a person, not an identity. If you're not a member of the group, don't try to tell a story about who they are. (For example, a cis person saying "this is a story about what it's like to be trans" is probably a bad idea. It's better for trans people to be the own experts on their stories.) Write a character who has the identity, without making it all about their identity or pretending that you know exactly what it's like.
- Avoid writing a self-hating character. For example, if you write a story about a self-hating asexual person when you're not asexual, people might think that you view asexual people poorly (even if you don't mean it that way). If you want to tell a revolutionary and positive story, try writing about a character who loves themselves unconditionally and is happy to be LGBT+.
6
Skip the sad cliches. Too many writers have decided to kill off LGBT+ characters or tell sad stories about them so everyone can talk about how the characters deserve better. While it may be well-intended, the proliferation of tragedies can have unfortunate implications for LGBT+ people in real life. If you want to tell an original and inspiring stories, try ending on a happy note.
- Make your LGBT+ character(s) survive to the end. If absolutely have to kill a character, make sure that other LGBT+ characters survive.
- Give your LGBT+ character(s) a happy ending. Even if it's not the one they expected, make it something positive and hopeful.
- Write characters who don't hate themselves or feel ashamed of who they are.
- Write ally characters who can serve as role models to readers who aren't LGBT+. Show how they treat your LGBT+ character(s) well.
A well-written ending is a natural conclusion to the major characters' arcs. Your major character(s) should have learned something important that's related to your story's theme.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Creating the Film

1
Find actors to be in your film. Now you already have a rough idea of your film, you can start picking actors. If you're just making the film for fun, you probably want to just pick some of your friends to be your actors. If you can, pick people who do acting outside of school, or have an interest in acting.
- Make sure your actors are comfortable with anything they will have to do (for example if your film features a kiss)
- You'll need to think about how you want your characters to look, and if there's anything you'll need to find (wigs, makeup) to get your characters looking how you want.
2
Know where you're going to film. You can film in lots of different places for different scenes, or you can choose to mainly film in one place. Make sure where you're going to film actually relates to your film, not just because you like the place.
- Get permission if you want to film anywhere that isn't your house or a public space. For example, if you want to shoot a scene on a train, you'll have to ask the train company beforehand.
- If you can't get permission, think about how you could adapt the scene so that you don't film without permission.
3
Write a full script. Now that you know roughly what happens, you have actors to play the parts and you should have permission to film in any place you know you'll need, it's time to write the full script. Get your actors to help you write it, you can also adapt it for the people playing the specific parts.
- If you haven't done already, consider whether you want to use special effects, voiceovers or props. If you do, know how you're going to get them (do you need to look for an editing app, find someone to borrow props from, etc.)
- Use lots of dialogue. As you're writing a film, it needs to be mainly dialogue. Think about how your characters would speak/interact with each other. Make it realistic!
- Consider costumes. Will you need them? Will you need costume changes in the film? Do the costumes reflect your characters?
4
Get ready to film! Make sure all your actors have learned their lines. If you're using props, make sure you have them ready. You'll also need to know which scenes you're filming first.
- If you're using makeup or changing the actors appearances in any way, do that now. Know if you'll need costume changes in the film. Consider when and where you'll do that.
5
Start filming your movie! Know what you're using to film. Will you be using a phone camera or a professional camera? Make sure to take breaks throughout. If you're unhappy with a scene, it's best to do a re-take whilst you're all still in costume, instead of coming home to realise you don't like it.
- If you're filming in public, even with permission, be sure to make sure you don't disturb others or cause a nuisance. If you're asked to stop filming, stop and either go somewhere else or come back later.
- Save all your scenes under a name you can recognise. That way you'll know which scene is which when you come to edit it.
6
Edit your movie. You should already have editing software, but if you don't, now is the time to download some. Use your software to put all the scenes together in the correct order. If you're using special effects or a voiceover, you can add those now.
- Consider the timeframe you decided on in the beginning. Does your film at least roughly meet it? If it doesn't, consider cutting scenes or adding pieces of narration.
- Consider how well your film works as a short movie. Does it tell the story you decided upon in the beginning? Does your editing flow well from scene to scene?
After you're done editing, you should watch the movie over with all your actors. Once you're happy with everything, you can download your movie, and publish it if you want! Congratulate yourself and your actors on making a great LBGT+ short movie!
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Expert Q&A

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Question
How do you make a short film interesting?
Kendall Payne
Writer, Director, & Stand-up Comedian
Kendall Payne is a Writer, Director, and Stand-up Comedian based in Brooklyn, New York. Kendall specializes in directing, writing, and producing comedic short films. Her films have screened at Indie Short Fest, Brooklyn Comedy Collective, Channel 101 NY, and 8 Ball TV. She has also written and directed content for the Netflix is a Joke social channels and has written marketing scripts for Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Astronomy Club, Wine Country, Bash Brothers, Stand Up Specials and more. Kendall runs an IRL internet comedy show at Caveat called Extremely Online, and a comedy show for @ssholes called Sugarp!ss at Easy Lover. She studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and at New York University (NYU) Tisch in the TV Writing Certificate Program.
Kendall Payne
Writer, Director, & Stand-up Comedian
Expert Answer
Come up with interesting characters! To create interesting characters, try combining characteristics of friends. For instance, if you have an incredibly peppy friend, but you also have a friend who's quick to anger, you might combine them into one character. That way, you're not just directly copying someone who actually exists.
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Why does it have to be an LGBT thing?
Community Answer
Because those in the LGBT community may want to create a work to express their perspective, to educate those outside the community and/or generate support. It's the same as anyone creating a film or documentary representing their culture and the challenges faced. If you're looking for general tips on making any sort of short film, consult Make a Short Film.
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Question
I am currently not LGBT but am considering the options. Can I write a short film about my experiences within this community?
Beth
Community Answer
If you're questioning, you can still write a LGBT+ film, anyone can write one! However if you're writing a film storyline about an identity you don't have personal experience with, just make sure to be respectful.
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Tips

If you're using songs in your movie, make sure you have the licence to use them. You could even use songs you've written or sung yourself!
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Before you publish your movie, watch the whole thing over to see if you're happy with everything.
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Don't film in places you aren't allowed. Either get permission or find somewhere else to film.
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