Click the links below to read each Masterclass. Each month, we'll bring you a step-by-step guide to every aspect of short filmmaking.

MASTERCLASS ONE:
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SHORT?

MASTERCLASS TWO:
CAN YOU MAKE A SHORT FOR £100?

MASTERCLASS THREE:
THE SHOOT

MASTERCLASS FOUR:
PROMOTING YOUR SHORT

AFTER DARK MASTERCLASS THREE:
THE SHOOT

Dawn Sharpless:

Making a short film is really hard work. I would strongly recommend getting a good producer. I meet so many directors who have had to take on everything themselves because they haven't appointed a producer to the project. This can be really draining – and creatively damaging on a shoot. Afterwards there is a lot of follow through to do as well: organising your publicity, applying to film festivals, finding a sales agent, shifting your prints around town and so on, it pays to have one person dedicated to the day to day logistics.

Onedotzero:
You don't have to do things conventionally. You can make an impactful film with just still photographs and music, alongside the right tools to enhance the storytelling. Still photographs can be more considered than hastily shot DV or poor camerawork – use it to your advantage.

Firstlight:
Preparation is free. See what your film looks like on the location. Prepare storyboards. If you are a director you should be taking photos everyday, cutting images you like out of magazines to help you articulate your vision to your crew. Keep it simple, don't use too many locations but make sure they register on screen. In our short we were offered all kinds of cars, but we were determined to use this old BMW. It was such a beautiful car, you could shoot it from every angle. Insisting on getting what you want is not being stubborn, it's being professional. When it comes to the crew, don’t take whoever volunteers. One grumpy grip who can't be bothered to do the shot will bring the whole crew down. The triangular relationship between the director, cameraman and first assistant director is crucial. Develop friendships and collaborations over a long period of time, in this way you can count on people to get up at 5am every morning and work for free when you have to. There are some costs you can't avoid. It seems to be an unwritten rule that if someone is working for you, feed them. And make sure the food is good; get a catering student to take charge, don't try and do it yourself. If it's a long day, bring snacks to the set to keep energy levels up. Also, take health and safety seriously. You are legally responsible for your crew. Get insurance and think about what might bring them into harm's way. A health and safety report is an essential part of fulfilling your insurance arrangements. Finally, the shoot. Don't get carried away with one scene that you love, the shoot is all about time management. Make sure you get in the can the basic structure: the turning points and scenes that make your story work.

Intrepido:
It's vital there's trust between the producer and the director. A producer needs a talented director but a director also needs someone who can be objective about the project and who can be organised and resourceful about helping them realise their vision. You have to think creatively about where you spend your money. For example, one director we worked with wanted a shot of a man floating underwater. Normally this would mean hiring an underwater cameraman, a special housing for the camera, a tank, lifesavers and so on. The cost would have been astronomical, for a short film. We did some research and ended up filming in one of the only two swimming pools in London that had a porthole on one side so we were able to use all of our regular crew and only required some additional health and safety personnel.