Vol 1 | Issue 18 | ISSN 2979-8744 (online)

We've talked before about the value of short films: how they can be a calling card, how they can help you inform your experience, and essentially improve your writing. We've also talked about pre-selectors and how they are very appreciative of short stories that are under 10 minutes. 

I know that there is a lot of temptation for writers to push back on that and want to let a story ‘breathe’ because we all want to tell our stories in as much detail as we can. But that often makes the timing, especially for short films, a bit rambley.

Well, fundamentally short films are not the same as episodes. They are not the same as a TV series. They are not the same as scenes. And they are certainly not the same as features. 

Short films have a rhythm of their own that crams in as much nuance, subtext, impact, and theme as you possibly can in the shortest time that your story needs to be told. 

By the shortest time, I mean if your story starts with someone walking through the door, cut that. Let's start later; start where they're already sat down; start after they've already said hello. 

We start after that and equally we leave much, much earlier. You have to leave the audience with enough for them to continue that journey themselves. It’s how advertising works too. 

I don't think I've ever found one that has topped the story that I want to focus on today. Some of you with children under the age of eight will be familiar with the TV show Bluey, which is a show aimed at children around preschool age (3-6). 

It's so clever in that it offers a narrative for parents to follow too who inevitably have to watch it. It makes them want to watch it, which of course means the kids get to watch it, no nagging needed. 

It is emotionally intelligent, and you can tell that they are catering to an audience who are growing up in a digital world and have more nuance and understanding than ever before.

I found the episode in question on YouTube at the time that this newsletter was published. Hopefully you'll be able to find it as well.

I'm going to give you a trigger warning: It does contain adult themes. If you feel unsure about that maybe google the synopsis first, but I would really encourage you to just watch this blind. 

It's billed as seven minutes but that includes credits, so I think the actual seat time is just less than six. 

And no, you don't need to know anything about the characters or the world to be able to completely appreciate the story.

I'll wait here. 

Do you need a tissue? And a hug. Yeah. It is as brutal as it is beautiful. 

Within the first minute, Mum is trying to teach Blue and Bingo a dance she did when she was a little girl with Brandy. Then, we meet Brandy, Mum’s sister. We get they haven’t seen each other for a while, that they are/were close and all love one another, and for some reason Brandy is apprehensive. Brandy hesitates when she realises that Bingo looks like her. 

By the end of minute two, the theme of “it’s not meant to be, kid” is said out loud and reinforced by Bluey’s disappointment that she can’t have the onesie she wants. She even asks again if they can exchange it.

By the end of minute three, Brandy has been reminded again that she has been absent from her sister’s life, and the guilt and hurt overcomes her. She decides to leave but is caught by Bingo. 

By the end of minute four, Mum tells Bluey Brandy is so sad because she wants something using the desperately wanted onesie as an analogy. And over this we see Brandy play with Bingo. And, just as Mum explains that “it’s just not meant to be,” Bingo runs off, leaving Brandy to look at a collection of clouds: mummy cloud, daddy cloud, baby cloud.

By the end of minute five, Mum asks Brandy the question “are you okay?” and their relationship is restored. Three clouds have become two: big sister and little sister. And Brandy plans to come over again.

By the end, Mum and Brandy restore order to Bingo’s funny five minutes with the dance that they did when they were little.

That’s it. Six minutes

That’s all it took for you to blubber into your tea and swear at me for putting you through that. Sorry not sorry. 

And it was a fun and uplifting story, right? 

For the kids, Bluey and her sister, Bingo, get to see a cool aunty, they get presents, and they get to play a game where Bingo becomes one with her cheetah onesie. They also come to understand why grownups are complex and sometimes sad. 

For Brandy, she gets to find a way to face her grief and rekindle a much longed for relationship with her sister and her nieces. 

And for Mum, she gets to confront her sister about her distance but more importantly, find the way to empathise with why Brandy stayed away as she articulates to Bluey delicately why Aunty Brandy is sad. 

But the BEST part is how the dialogue and the visuals tell two perspectives of the same story. And that is just the beautiful kind of magic that I love. 

Go watch it again. And if you’re feeling mean, go send it to someone else to ruin their day too. 

As someone who has pressed play on more than a few shorts, I would really encourage you to think beyond your first idea. This Bluey episode was about grief. But it wasn’t about granny dying (that’s another episode). 

The Waitrose Christmas Advert 2024 Sweet Suspicion. A whole whodunit it less than TWO AND A HALF MINUTES! Genius! 

I was so obsessed by this when it came out that I sat down with Final Draft and reverse engineered it by writing the script out, scene by scene within that page limit, to understand the mechanics under the hood. Do not underestimate how much story you can tell in just a few minutes.

I went on a short film course run by The Script Factory. It was a free taster course for their wider longer workshop, which was, I imagine, absolutely fantastic because the taster was incredible. 

If you want to explore this, check them out for sure but there are equally other places where you can obtain that information for free. 

You don't need to do a course for that, but I can highly recommend if you are going to do a course, do one with them.

If what you're really after is a regular supply of short-form storytelling to study, I can highly recommend signing up to this free newsletter from Russell at BLANKET Wednesday Inspo – it contains anything from music videos to adverts and micro social docs. It’s incredibly refreshing to see how creative narratives can be.

You don’t need a Mubi subscription to see something out of the box.

You’ve got this! 

Helen

Next up… What I'm hoping to learn at Edinburgh TV Festival 2026 

© Helen Tompson 2026 | Feel free to share this newsletter with other writers. If you'd like to reproduce or quote larger sections, just drop me a message first.